Symptoms of the baby blues

What is the baby blues?

During pregnancy, a future mother lives in symbiosis with her baby in a kind of protective cocoon. After childbirth, the vast majority of young mothers go through a brief period of “slack”. Tired, they feel fragile and vulnerable. They cry easily, have mood swings, are hypersensitive to criticism, have difficulty concentrating, and have trouble sleeping.

According to specialists, this frequent phenomenon is explained by a multiplicity of factors, some of a physiological type, others of a psychic nature.

On the physical level, falling hormones play an important role. After childbirth and the expulsion of the placenta, the sudden drop in the blood, in a few hours, the level of estrogen-progestogen hormones would be responsible for a collapse in tone, causing a reaction of discouragement. The young mother is seized with doubts, wonders. In fact, she is mostly exhausted. Fatigue, in fact, unavoidable after the enormous physical effort that childbirth represents, peaks within three to ten dayst. Maintained by the accumulation of bad nights interrupted by the many awakenings of the newborn.

The young mother suffers the repercussions of the anguish of her pregnancy. For 9 months, she repressed multiple fears about her baby, the progress of childbirth and her status as an unborn mother. Once her child is born, all these fears that no longer have a reason to exist, resurface before disappearing.

It is also the end of the status of pregnant woman. Throughout her pregnancy, pampered by those around her, medically monitored, the future mother felt important. The moment of childbirth further reinforced this feeling. But, since birth, it is her child who has become the center of everything. She suddenly has the impression that she is being abandoned.

Faced with her newborn baby, she feels helpless. At the birth of a first baby, the apparent vulnerability of the newborn and its absolute dependence weaken the mother. She begins to doubt her ability to understand and meet her child’s needs. It is all the more difficult for her to experience this lack of self-confidence, especially as‘she knows she has a new responsibility.

In addition, he must adapt to the rhythm of his baby. This little being, who cries often and doesn’t let her sleep much, is still a stranger to her. It is now a question of getting to know each other and discovering little by little how it “works”.

What are the symptoms of the baby blues?

Crying for no apparent reason, irritability, feeling of guilt, feeling overwhelmed, not being up to the task with your baby, melancholy, mood swings, loss of appetite, insomnia, difficulty concentrating … The “manifestations” of the baby blues vary from one woman to another. These moods mixed with sadness affect almost two-thirds of young mothers, in general within three to four days of birth.

Indeed, after childbirth, some mothers suddenly become hypersensitive: the slightest annoyance – and sometimes even a compliment! – causes a fit of tears or anger. As a result, they can no longer control their emotions and perhaps feel a little ridiculous… Stop! Baby blues is not a disease – it is a relatively common postpartum reaction, but one that should be taken seriously.

Indeed, a childbirth is a particularly exhausting “ordeal”, especially if we add to it the insomnia of the last trimester of pregnancy and the anxiety caused by the imminent arrival of Baby … No wonder that a young mom can “crack” after such a journey and sink into the baby blues!

What are the causes of the baby blues?

The causes of this depression are better known today. The main reason is fatigue. Childbirth is a real marathon and the first nights interrupted by the baby’s waking up doesn’t help. Then, as it had gradually increased throughout those nine months, your progesterone levels drop within a few hours after delivery of the placenta. This sudden drop in hormones can affect morale and lead to mood swings, insomnia, etc. Finally, for months, the woman mobilized all her energy for a single goal: to give birth to this child. She was the object of all the care and attention. And now that he’s here, it’s all for him. The young mother has the feeling that she no longer interests anyone with her empty stomach, her bad appearance and her extra pounds. In addition, this baby with wrinkled skin screams day and night. No, he really doesn’t look like the one she had imagined at all. But how to say it without sounding like a monstrous mother? Because guilt comes on top of disappointment.

Fatigue, sudden drop in hormones and all the factors responsible for the baby blues come into play. But there are other parameters.

— Some women are more at risk than others. Those who have cases of the same syndrome in their families (in a mother, an aunt, a sister, etc.) have a hereditary predisposition. Also vulnerable are women who have had a difficult pregnancy or who have become mothers through medically assisted procreation (ART).

– Isolation plays an important role. The most severe depressions primarily affect young mothers who are left alone more than 8 hours a day with their newborn.

— Psychological fragility is also a trigger. Tense relationships with the dad or with his own family, recent bereavement, loss of employment during pregnancy, affect the psyche of the young mother and affect her confidence in her ability to develop harmonious bonds with her newborn. not. Let us add that some women also relive old and deep conflicts during their childbirth which destabilize them.

How long does the baby blues last?

This delicate period generally begins most often around the third day after birth and up to 10 days after. Most of the time, it only lasts 24 to 48 hourss, sometimes even a few hours. But it can happen that it lasts a week. Rest assured, the baby blues never last very long. On the other hand, caution should be exercised if this depression lasts beyond 15 days and / or intensifies: true depression may not be far away. Better to consult without delay to understand the root causes.

