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Blog Author: Dr. Dennis Kuo
When is it just beyond the “baby blues”? It is common for new mothers to feel a little “down” right after a child is born; approximately 50-70% of mothers do so. Call it hormonal changes, call it being overly tired with a big change in the house…but this feeling generally goes away after 2-3 weeks. But what if it doesn’t?
Postpartum depression, or genuine depression that follows the birth of a child, affects at least 5% of mothers. However, it is generally underdiagnosed, perhaps because there is so much focusing on the child during the weeks immediately after birth. In addition, typically the mother does not see her obstetrician for six weeks after birth. Increasingly, experts are calling for the child’s physician to ask about and look for signs of maternal depression, because the mother will see the child’s doctor much more frequently.
Your child’s doctor can be and is a resource for you as a new parent, and that includes your own health. So when your child’s doctor asks how you are doing, he or she really does want to know how you are feeling. If you are feeling down, blue, sad, and take little pleasure in things that used to be fun, you may very well have postpartum depression, which is not to be taken lightly.