Postpartum depression

What it is

Depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period is screened for and treated as peripartum, or postpartum, depression. It has to be placed among three things that follow childbirth and are not the same: the baby blues, postnatal depression, and puerperal or postpartum psychosis. The timing of onset is what parts them: days for the blues, weeks for the depression, and 2 to 3 weeks and almost always within 8 weeks for the psychosis.

The baby blues

Over half of mothers report depressed mood after childbirth, also known as the baby blues. This may be linked to rapid decreases in estrogen and progesterone immediately after childbirth. About 40% of mothers report that these symptoms last a few days, with about half of those having continuing symptoms into weeks, and about 2% express suicidal ideation.

The blues usually start 2-3 days after birth and last less than 10 days, and one source puts it earlier, that they generally dissipate by day 3 of giving birth. Mothers are characteristically anxious, tearful and irritable. The management is reassurance and support, and the health visitor has a key role.

The time frame is the key that opens these questions. A husband bringing his wife in a month after giving birth can in essence rule out baby blues as the cause of her mood change.