Baby blues: what it is and how it differs from postpartum depression
The baby blues, also called "maternity blues" represents a form of psychophysical malaise that can affect the mother in the days after giving birth. Symptoms of the baby blues are milder than those of postpartum depression, with which it is often confused, and have a shorter duration. Not for this, however, the baby blues should be underestimated. Let's find out together everything there is to know on the subject. But first, check out our postpartum depression video:
What is the baby blues?
The baby blues is defined by the Ministry of Health as a rather common reaction to post partum, also called "maternity blues", where the term "blues" means "melancholy". The baby blues is characterized, in fact, by an "indefinable feeling of melancholy - in fact - and sadness, together with a sense of uneasiness that is difficult to verbalize or motivate.
The baby blues tends to reach its peak between the third and fourth day after delivery, and then fade on its own within a few days, usually within ten to fifteen days of delivery.The causes of the baby blues are to be found in the rather drastic hormonal changes that follow the very moment of birth: since the first hours following the happy event, the levels of estrogen and progesterone tend to collapse, leading to irritability and states of anxiety. hormonal fluctuations, the baby blues is aggravated by the condition of fatigue and exhaustion typical of post partum, both physical and mental.
The baby blues is a fairly common reaction to childbirth, it is estimated that 70% of new mothers suffer from it! The hormonal changes and mood disorders that follow are very frequent after childbirth, but can lead to clinical pictures of very different severity, depending on the symptoms that the mother presents and their duration. The maternity blues is in fact the least picture severe, while post partum depression is a step higher, even if just as frequent, while the case of post partum psychosis is different, much rarer and more severe in its symptoms and clinical manifestations.
See also
What are the symptoms?
The baby blues is, in fact, a passing malaise. The term "baby blues" was coined by the English pediatrician and psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott to emphasize the lightness of the depressive symptoms associated with this psychophysical reaction that does not alter the mother's ability to take care of her child (as can happen instead in post depression. partum). The mother just needs to come to terms with her new condition and find the mental space for her new identity, accepting the presence of her baby.
The symptoms with which the baby blues presents are irritability and anxiety, sleep disturbances, general sadness and melancholy, ease of crying, tiredness and exhaustion, mood disorders, loss of appetite. Fortunately, this is not a clinical picture that can bring serious consequences neither for the mother nor for the child: as we have said, the mother will be able to take care of her baby and will also experience joyful feelings, but always with an undertone of melancholy, which will soon disappear.
Although, as we have seen, it is a frequent and not very serious disorder, it should not be underestimated, especially because in women who suffer from it there is a greater risk of developing postpartum depression later on. It will be good for those around the mother. and the child, give their support and ensure an environment that is as peaceful as possible.
Baby blues and postpartum depression: what's the difference?
The maternity blues is very different from postpartum depression, a disorder that affects - with different levels of severity - from 7 to 12% of new mothers according to data from the Ministry of Health, and usually makes its onset between the sixth and the twelfth. week after the baby is born - well later than the baby blues.
Even in the case of postpartum depression, the mother has mood and sleep disorders, she feels irritable, easy to cry, but this is combined with a strong sense of guilt mixed with shame, the fear of not being a good mother and of not knowing how to take care of the newborn. Postpartum depression makes the woman in difficulty no longer able to take care of the baby: this disorder does not allow her to establish an emotional exchange with the newborn, she has difficulty interacting with him and feeling attachment. The consequences of this can also be relevant for the cognitive and emotional development of the newborn itself.
Warning: we speak of depression if the symptoms listed persist for a period of at least two weeks. In these cases it will be good to consult a specialist as soon as possible, especially if you realize that the disorder interferes with the normal performance of daily activities.
- Ministry of Health
- Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital
