What is post partum depression?

[mamabear]

After delivery a woman may feel some sort of anxiety or inadequacy about being a mother. She frets about hers and the babies condition and sometimes becomes hypochondriac about her body and the baby. Is this post partum depression? How will you be able to distinguish it from baby blues? Or is it the same?

[alex]

Women with baby blues usually feel the symptoms: mood lability, tearfulness, anxiety or irritability, but not sadness. It happens during the first weeks after delivery. In other hand, women suffering from PPD will feel more symptoms other then the baby blues' symptoms, like depressed or sad mood, loss of interest in usual activities, feelings of guilt, feelings of worthlessness or incompetence, fatigue, sleep disturbance, change in appetite, poor concentration, suicidal thoughts.

[Lily]

I had PPD. It was horrible. I could not get out of my own way. It was never towards the baby at all. I was a single mother, who just had another baby and the father of the baby had left me. Of course I was going to be depressed. I was monitored very closely though. My doctors pretty much [EXPLICIT LANGUAGE CENSORED] it was going to happen. I was placed on an antidepressant and took one day at a time. Having the support of my doctor and my baby's pediatrician really helped me a lot.

[momof3]

I had a pretty minor case of it with my second baby but it was enough to learn to have sympathy for the moms who had it bad. I am glad to see they are beginning to get more support than they used to.

[Lily]

I had a pretty minor case of it with my second baby but it was enough to learn to have sympathy for the moms who had it bad. I am glad to see they are beginning to get more support than they used to.

I agree! It use to be if a woman had depression after they had their baby, they were looked upon as crazy. Now, the doctors watch for it. They know the signs and can have services put in place for the mom instantly--if need be.