Baby Blues – Is It Real?

It’s a dream of most of the women to have a heart-warming, joyous moment of holding their newborn baby for the first time in their arms. But, the happiness of this fairy-tale dream may also be accompanied by sadness, anger, confusion, and lots of emotional struggles after the arrival of the most beloved member of your life (i.e. newborn baby) as you may experience Baby Blues. So, if you are wondering what exactly Baby Blues means, think no further. Get answers to all your queries by reading this post below.

It is a quite common condition affecting around 80% of the females all over the world within 3-5 days postnatal, which means after they deliver their baby. Commonly, this condition is known as Baby Blues. It is of lesser intensity than postpartum depression, as it usually goes away after a couple of days or a few weeks after the birth of your child. But, if these unpleasant feelings are prolonged and continue beyond 3 weeks, it can become a case of Postpartum Depression.

Causes of Baby Blues:

So, what exactly causes baby blues?

Several causes can lead to the symptoms of baby blues in new mothers. Females with a previous medical history of depression, anxiety, and mental health conditions are more prone to develop this with much deeper intensity as compared to other healthy women.

Following are the reasons that increase the chances of experiencing baby blues:

Sudden Hormonal Changes After the Childbirth: During the nine months of pregnancy, the levels of female hormones, such as progesterone and estrogen, are increased by 10 times. Soon after the delivery, these hormone levels suddenly fall back to normal. This sudden and abrupt reduction in the hormonal levels leads to mood swings or Baby Blues.

Fatigue: Fatigue resulting due to both emotional and physical aspects can make you experience the symptoms of baby blues. It may result due to the pregnancy stress, any known health complaints, financial constraints, a lack of family support or that of friends, and concerns related to any known health problems in the newborn baby.

Other common factors, such as consistent lack of sleep, improper diet, being the patient of an underactive thyroid, gestational diabetes, and substance abuse due to the use of drugs or alcohol, can also cause baby blues.

Symptoms of Baby Blues:

Here are some common symptoms of baby blues that you may experience after delivering a baby.

Experiencing sudden mood swings from being happy to get moody and cranky.
Feeling sad and weeps easily
Indecisiveness
Confused mind
Disturbed sleep

How Do You Differentiate Between Baby Blues and Post-Partum Depression?

The main difference between baby blues and postpartum depression is the duration, which means how long the symptoms last, and its severity. In baby blues, the symptoms, which new mothers may experience, are quite superficial, and they last for only a few minutes to a few hours for the initial 14 days post-delivery. On the other hand, postpartum depression is a continuous condition lasting for several months after the delivery.

Although females, who are experiencing baby blues, are cranky and overwhelmed at times, they can function well and socialize with their friends and family. On the other hand, in postpartum depressed females, there occurs a significant impact on their life, inability to bond with their child, and adverse effects on their family and the other relationships.

How Can You Manage Baby Blues All By Yourself?

Here are some helpful tips which will help you combat the symptoms of baby blues all by yourself.

Catch up on sleep. Try to sleep as much as possible.

Don’t hesitate to ask for help. Involve your partner, close family relatives, and friends.

Don’t force yourself to be a ‘Perfect Mom’. It takes an initial couple of days to understand your newborn’s schedule pattern and how you need to adjust to your baby’s schedule.

Take frequent breaks and make sure that you take time out of your busy schedule for yourself.

Have a gentle but firm massage, which helps in relaxing your body and also helps you recover from unpleasant symptoms of baby blues.

Connect with other new moms with similar concerns. When you exchange positive and similar thoughts with other new moms, you may find it helpful. It may help you to manage and recover from the symptoms of baby blues faster than usual.

Avoid using alcohol and drugs. Make sure that you use medicines that your doctor prescribes. The use of alcohol or any undesirable drugs can impact your mood adversely and make you feel worse, thereby making it more difficult for you to take care of yourself and your baby.

How Homeopathy Can Help In Treating Baby Blues?

Homeopathy is quite effective in treating baby blues.

Homeopathic medicines can treat the initial symptoms of baby blues very well. Homeopathy offers effective treatment to deal with various stages of postpartum mental symptoms.

Homeopathic medicines can correct the hormonal and biological disturbances in a female and, hence, can treat baby blues effectively.

Homeopathy remedies work on the root cause of the condition, and, hence, prevent its relapse and recurrence.

Homeopathy medicines are free from any side-effects and safe during breastfeeding, unlike most conventional medicines like anti-depressants and anxiolytics which are restricted.

Homeopathic Remedies for Baby Blues:

Here are some effective homeopathic remedies for baby blues that can help you.

Sepia: The first remedy to think to treat the early cases of baby blues would be Sepia. Sepia is beneficial to treat the females who become drained out both physically and emotionally and experience a detached feeling from the newborn and her family members. It is recommended a new mother who is overly conscientious about her duties but feels extremely guilty about any efforts and willingness to do the chores. When a new mom gets overwhelmed, irritated and angry easily with people around her, Sepia is indicated. Sepia helps to calm down your mind and aids in balancing your mind and body so that such feelings are experienced less frequently and in lesser intensity.

Ignatia: This is a wonderful plant-based remedy that is indicated in females experiencing sudden mood swings, which get triggered due to sudden losses, disappointments, and sorrows. It is used in the early stages of baby blues soon after childbirth in the smooth management of sudden hormonal changes in the body of the new mom. It is beneficial for treating females having unrealistic imaginations of childbirth that get triggered in the wrong direction once she realizes the actual reality. Ignatia is beneficial in treating new mothers who get offended easily and experience difficulty in sleeping. They usually try to hide their symptoms thinking that people may start making her guilty and more conscious.

Pulsatilla: Pulsatilla is widely used for treating a range of female hormonal problems. Pulsatilla patients are similar to Sepia patients, who weeps easily and feel better by sympathy. Women who may benefit from Pulsatilla happen to have a milder personality and may often have a greater motherly inclination, so they may find their feelings of depression more difficult to understand & manage after having a baby, which they wanted so badly. Overall, Pulsatilla is a remedy for a gentle type of patient.

So, if you happen to experience the unpleasant symptoms of baby blues after you deliver a baby, follow the above helpful tips and count on homeopathy to experience relief and recover from the discomforting symptoms. Homeopathy is safe in for new moms and breastfeeding mothers so you can opt for it any time.

Written by Dr. Samreen Syed, Associate doctor to Dr. Rajesh Shah

About the Author:
Dr. Samreen Syed has done her Masters from PG HOM(London) and is a practicing Homeopath and working with Life Force Homeopathy. She primarily handles International patients from more than 180 countries under Dr. Rajesh Shah, MD, an internationally acclaimed Homeopathic doctor in Mumbai. She has experience of over 12 years with a constant, positive motive of helping the patients and attending them online and in the clinic with complete dedication and thoroughly professional attitude. Her other areas of work include providing medical training to other trainee doctors, addressing diet modifications, counseling sessions to her patients along with offering Homeopathic treatment.