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Postpartum Mood Disorders

It's three o'clock in the morning. Your ten-day-old baby has been lying in her crib for more than an hour crying. You lie there, wondering why you can't stir-up the motivation to see if she's OK. You don't understand it - you were thrilled when you found out that you were pregnant. Now that you're home, you just don't seem to care. As you wonder what's wrong with you, your little baby continues to cry and cry.

Up to eighty percent of new mothers experience some type of mood change after having their baby. These mood changes, which the medical establishment terms "postpartum mood disorders" (or PPMD's), consist of postpartum blues, postpartum depression, and postpartum psychosis.

Postpartum blues, or "baby blues", affect forty percent to eighty percent of women who give birth. These ladies experience sadness, crying spells, irritability, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. The blues usually begin during the first week after the baby arrives, and can last anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks. Postpartum blues is so common that health care providers consider it a normal variant of normal maternal behavior rather than a true psychiatric problem. Postpartum blues is quite common. Women who are pregnant need to realize that their bodies are undergoing tremendous hormonal changes. Once the baby is delivered, these hormones begin to return to the pre-pregnant level. This change in hormones, plus the added social changes and expectations, can lead to the so-called baby blues'. Postpartum blues usually has a minimal effect on the mom's ability to function, and usually resolves without problems. The cause of postpartum blues is poorly

understood. A hormonal reason has been suggested; during pregnancy, estrogen and progesterone levels increase dramatically, and then drop significantly after birth. This sudden drop may produce emotional disturbances.

Postpartum depression affects ten percent to twenty percent of new moms. While postpartum blues usually occurs hours to days after delivery, postpartum depression can occur anytime within the first six months of delivery. Postpartum depression sometimes correlates with the resumption of menstruation or after the mom stops breastfeeding. Postpartum depression is more disabling and persistent than postpartum blues. Women with postpartum depression may experience despair, hopelessness, loss of normal interests, and may entertain thoughts of suicide. One of the most profound problems is a feeling of guilt.

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