The experience of having a baby can come with a number of emotions and feelings – joy, happiness, worry, responsibility – and can be stressful even in the best of circumstances. Many new parents go from feeling overjoyed to the reality of being responsible for another’s life. Toppled with lack of sleep, which can lead to some parents feeling completely overwhelmed and depressed. This occurrence is sometimes referred to as the Baby Blues and often reduces shortly after the birth.

However, there are times when this state of feeling depressed doesn’t go away. Those closest to these mothers may notice a drastic change in their personality but not understand what is happening to them.

Here are five signs to look for if you suspect you or someone you know may be experiencing postpartum depression.

Depressed mood/ Mood Swings

Having a baby can be a stressful experience, especially right at the beginning. Many parents experience the lack of sleep that comes from trying to keep up with the baby’s constant demands and obscure schedule. Couples may also experience a strain on their relationship with the focus shifting from each other to the baby. These normal experiences alone could cause a parent’s mood to change. According to the DSM-5, mood episodes can occur during pregnancy or months following delivery. These mood swings can be drastic, and can include hypomania, especially following the delivery (Sharma, 2005).

Difficulty Bonding with your Baby

Not being able to bond with your child is something no parent would wish for. However, this may be the reality for mothers who experience postpartum depression. Postpartum Depression can lead to bonding impairments as it places the relationship between mother and baby at risk. Bonding impairments can be described as the absence of “maternal feeling” that can increase and lead to rejection of the infant. (Reck, Zietlow, Müller & Dubber, 2016).

Excessive Crying

Following the birth of a child, mothers may find that they are more emotional; however, excessive crying is a common symptom of PPD (Pilkington, Whelan, Milne, 2016). Pilkington et al. (2016) note that an increase in crying following childbirth may be attributed to changes in hormones during pregnancy along with the demands and responsibilities that come from being a parent.

Severe Anxiety and Panic Attacks

The realization that you have brought a child into this world and are now solely responsible for this little human can naturally induce some feelings of anxiety and panic. However, for some parents these feelings may not reduce and can often intensify. Research has shown that panic can be attributed to increased rick of alcohol and drug abuse, poor mental health, as well as suicide attempts (Beck, 1998). Symptoms of anxiety can include, excessive worrying, sweating, accelerated heart rate, chest pain, fear, shaking, feelings of light-headedness etc.

Intense Irritability and Anger
We’ve all been there, that moment when you feel extremely irritable, that the slightest thing can make you lose your cool. This can happen when an individual is experiencing Postpartum depression as well. Studies have shown that up to 35% of women report experiencing anger during the postpartum period (Graham, Lobel, & DeLuca, 2002). If you recognize that a new parent seems to be easily irritated, inpatient and quick to anger – don’t be too quick to judge. They may be experiencing Postpartum depression.

References

Beck, C. T. (1998). Postpartum onset of panic disorder. IMAGE: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 30(2), 131-135.
Graham, J. E., Lobel, M., & DeLuca, R. S. (2002). Anger after childbirth: An overlooked reaction to postpartum stressors. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 26(3), 222-233.
Pilkington, P. D., Whelan, T. A., & Milne, L. C. (2016). Maternal crying and postpartum distress: The moderating role of partner support. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 34(1), 64-76.
Reck, C., Zietlow, A. -., Müller, M., & Dubber, S. (2016). Perceived parenting stress in the course of postpartum depression: The buffering effect of maternal bonding. Archives of Women’s Mental Health, 19(3), 473-482.
Sharma, V. (2005). Bipolar depression: The neglected realm of postpartum disorders. Current Psychiatry Reviews, 1(3), 325-329.