Worldwide, the birth of a baby can start a variety of powerful emotions, from excitement and joy to fear and anxiety to the parents, family, and community at-large. However, it can also result in something you might not expect which is baby blues.
Two years back, a close friend of ours successfully gave birth to a bouncing baby girl through normal delivery. As friends, we were excited too and prepared to pay her a visit at the hospital, as it is a tradition in the Ugandan culture. When we reached, we found our friend aka Nakawere sad, anxious, crying, and irritable, yet, this is the person everyone expected to find happy about their new bundle of joy. This was a shock to my colleagues. As a Midwife and Women’s Health Specialist, and from experience, practice, I could quickly tell that our friend might have developed baby blues/postpartum blues/maternal blues.
Baby blues are found to occur in 50% to 80% the of the new mothers and this condition occurs in the first few days after delivery. A mother with baby blues feels overwhelmed, is anxious, has insomnia, forgetfulness, worry, sad, irritable, with teariness and mood swings among others. These symptoms typically resolve within a few days to 1 to 2 weeks following delivery. It’s not really understood why women experience baby blues, but it is thought that it may be due to rapidly changing hormone levels after the delivery of the baby according to some researchers. Other researchers believe that baby blues maybe due to psychological, social, endocrine, obstetric, and individual factors among others.
It is important for mothers, families and the community to know that after a mother has delivered and one feels sad or moody in the first few days, they may have the baby blues, especially the new parents, who feel this way. It is also key to know that it is normal for mothers to feel emotional highs and lows during this post-delivery time. Baby blues usually go away by themselves within a week or two of giving birth, and a mother doesn’t need medical treatment. Baby blues are different than postpartum depression, which is more severe and lasts longer. Lastly, if the sad feelings of a postnatal mother last longer than 2 weeks, they should be taken to a nearby health facility to see a health care provider.
Since baby blues usually go away on their own without treatment, here are some things one can do to feel better:
- Get adequate sleep as much as you can.
- Ask for help from your partner, family and friends.
- Take time for yourself. Ask someone you trust to watch your baby so you can get out of the house. Getting some sunshine can help, too.
- Try to connect with other new parents. A support group can be helpful. This is a group of people who have the same concerns. They meet to try to help each other.
- Don’t drink alcohol, use street drugs or abuse prescription drugs. All of these can affect your mood and make you feel worse. And they can make it hard for you to take care of your baby.
- Eat healthy foods and get exercise if you can, as this can help reduce stress.
The author is Lilian Nuwabaine Luyima; BSc Nurse and MSN-Midwife and Women’s’ Health Specialist and the Heroes in Health Award Winner-Midwife of the Year 2021
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