Many women have the impression that the first few days and weeks they spend with their newborn would be delightful, peaceful, and unwaveringly joyful. The truth can be quite different.

The scent of their hair and their little fingers and toes may make you happy, but you might also feel overcome and inconsolable. After giving birth, an abrupt change in hormones can interact with a lack of sleep, solitude, and the strain of keeping a small human alive. When they come together, you might experience an emotional gyroscope.

Studies show that around 80% of new mothers experience the "baby blues," a brief postpartum phase having symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress, anger, and obsessive-compulsive behavior and mood disturbances. As a result, it is likely that you will experience them as well (4 out of 5 new mothers report doing so; in that case, consider yourself lucky!).

The baby blues usually appear a few days after giving birth, however, they could show up earlier if you had a particularly difficult delivery.

Although doctors are unable to identify the precise cause, their timing tells us a lot. To aid in your recovery and to help you care for your newborn, your body experiences severe hormonal changes after birth. These changes cause your uterus to contract back to normal size and promote breastfeeding among numerous other things.

Two to three days after the baby is born, the symptoms may appear. The baby blues often go on their own after 10 days of birth, though they can occasionally last up to 14 days. Although your baby blues symptoms may differ from those of other women, they typically consist of the following:

• Being moved to tears or unexpectedly sobbing due to small triggers
• Being irritable or having mood swings
• Feeling disconnected or unbounded from your child
• Missing certain aspects of your former life, such as the ability to go out with friends
• Concerned or anxious for the welfare and security of your infant
• Feeling restless or having sleeplessness while being exhausted
• Having difficulty thinking properly or making simple decisions

As your hormone levels stabilize and you start to build a pattern, these symptoms should start to lessen in a few weeks. However, symptoms could come on completely unexpectedly, particularly if your pregnancy went smoothly or you were anticipating the bliss of motherhood. Seek Online Counselling with the Best Psychiatrist in India if your depressive symptoms persist or worsen. There's a chance that you have postpartum depression, Talk to the best Clinical Psychologist at India’s No 1 Online Counselling and Mental health well-being Platform and take the best Online Therapy to overcome depression and stress. 

There are two main signs that the melancholy you're experiencing after giving birth is more than just the baby blues and might necessitate calling your doctor to talk about postpartum depression: the frequency and seriousness of your symptoms.

Two weeks after giving birth, if you're still feeling low, anxious, or overwhelmed, you might be suffering from postpartum depression. (The baby blues usually go within two weeks.)

The baby blues also start to manifest quite soon after birth, so if you suddenly start to exhibit depressive symptoms several weeks or months after giving birth, it's not the baby blues. Anytime during the first year following childbirth, postpartum depression may manifest.

The majority of people discover that when they get used to their new role and establish a pattern with their baby, they start to feel more like themselves, thus there is no need to take any specific action to address the baby blues.

Nevertheless, the postpartum period is challenging, so it's crucial to look after yourself as much as you can. During this period of transition, finding things that make you feel better may help you return to "normal" (or, at the very least, discover your new normal) a bit quicker.

Sleep as much as you can: Sleep is important for your health and your baby's health, pay attention to your mother's advice and go to bed when the baby does. Let the washing pile up. When you're worn out, everything seems worse. Sometimes the best cure is to go to sleep.

Request assistance: That laundry we advised you to put off? The alternative is to delegate the task to someone else. People are frequently seeking ways to assist new mothers, so when Grandma stops by and inquires about what she can do, assign her a duty. Don't try to do everything yourself, including meal preparation, errand running, and diaper changing.

Eat healthy Meals: Giving your body wholesome meals to eat and obtaining some fresh air are two things that don't require much explanation. 

Speak with a Counsellor: Talk to the best Online Counsellor, but if you do, call them. If not, talk to a relative or friend who "gets" you and won't pass judgment. There are moments when you simply need to vent.

Choose a hobby you enjoy: We understand if it seems like finding a unicorn would be simpler than getting 5 minutes to yourself, but giving 100% of your time to another person can only make you resentful and burnt out. Whatever it was that you did before having a baby to feel content and at ease has to return to your postpartum life (even if it's just for 20 minutes at a time).

You and your partner should feel close: It's easy to lose sight of the other person you're sharing this new life with, but making a daily commitment to spend time together can go a long way toward fostering a sense of closeness and support for you both.

As they become used to life with a baby, many new parents go through the baby blues. They typically disappear on their own shortly after birth.

However, if your feelings worsen at any moment or if you're still depressed or nervous after two weeks, speak with a member of your family, a close friend, or a medical professional straight away. Even though postpartum depression needs to be treated, baby blues are common and typically pass quickly.