I had the Post Baby blues after the birth of my son. I would feel happy one minute, and then sad the next.
When it would start to get dark, the worse my baby blues got. I remember absolutely DREADING the night. I would become extremely anxious and sad, and I would often escape to my bedroom to cry before bedtime (well, my husband’s bedtime). I knew the night meant waking up multiple times for feedings that were extremely painful, plus I tried very hard not to wake up my husband because he had to be full functioning at work the next day. It didn’t help that my son, Turner, didn’t have his own nursery because we lived in a one bedroom apartment for the first few weeks of his life. Our tiny apartment added to the anxiety when we would have family over, especially when they had to sleep on the couch in our living room. Just like every new mom, bringing my baby in to the world was amazing, but the feelings it brought were overwhelming. Turner was not a good sleeper. He woke almost every hour ½ to eat, and he fussed all the time! He was super gassy, and we found out a couple of months later that he had acid reflux. My breastfeeding issues also led to my baby blues.
I can say that having my mother around helped extremely with my baby blues. I actually went to my hometown for a few days at a time during the first couple of weeks, because it brought such comfort being in my childhood home. My mom cooked for me, which was a huge blessing. Alex and I didn’t have the energy or desire to cook hearty meals. Anyone else lean on their mom like crazy during those first few weeks?
It’s hard to tell the difference between post baby blues and Postpartum depression since the symptoms are similar, but if the depression/anxiety persists past the first few weeks then you might want to seek help. You should also talk to your physician if you have feelings of harming yourself, or feel incapable of taking care of your newborn.
The newborn stage is rough, especially for new moms. I hope with my next child I won’t have such a hard time with the post baby blues, but who knows. I hope that having my own home and space will alleviate some of that anxiety. I do know that I’m not alone. In fact, almost 80% of moms have the post baby blues after their first born. It’s reassuring to know I’m not crazy.
Did you struggle with the Post Baby Blues? And to moms with multiple children…did you struggle with it on your 2nd or 3rd baby?
Thank you for sharing this. As the mom of an acid reflux baby who also was a terrible breastfeeder and didn’t sleep longer than 2 hours at a time for almost 8 months, your description of the nighttime and of the support one’s mother can provide are absolutely on point. My mother helped me through so much, especially as I often felt isolated from other moms who seemed so happily enjoying early motherhood. My husband essentially checked out, and my OB did not properly screen me for postpartum depression.
I wish other mothers would speak more openly about this issue. Thank you for doing so honestly and eloquently.