Feelings after having a baby

introduction | the blues |
postnatal depression | psychosis

Introduction

In the days and weeks after giving birth mothers may feel emotional highs and lows. The highs are great, and the lows can be made easier if you know what to expect. This is a time when things can feel very strange.

New mothers will certainly be tired! New babies have no respect for a mother's sleeping needs, so the best advice is to rest when you can.

A new mother now has responsibility for a tiny human life which is totally and utterly dependent on them. This can be quite a challenge with any baby. It can also be quite frightening. And, of course, a new mother's life and relationships at home are completely changed, sometimes particularly the relationship with the baby's father. Sometimes a father may feel differently about the mother, after baby is born, and even act in an unkind way.

The blues

Rresearch shows that the blues is experienced by at least half of all mothers. It is very common to feel low or tearful a few days after birth, for no reason that you can understand. Especially around day three when a new mother's milk comes through. Your breasts can feel very painful, and you may feel as if you have influenza or a cold. But it is not serious, and soon goes away by itself!

This is a particularly damaging form of severe sadness that approximately one in ten mothers get in the year after delivery. No-one knows exactly what postnatal depression is - but no-one can deny there is a serious problem that affects these mothers. It seems to be equally common everywhere in the world. It can start from about six weeks after delivery and can last several months.This problem is much more than tearfulness. It can cause great suffering for months, maybe more.

It can cause difficulties in eating or sleeping, very bad tiredness and a loss of interest in making love. Mothers can feel terrible things like: "I can't cope" and "I'm an inadequate mother". It always causes serious problems for the family. It can make mothers feel worthless, damage marriages, prevent bonding with the baby and affect the child's development. It can even make a mothers hate her baby.

More information on postnatal depression.

For centuries people have known about a rare, serious illness of the mind that some new mothers get. For example, in Africa, there is a traditional illness called "Amakiro", where the mother is so unhappy she may want to eat her own baby. Science also recognises this illness and calls it "psychosis". The number of cases is the same everywhere in the world and has remained the same over many years: about one mother in a thousand. With proper medical help, mothers affected by psychosis can make a full recovery.

Communicating with a Baby
Feeding a Baby
How to Breastfeed
How to Bottlefeed
Feelings after having a Baby
Postnatal Depression
Families with New Babies
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