After having a baby, many women have mood swings. One minute they feel happy, the next minute they start to cry. They may feel a little depressed, have a hard time concentrating, lose their appetite or find that they can't sleep well even when the baby is asleep. These symptoms usually start about three to four days after delivery and may last several days. However, some women have worse symptoms or symptoms last longer.
Postpartum depression is an illness, like diabetes or heart disease.
It can be treated with therapy, support networks and medicines such as antidepressants. Depression that occurs within six months of childbirth may be postpartum depression. The exact cause isn't known. Hormone levels change during pregnancy and right after childbirth. Those hormone changes may produce chemical changes in the brain that play a part in causing depression.