What are “Baby Blues”

It is a common temporary psychological state seen in new mothers, when they are coming down from the chemical high of the childbirth and their hormones are all over the place. “Baby Blues” appear suddenly after days or even weeks of childbirth, bringing on sadness, irritability, bouts of crying, anxiety, listlessness, fatigue and insomnia among other symptoms.

There are many ways by which a new mom can deal with her “Baby Blues” like taking the appropriate amount of rest, sharing her feelings with her spouse, talking and socializing with friends and family, having a maintained diet etc. Often going out for fresh air and sunlight, meditation and joining a community of other new mothers and sharing one’s experience of childbirth helps in dealing with the depression.

Read More: Post Natal Depression: Sign and Symptoms

The following ways can help in coping with childbirth depression:

11 Tips To Cope With Baby Blues

Getting proper rest

A full eight hours of sleep may be a luxury for a new mother but it is very important. Poor sleep and lack of rest makes postbirth ‘Baby Blues’ even worse. Late nights can take a very bad turn for new mothers. It makes her irritable and she cannot tend to the baby properly due to her mood. Therefore, sleeping is of utmost importance for the mother of a newborn. You must do anything you can to catch on that much needed sleep, taking a break from your work. Even a 10 minute power nap can help a new mother immensely.

Leaning on your partner

Sharing your feelings with your partner can lessen the sadness and anxiety to a great extent. It is important to divide household and childcare duties with your partner. Parenting is teamwork and an understanding and helpful partner is of great help during this phase.

Going out for fresh air

Sunlight and fresh air is an immense mood lifter. A change of scene can do a lot to alter the mental state of a person. Getting out of the house for at least 15 minute each day, even with the baby, is very important for a woman after giving birth.

Maintaining a proper diet

Most of the time, new moms are too busy to feed their child to focus on their own diet. Taking insufficient amount of food or not eating frequently can lower your blood sugar level and affect the mood. A healthy eating habit is therefore a magic cure for mood swings post-birth.

Light Exercise

Scientific research shows that regular exercise of any kind is just as effective as medicines for treating depression of any kind. The sooner you get back into a routine of daily exercising, the better you will be able to cope with your ‘blues’. A leisurely 30 minute walk in the fresh air every day can do wonders. Light stretching can also prove effective. However, it is important not to overdo any exercise, especially during the first few weeks of giving birth.

Meditation

Practicing mindfulness meditation is a very useful method to fight ‘Baby Blues’ . Meditation makes one calm and energetic . Dealing with a newborn baby can be a difficult task if one s constantly agitated and gloomy. Meditation will help a new mother achieve a peace and calm that is necessary.

Consuming fish oil and vitamin B

Fish oil is a natural remedy to deal with ‘Baby Blues’. Taking a small quantity of fish oil everyday, even 1000 mg, will help with your mood swing. Also Vitamin B is a great weapon to lower the stress level and improve the general mood .

Hiring a help

Another way to deal with post-birth blues is to hire a professional maid or nanny to help in taking care of the baby. Taking care of a baby is huge task and doing it all on your own is even more difficult. At the end of the day, there is no time for the mother to take care of herself. This is a primary reason for the “Baby Blues”. Getting a maid’s help will relieve  you of all the work and you can spend quality time taking care of yourself.

Talking with other new moms

Joining a community or chat group of new mothers can be of immense help in depression. Sharing one’s feelings with other women with similar experience is a great way to understand and ease into the new role of a mother with joy and purpose.

Socializing

Spending time with friends and family is one of the best ways to deal with baby blues post-birth. Friends and family are a great support during this time as they understand you the most and are ready to help you in any and every way. You need to open up to those you trust and can connect to. Taking advice from friends and family members who have already gone through childbirth can help you deal with the situation better.

Lowering the bar of expectation

It is very important to accept the truth that there is no such thing as a perfect parent.  Feeling overwhelmed and inadequate as a new mother is the most natural thing. This leads to ‘baby blues’. But after a few weeks this feeling will pass. Therefore, one must not expect perfection from oneself immediately after being a mother. Lower your expectations and do the best you can for your baby.

Conclusion

Having a baby is stressful, even though it is the most joyful moment of one’s life. You may feel worried, tired, angry and wanting a good cry over little things all the time. All these feelings are quite normal , an estimated 60-80%  of new mothers experience these so-called “Baby Blues”. The baby blues usually go away on their own after a week or two but if the symptoms continue then it is an indication of a more severe condition called ”Post-partum Depression”. This is a serious medical condition and should be treated by a medical practitioner at the earliest.

References:

http://americanpregnancy.org/first-year-of-life/baby-blues/

https://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/ask-heidi/week-3/baby-blues.aspx