The Postpartum Experience

Most women expect to feel elated after their baby is finally born. All those months of anticipation are realized. Relatives and friends have provided hugs, warm words, and welcoming gifts. The proud parents are finally rewarded with a beautiful child. Life with the new baby is expected to be one glorious day after the next.

For many women, life with the new baby is more overwhelming than glorious. Many feel inadequately prepared, disappointed about missing out on career opportunities, dread about their appearance, and guilt for feeling anything but glorious. In some cases, women with these thoughts and feelings are experiencing what's called the "baby blues," a reaction to the overwhelming experience of parenting a newborn. For others, the condition progresses to a condition termed postpartum depression.

Unlike the baby blues, postpartum depression lasts more than two or three weeks, begins weeks or even months after the baby arrives, and causes severe anxiety regarding mothering abilities. Seeking treatment for postpartum depression is vital for both mother and child. In rare cases, mothers may experience postpartum psychosis, losing touch with reality completely. Postpartum psychosis requires emergency medical treatment.

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