Having a baby can be both exhilarating and exhausting. The baby blues are often linked to hormonal changes three or four days after delivery, when pregnancy hormones dissipate and milk production kicks in, and also to a sense of physical and emotional anticlimax after the birth. In addition, returning from the hospital to home can help to increase a new mother's sense of uncertainty. The blues affect 60 to 80 per cent of women shortly after labour, and many find themselves exhausted, unable to sleep, or feeling trapped or anxious. All these feelings are normal during the first couple of weeks following childbirth, and the baby blues usually last only a few days.
Few women find that their sadness persists for longer.
Remember, the new sense of responsibility that comes with a baby can feel overwhelming, and the reality of what parenthood involves doesn't really hit many women until these first few days home. The baby blues are not an illness and will go away on their own. No treatment is necessary other than reassurance, support from family and friends, rest, and time. Baby blues are often confused with postnatal depression because they share common symptoms. But in the first few days after delivery, some emotional upheaval is to be expected.