By Dr. Julie Bindeman
Recently I came across a blog about postpartum depression and distinguishing it from no depression post-baby and the baby blues. While well intentioned, I was dismayed to see how inaccurate the information was, as it not only combined postpartum depression with postpartum anxiety (two VERY different issues) but also over-inflated the baby blues and short-changed the variety of postpartum depression symptoms that exist. Postpartum mood disorders impact 1 in 8 new parents (for the non-pregnant parent, it tends to occur in 1 in 10 people). Perinatal mood disorder can be serious and even deadly if not treated. Fortunately, treatment is effective. A consultation with a trained mental health provider and/or psychiatrist that has specific training in reproductive health can reverse the symptoms and help you feel more like yourself.
To clear up any misconceptions, here is my chart:
| Not impacted | Baby Blues | Postpartum Depression | Postpartum Anxiety |
| Tears of joy or frustration on occasion | Random tears (even for a toilet paper ad) that come out of nowhere | Tearfulness that may or may not have a direct cause. | Tears around thoughts that might be scary. |
| Sleep deprived, but able to take naps during the day. No issues falling or staying asleep. | Learning to sleep when the baby sleeps. Getting used to sleep/wake cycle that isn’t what one is used to. | Sleep is interrupted in one of two ways: difficulty rousing oneself (consistently) or not able to fall and stay asleep. | Difficulties falling and staying asleep. Not able to sleep due to racing thoughts. |
| Your mind might feel clumsy at times and forgetful, but you are able to carry on a conversation (unless the baby interrupts) | Your mind feels a little foggy and it might be hard to focus. | Your mind feels full and it can be hard to express yourself. You might feel forgetful or distracted. Carrying on a conversation can be difficult, and not because of the baby. | Your mind is racing and it is hard to slow it down. |
| You seldom worry about things that are new for you. | You worry a little, and sometimes check in with others, and sometimes keep it to yourself. | You feel too sad or angry to worry. | You worry constantly and some of your worries might scare you. You are afraid to tell others about ALL of your worries, though you might share some. |
| The changes in your life are exciting and make you look forward to the future. | The changes in your life are temporarily overwhelming, but you are able to adjust with a little practice. | The changes in your life are completely overwhelming and you are having difficulty adjusting to them. | The changes in your life cause you perpetual worry as you struggle to make sense of them. |
| Bonding with your baby isn’t something that you spend time thinking about, as you do so by caring for your baby. | Bonding with your baby is initially awkward, but with practice, you adjust. | Bonding with your baby is hard as you feel detached from your baby and attending to its needs. | Bonding with your baby is something that you are thinking a lot about: are you doing it right? Is your baby attached enough? |
| After a few weeks, you relish in your new routine as your “new normal.” | After a few weeks, you are getting the hang of things and start to feel more like yourself. | After a few weeks, you feel as bad, if not worse. | After a few weeks, the worrying persists. |