Is it normal to feel sad after having a baby?
Feeling sad, tearful or anxious after having a baby is very common, and these baby blues usually pass within 2 weeks of the birth.
The blues often start a few days after delivery, as hormones shift and sleep disappears. Mood swings, crying for no clear reason and irritability are typical. Rest, food and help with night feeds make a real difference.
If low mood lasts beyond 2 weeks, gets worse, or starts later, it may be postpartum depression. It can begin in pregnancy or any time in the first year, and fathers and partners can have it too. Signs include losing interest, struggling to bond, constant worry, or feeling like a bad parent. Tell your doctor or midwife. It is treatable and often improves within 3 to 6 months.
Source: NHS: Postnatal depression
See a doctor promptly if
- Confusion, seeing or hearing things others do not, strange or fixed beliefs, or extreme restlessness after birth. This is an emergency: call your local emergency number now
- Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby. Call your local emergency number or a crisis line now
- Being unable to eat, sleep when the baby sleeps, or care for yourself or the baby
- Low mood, anxiety or numbness that lasts longer than two weeks after birth, or starts later in the first year
Try the mood check2 min, free, nothing to installThe PHQ-9 and GAD-7, the two questionnaires doctors screen low mood and anxiety with, scored privately on your device.
Mind and sleepA private mood check, and guides on anxiety, low mood, ADHD and sleep
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
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