They almost always question whether they are able to handle the important new responsibility of caring for a baby. These feelings may subside and recur in the first few days after childbirth. If you feel depressed for several days in a row, call your health care provider. In contrast to postpartum blues, postpartum depression is marked by more intense feelings of sadness, anxiety, or despair that last more than a few days and disrupt the new mother's ability to function. If not recognized and treated, postpartum depression may become worse or may last longer than it needs to.
Some women appear to have a higher risk of postpartum depression.
These women include those who have had postpartum depression before and those with a psychiatric history. Recent stressful events, such as loss of a loved one, family illness, or moving to a new city, also appear to increase a woman's risk for postpartum depression. There is no evidence that postpartum depression is related to age or number of previous children. There is evidence, though, that the lack of a supportive partner may be a major factor. Postpartum blues that don't go away after 2 weeks, or strong feelings of depression and anger that begin to surface 1-2 months after childbirth Feelings of sadness, doubt, guilt, helplessness, or hopelessness that seem to increase with each week and begin to disrupt a woman's normal functioning.