When Baby blues don’t go away

There’s no doubt a baby brings about a huge change in the lives of the parents. The gurgling bundle of joy necessitates an adjustment in the lifestyle of the parents, coupled with sleep deprivation. Every couple goes through this period and for some, it remains largely stress-free and temporary. There are the typical ‘baby blues’ that a mother goes through that usually lasts 2 to 3 days, wherein she may feel teary, anxious and even moody. But an increasing number of women are experiencing extended periods of the ‘baby blues’ phenomenon also called postpartum depression.  

Dr. Shelly Singh, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Consultant at Momspresso, which is India's largest user-generated content sharing platform for women,  shares a case study. “Sadhvi Chauhan, a 35-year-old teacher gave birth to a baby, her second born.  She had a normal delivery but called me saying she felt like crying incessantly. She did not feel like eating and had insomnia, despite being exhausted. She had a complete lack of interest in looking after her newborn and did not even look at him. She breast fed him only when she was forced to. She stopped talking to her husband and family, who were perplexed by her unnatural behaviour.” They asked the doctor, ‘How could she not take care of her baby; something that comes naturally to any mother?’  

The doctor continues, “Sadhvi even told me she was scared she would harm her baby. I tried to counsel her but these negative feelings lasted for a month or so (beyond the ‘baby blues’ period that lasts for about 2 weeks after delivery). I then asked her to meet a psychiatrist, who gave her psychotherapy and put her on antidepressant medication and asked her to exercise, meditate and to listen to some soothing music. He asked her to talk about her innermost feelings to her husband and her mother and not bottle up her emotions. She’s a bit better now and is still trying to battle this with the support of her husband, family and friends. And of course us, the medical personnel.”  

Research shows that 12 per cent of women suffer from depression in pregnancy and 1 out of these 3 women go on to suffer from postnatal depression. It also goes undetected in about 50 per cent women.

Dr Shelly mentions, “It’s serious to those experiencing it, but many people believe it’s not real. And that can be debilitating.”  

Dr Shelly states, “It is also to be remembered that this is not a character flaw or weakness and neither is it a reason to feel guilty or ashamed. Moreover, it can also cause serious effects like suicide and harm to the baby. If there is greater awareness, the families can help by being pillars of support to the mother with PPD.”  The phenomenon also adversely affects the health of babies. “Generally, babies born to mothers who have postpartum depression are neglected and uncared for. They cry excessively and are jittery and anxious. They do not sleep well and also do not feed well. They have eating difficulties. Some children have a delay in language development and also learning difficulties like ADHD,” she cautions.