Baby Blues syndrome and postpartum depression are two common psychological problems after giving birth. These two diseases have many similar manifestations but are completely different in terms of characteristics, progression and degree of influence.
What is Baby Blues and postpartum depression?
Pregnancy and postpartum are sensitive periods. At this time, the mother herself has sudden physiological and psychological changes, so there is a high risk of psychological and mental disorders. In which, Baby Blues syndrome and postpartum depression are the two most common problems.
Many people mistake Baby Blues syndrome for depression. However, these two diseases are completely different. Baby Blues syndrome is a common psychological disorder and affects more than 80% of postpartum women. The symptoms of Baby Blues syndrome and depression are similar but are fundamentally different. Therefore, the mother herself and her family members need to have knowledge about common mental diseases in women after giving birth in order to promptly detect and treat them.
What is the difference between Baby Blues Syndrome and Postpartum Depression?
Baby Blues syndrome is a fairly common condition in women after giving birth. The symptoms of this syndrome are easily confused with depression and some other mental disorders. In order to identify the problem she is facing and have timely treatment measures, the mother herself needs to understand the difference between postpartum depression and Baby Blues syndrome.
Differences between postpartum depression and Baby Blues syndrome:
1. Symptoms
Although the symptoms of the two have many similarities, in essence, the symptoms of depression are more severe. Therefore, if you pay attention to the clinical manifestations, you can identify the problem that you are facing.
Symptoms of Baby Blues Syndrome:
- Sensitive, emotional and sometimes cry for no apparent reason
- Depressed, sad, pessimistic
- Lethargy, decreased concentration and forgetfulness
- Short-tempered, easily angered, irritable and sometimes angry over trivial matters
- The spirit is not really comfortable, there is always a feeling of frustration and discomfort
- Insomnia, trouble sleeping, not sleeping deeply and restless
- Restlessness, constant feeling of insecurity and anxiety
- People with Baby Blues syndrome are often overly concerned with the health of themselves and their babies
- Feeling suffocated and uncomfortable because you can’t participate in fun activities, travel and meet friends like before.
In fact, these symptoms are very common in women after giving birth – especially with first-time mothers and babies when they are not really ready. In general, Baby Blues syndrome is just a mild form of psychological crisis caused by life disturbances and sudden changes.
The symptoms of postpartum depression have many similarities with Baby Blues, but are often more severe. However, depression begins slowly, so in the early stages, symptoms are mild and lack typicality.
Symptoms of postpartum depression:
- The sad mood is clearly shown through his face, words and expressions. At first, you will feel sad, depressed, and lose interest. After a while, the feeling of suffering will become deeper, the face will reveal melancholy and pessimism.
- Self-contained, less communicative and pessimistic about the future.
- Lack of care for the child and sometimes not feeling the bond between mother and child.
- Losing hope in life because of not feeling any joy or positive emotions in life.
- The body loses energy, feels sluggish, tired, and it is difficult to start work (even simple things like personal hygiene, taking care of children and cleaning the house).
- Loss of interest and interest in everything around you, including your spouse, children, and previous interests.
- Decreased ability to concentrate and difficulty thinking, taking a long time to make decisions.
- Forming false thoughts such as yourself as useless, incompetent, not fulfilling your role as a mother and a wife.
- Start thinking about death and develop thoughts of harming yourself, the child, and those around you.
Depression is a disease that progresses slowly. Initially, the disease mainly causes a state of sadness, distress and depression. Then the symptoms become deeper and more severe.
2. Time of onset
Despite many similarities in symptoms, the timing of onset of postpartum depression and Baby Blues is completely different. This is considered a feature that easily distinguishes these two diseases without relying on clinical manifestations.
Baby Blues syndrome begins with symptoms 2 to 3 days after birth or later, but never more than 14 days. After giving birth, a mother’s body will undergo many physiological changes. This combined with the disturbances in life is the cause of postpartum psychological disorders in general and Baby Blues syndrome in particular.
Meanwhile, the symptoms of postpartum depression often start later. This disease usually appears after 2 to 3 months or more. However, there are also cases where depression during pregnancy persists and develops into postpartum depression. In this case, symptoms may appear soon after delivery. At this point, you must rely on symptoms to be able to distinguish depression and Baby Blues syndrome.
3. Progress
As can be seen, postpartum depression causes more profound effects than Baby Blues syndrome. Baby Blues syndrome causes symptoms quite early but is mild and usually goes away after about 2 to 3 weeks without treatment.
Meanwhile, postpartum depression has a persistent progression and symptoms will last for at least 6 months. The symptoms of depression do not go away on their own like Baby Blues syndrome and must be treated. Without early intervention, symptoms will tend to deepen over time and lead to a host of complications and severe consequences.
The most serious consequence of depression is suicidal behavior. Many cases of women after giving birth kill their children and then commit suicide to free themselves.
Mother has Baby Blues syndrome and postpartum depression what to do?
Baby Blues syndrome and depression are common problems in women after giving birth. These diseases more or less affect the mental and physical health of the mother. Therefore, the family needs to take care of the mother and support her to overcome this disease.
Mothers with Baby Blues syndrome and postpartum depression should:
- First, you should share with your partner and family members about the problem you are facing. If possible, find someone who is really psychological so that they can understand their feelings and thoughts. Because in fact, many people have absolutely no understanding of psychological diseases and they think that diaper mothers are just making things worse.
- Should share housework with husband and family members to have time to rest.
- Ignore harsh words and ignore conflicts and conflicts in the family. The most important thing a mother needs to do during this time is to take good care of herself and her baby. Avoid paying attention to unexpected events.
- Keep yourself a healthy lifestyle and maybe meditate every day to calm your emotions.
- Schedule a time to see your doctor for diagnosis and treatment. If you have Baby Blues syndrome, you can have psychotherapy to improve. However, in the case of depression, a combination of both psychotherapy and long-term medication is required.
Baby Blues syndrome and postpartum depression have many similarities in clinical symptoms. However, the characteristics, severity and progression of the disease are completely different. Hopefully through the sharing in the article, the mother herself and those around her have a certain understanding of these two diseases.
Explore more:
- Using psychotherapy to treat depression: Optimal safety method
- How long does postpartum depression usually last? Does it heal on its own?
- Is postpartum depression dangerous? How long does it last?
