The “Baby Blues”: What is it?
Having a baby is a life-changing event. This simple fact is true for anyone who embarks on a parenting journey. This experience is different for everyone and often involves mixed emotions: people can feel overjoyed and overwhelmed at the same time. If you are feeling this way, you are not alone!
These feelings are common and many parents may experience “baby blues” for the first few days or weeks after birth. These feelings can happen to any parent, regardless of whether they gave birth or not. Parents may feel sad, irritable, worried, angry, hopeless, or have intrusive thoughts. Parents may cry for no apparent reason, have unpredictable and rapid mood changes, feel very tired or have poor concentration. These feelings can be part of a normal experience following the transition to parenthood. For most people, these feelings will start to ease within the first few weeks after birth. For some, these feelings may linger and transition into postpartum depression and/or postpartum anxiety.
What can cause the baby blues?
- Hormonal changes after delivery
- Lack of sleep and changes to sleep patterns
- Adjustment to your new role as a parent
- Changes to your relationship(s)
- And more… Everyone’s postpartum experience is unique!
Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Anxiety: What are they?
Some people will experience feelings that are more severe or longer-lasting than the “baby blues”. This is called postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety, or both. If you are feeling sad, anxious, angry, overwhelmed, or have intrusive thoughts for more than two weeks after the arrival of your baby you may be experiencing postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety.
Postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety are common and do not discriminate – it can happen to any one or during any postpartum period (even to experienced parents who have never felt this way before). This experience does not mean you are a failure or a bad parent.
Without support, postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety can pose a serious risk to your health and the safety of your baby. Please speak with your Doctor, Midwife, Public Health Nurse or other members of your care team. You are not alone!
- Who Can Help
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- What Can Help
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Once baby has arrived, many new parents find it hard to keep up with taking care of themselves. You may feel too tired, too busy, overwhelmed, angry, guilty or simply forget and lose track of time. However, finding small ways to keep taking care of yourself will help you to have a healthy recovery, enjoy time with your new baby more, and in turn help take the best care for your baby and family. The best thing you can do for yourself and your family is to reach out for support and talk to others about how you feel. In addition to your own personal supports, Public Health Nurses, Midwives, Physicians, Doulas and other trained providers are all happy to provide different types of support during this time.
Other things that can help include:
- Resting or sleeping when your baby sleeps
- Take one day at a time
- Ask for and accept offers of help
- Take time for relaxing exercise
- Set aside some time for yourself
- Prioritize your postpartum healing to reduce physical discomfort
- Eat nutritious foods
- Stay hydrated
- Start small: even little things like a short shower, warm cup of tea, short meditation or mindfulness exercise, or changing into fresh pyjamas can make a big difference!
Also consider downloading "NESTS" for Well-Being and the additional resources linked on this page.
Important Note: If you have thoughts of self harm or harm to your baby, please call the Vancouver Island Crisis Line at 1-888-494-3888 immediately. Help is available 24/7. Please save this number to your phone in case you or someone you know should ever need it. The Vancouver Island Crisis Society also has options to text or chat online: Send a text to 250-800-3806 or visit vicrisis.ca.
- Perinatal Resources
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Perinatal Services BC:
Providence Health: Reproductive Mental Health
Public Health Agency of Canada: Your Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy - Mental Health, 2022
To identify resources in your local community, please refer to your local public health unit. You can also access the Find Services database on HealthLink BC or call 8-1-1 to identify health services provided by the provincial government, provincial health authorities, and non-profit agencies across the province.
- Crisis Support
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- Postpartum Intrusive Thoughts
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