Baby-blues: a necessary passage

The end of an adventure… The “baby blues” is not pathological. According to psychiatrists, it would even be a useful step to mark the end of one adventure, the pregnancy, and the beginning of another. From “daughter of”, one becomes “mother of”: a real psychic upheaval. This temporary depression also allows the mother to mourn the fusional state in which she lived with her baby and the ideal child that only existed in her imagination.

… And the start of a new life. The young mother will have to accept her baby, get to know him and devote most of her time to him, without expecting anything in return. To be in total abnegation for a few weeks. It is only by going through these different stages that she will “grow up” and become a mother in her turn. In fgeneral, ten days are enough so that the mother can find her own organization, discover the “instructions” for this little being, bond with her baby and finally savor his happiness. To be a mother, but also a woman. It will be all the easier if she feels supported and reassured by the presence of those around her.

Baby blues: don’t hesitate to ask for help

When to worry

When to worry If this depression lasts more than two weeks, if you can’t take care of your baby, if you feel like you don’t love him, it could be a real depression. If possible, ask for help from around you with housework, shopping, or just taking your baby for a walk while you nap. Do not be alone with your suffering, and do not be ashamed: 10% of women go into a depressive syndrome after giving birth. Do not forget that your entourage is there to help you to overcome the baby blues. And there is no shortage of interlocutors.

Where to consult?

Inquires at thematernity, at the PMI, or at the medico-psychological center of your municipality. The maternity medical staff, a psychologist, your companion or even with friends who have experienced a baby blues themselves.

There are plenty of opportunities to take care of your little one on a daily basis! Toilet, meal, big hugs… Even if you fear being clumsy, it is by repeating all these gestures that you will gradually gain self-confidence and that the dynamism will return at a gallop! And sometimes it is enough to dare to talk about it to play down the drama, understand what is happening to you and finally live your motherhood serenely.

Simple gestures to overcome the baby-blues course

We understand that our tears and our worries are a normal and frequent reaction. Then, we don’t hesitate to talk about it with the maternity team. With a long experience, she will be keen to do everything to help us. We also confide in our spouse, our mother … And we also try to put the following advice into practice:

• We rest as often as possible. It is still the best of treatments. From motherhood, we take care of ourselves by limiting visits from relatives and friends, pleasant but always tiring. Back home, we take a nap at the same time as our baby… and too bad for the house!
• We learn to organize. We ask daddy to take over from us as much as possible, for example for shopping or some of the daily care that our little one requires. Or even to walk it. We do not try to solve all the problems at the same time, it may increase our feeling of discouragement. Neither is the time to strive for perfection.
• We take breaks. We set aside a little time each day to “breathe”. If we can, we also go out without him, if that is possible. And we try to resume a social life.

After the baby blues, beware of depression

If the symptoms of baby blues sometimes resemble those of depression, their intensity and duration clearly differentiate them.

Know how to recognize depression. While it should go away naturally, postpartum fatigue becomes almost chronic and periods of rest do not seem to give you much relief.

The hypersensitivity of the first days tends to turn into real anxiety attacks. Clinical signs of depression appear, including palpitations and difficulty breathing. And in general, be vigilant in the face of a baby blues that lasts beyond 15 days.

At the slightest sign of depression, talk to your doctor or psychologist right away. : even if it is a false alarm, it is better to prevent …

When the discomfort persists, it may be postpartum depression. A real depressive syndrome that affects 10% of women, and which occurs between 15 days and 1 year after childbirth, most often in the second or third month.

See the doctor quickly. The role of the entourage is certainly very important, but it cannot be everything. If it is really difficult to go up the slope, we do not minimize, and we make an appointment with a specialist. He will prescribe treatment and psychotherapy support for us.

A true depressive syndrome manifests itself by sadness, often by a great irritability, a lack of motivation, a slowing down of the “impetus of life”, insomnia, accompanied or not by various psychosomatic symptoms (back pain, migraines, palpitations and impression of diffuse pain…). The disease sometimes heals within a few weeks. Often unfortunately, it continues to evolve quietly, causing real disruptions in the relationship between mother and young child.

Detected at the earliest, postnatal depression can be treated effectively. The treatment includes a more or less long follow-up by a doctor (psychiatrist or general practitioner), as well as the prescription of antidepressants and anxiolytics. These drugs are essential for restoring sleep and balancing mood. The only problem is that they can be addictive and are not compatible with breastfeeding. The doctor can also prescribe or conduct psychotherapy with the young mother in order to find the root causes of this discomfort. It’s up to everyone to choose what suits them best.

Your questions about the baby blues

Can dads also have a “baby blues”?

We only know this recently, but paternal postnatal depression does exist. It would even affect 4% of young dads. If it is not detected and treated, this paternal “baby-blues” could even have long-term consequences on the child: hyperactivity, emotional disturbances (sadness, worry), especially if it is a little boy.

I had a “baby blues” when my first child arrived, will I have one at each birth?

There is no rule, because each birth is special. With this first child, you have changed, motherhood is no longer an unknown, your next pregnancy will not be the same either, things will never be repeated identically. Then stay calm, but if you feel that you still have not “digested” your first childbirth, do not hesitate to speak to a psychologist.