Time, patience, and the support of loved ones are all helpful during this time of adjustment. Sometimes, however, women may still experience emotions that are bewildering, unsettling, even frightening. Fifty to seventy-five percent of new mothers experience this letdown after the emotionally charged experience of giving birth. Postpartum Depression Symptoms may include crying for no apparent reason, irritability, impatience, restlessness, and anxiety. This is the most common, least severe, and the most well-known of all postpartum reactions.
Symptoms are briefly unpleasant and usually disappear on their own, often as quickly as they came.
Although one in ten new mothers experiences various degrees of postpartum depression, it still remains one of the least well-known of postpartum reactions. It can occur within days of the delivery or appear gradually, sometimes up to a year later. A woman suffering from postpartum depression may experience one or more of these symptoms in any combination. They may be changeable, with good days alternating with bad. Symptoms may range from mild to severe.