Keeping the Postpartum Baby Blues at Bay

By: Kendra Spencer
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:22:29
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Coming home with your newborn can be an emotional time. Leaving the safety of the hospital, not knowing what to do with this new little creature, and dealing with residual physical pain from birth can add up. Postpartum blues are caused by the drastic drop in your hormone levels after giving birth. Close to 90% of woman are affected by postpartum blues by some degree. Symptoms of postpartum blues include mood swings, anxiety, weepiness, fear, and regret.

Postpartum blues can last anywhere from a few days to a few months and can begin anywhere from right after the birth until a year after your baby is born. While it's an exciting time, taking care of a newborn can be overwhelming and all encompassing. It can change your life quite drastically. Mourning the temporary loss of your free time, your hobbies, your time with your husband and most importantly your sleep is only natural. You may also feel sad that they aren't pregnant anymore. You may miss that precious feeling of having your baby inside of you and feeling it's familiar kicks and turns.

Postpartum blues is different from postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis. If you are feeling any violent feelings, obsessive thoughts, delusions or hallucinations, you should call your OB/GYN and they can help you out.

Some ways you can help keep those baby blues away are:

Shower Everyday.
It's an easy tendency to want to stay in bed all day without showering or dressing after waking up every two hours to feed your crying newborn. Staying in your pajamas all day without showering or doing your hair is not going to help beat those postpartum baby blues. Make a point to get your morning shower in. Put your baby's bouncy chair, swing or car seat (whichever baby is happiest in) in the bathroom with you while you shower. Use peppermint soap or put drops of eucalyptus oil in the corners of your shower to help wake you up and energize you.

Get dressed and make yourself beautiful.
You just gave birth to a baby. You are an amazing woman and you deserve to look great. Put yourself in something comfortable, but something that you feel great in. You want to make sure that if the mailman or a friend stops by that you aren't embarrassed to open the door. Also put on some earrings and some lipstick or maybe paint your nails red. While you certainly don’t have to go all out, make enough of an effort to where you feel good about yourself when you catch a glance of yourself in the mirror. Getting yourself ready for the day makes you feel like you are an important person with important things to do. And what could be more important than taking care of your precious newborn?

Go Outside and Walk.
Physical activity combined with a little sunshine is a great way to beat those postpartum baby blues. Set your newborn up in his new stroller and hit the road. It doesn't have to be a long walk, even around the block will do. The point is to get some fresh air and exercise. You will be amazed by how much this will affect your mood in a positive way.

Take a nap.
Make sure to take the advice you've probably heard a thousand times: "When baby naps, so should mom." Try and get in at least one nap a day, preferably two. Sufficient sleep will help stabilize your emotions considerably.

Write in a journal.
Many woman find great benefit from writing their thoughts and feelings down in a journal. Having an anonymous source to spill your emotions to can feel great. A journal can be your biggest confidant, and won’t judge you if you need to write things like, “Motherhood isn’t as great as I thought it would be,” or “no one understands why I cry every time that Johnson & Johnson commercial comes on.”

Meet with Friends.
Joining a new mother's group can be amazingly advantageous. No one else is going to know what you are going through except for new moms who are going through it too. Ask your pediatrician or child birth teacher if there are any new mother's groups where you live.

Communicate your feelings.
Make sure that those closest to you, like your husband and your parents, know how you are feeling. Have them read about postpartum blues and depression so that they can know how to make you feel better. Words of encouragement, helping around the house, and giving you some alone time can all help.

Make sure to eat well.
It's easy to forget to eat all three meals when faced with the task of taking care of a newborn. Eating healthy foods regularly will help keep your blood sugar up and keep your moods more regulated. Ask friends to bring you lunch when they visit or order take out, if you aren't up for preparing anything yourself.

Remember your main job is to care for yourself and your child.
Don't let yourself get frustrated that you can't do it all. The first couple of weeks after you give birth should be devoted to just keeping yourself and your baby healthy and happy. Now is the time to put a blind eye towards housework. Caring for and bonding with your newborn is one of the most precious times of your life.

Keep in mind, it’s perfectly okay to have a good cry once in a while and to feel sad, it’s natural at this time in your life, but console yourself with the fact that postpartum blues do go away with time. Until then, take good care of yourself. Don't be afraid to pamper yourself and make yourself feel beautiful and loved. You deserve it.

Kendra Spencer is the creator of http://www.shoppingfortwo.com which offers shopping, health and baby advice for new and pregnant moms. Also, check out her line of pregnancy announcing t-shirts at http://www.shoppingfortwo.com.

Article source: Expert Articles