Signs and Symptoms of Postpartum Depression
Postpartum Depression (PPD) is a type of depression that some mothers develop after childbirth. This can happen immediately after giving birth, or several weeks later, and can show up as physical, emotional, and/or behavioral changes.
The life-altering and transitory changes you experience after having a baby can feel overwhelming, confusing, and isolating. This abrupt transition to motherhood can cause the onset of PPD as you try to reconcile these dramatic changes in your:
Family and social life
Body
Mind
Hormones
Lifestyle
And many other areas
Here, you’ll learn the areas of life and self most impacted by PPD, the most common signs and symptoms of PPD, and two resources that you can immediately use to support your recovery. This is not an exhaustive list of signs and symptoms, but some of the most common.
PPD Main Areas of Impact:
Chemical
A woman’s hormones change radically after she gives birth. Similar to the intensity of hormonal changes that happen during pregnancy (e.g. large spikes in estrogen and progesterone), a woman’s hormone levels drop suddenly after she gives birth.
Emotional
These hormonal changes directly affect mood and emotions. Your emotions might feel dampened, more erratic, uncontrollable, or incongruous with precipitating life events.
Family and Community
A family structure is permanently altered when a new baby is born. Relationship priorities change and shift to make room for this new addition to the family. This can result in mothers, partners, and/or children feeling left out, worried, or even resentful, as they adjust to their new position within the family (i.e. father, mother, sibling, oldest, middle child, etc.)
Behavioral
Routines and lifestyle options are significantly impacted after childbirth, particularly in the first weeks and months postpartum.
Physical
Pregnancy causes many changes to happen in a woman’s body, far beyond her growing “baby bump.” After childbirth, your body is almost certainly different from before. You might carries new scars and a new shape. Your body may behave differently or respond to physical fitness differently. In fact, it is normal to have difficulty returning to “normal,” and sometimes you may have to adjust to a new baseline.
In any of these areas of your life, different signs and symptoms can indicate normal post-pregnancy challenges. Whether or not they indicate postpartum depression depends on the frequency, prevalence, and severity of the symptoms.
If you think you might have postpartum depression, ask yourself how much the following symptoms impact your life, or how much distress they cause.
Signs and Symptoms of Postpartum Depression
Signs
Signs are easy-to-identify effects; typically observable by others.
Changes in sleep patterns
Changes in appetite or eating habits
Listlessness
Lack of interest, energy, or enthusiasm
Extreme or persistent tiredness
Decreased interest in sex or physical intimacy
Symptoms
Symptoms represent subjective experiences; often invisible to others
Shame
Motherhood represents fulfillment of dreams for many women and their partners. Therefore, experiencing depressive symptoms after giving birth can lead you to feel ashamed of your own feelings, difficulty adjusting, or difficulty bonding with your babies.
Guilt
Sometimes other children or partners feel de-prioritized or forgotten as energy shifts to attending to a new infant. Your might find yurself in the difficult or even impossible position of nurturing feelings of safety and significance within and between family members, while simultaneously meeting the insistent needs of your new baby. On top of that, trying to find time for yourself may also stimulate feelings of guilt, despite the necessity of taking time for self-care during this difficult transition period.
Isolation
New mothers may not be able to engage with their pre-baby social groups in the same way. If this is your first baby, you may not feel as comfortable or welcome with single friends. Similarly, if you have other older children, you may feel that these social spaces no longer fit. It can take time to find nurturing spaces that accommodate your social needs while making room for the requirements of a new baby.
Resentment
It’s no surprise that having a baby is a life-changing event filled with joys and also many challenges. It is not uncommon for mothers to begin resenting life in general, partners, other children, friends, or even the newborn infant themselves as they struggle to cope with these new challenges.
Mood Changes
Mood changes might feel sudden or unexplainable, or represent extreme reactions to daily stressors. Common mood changes include:
Intense sadness
Anxiety
Fear
Anger
Rage
Worthlessness
Hopelessness.
➕ These emotions might by triggered internally (within the self), or externally (by someone else, or something in the environment).
➕ These emotions might be directed at a partner or other family member, at strangers, or at the self.
How to Support Your Recovery Now
➕ Schedule a free consultation with our therapist matchmaker who can match you with a therapist to help support you through this momentous transition of having a child (California residents only). This is a place to be heard, to explore and identify what you need, and to discuss potential next steps with a professional.
Learn more about how we treat depression:
