Common postpartum mood changes
When you have a baby, big adjustments take place in your body and your life that can impact how you feel in all kinds of ways. If you’re noticing more frequent mood changes during the postpartum period, you’re not alone.
“Noticeable shifts in mood are so common postpartum that you can’t put a number on how many women experience them. Simply put, every woman is going to have an emotional response before and after childbirth, and some will experience it more often and more strongly than others,” says Chris Raines, a perinatal psychiatric nurse practitioner. She helps us sort out why mood changes happen after giving birth and offers tips to work through them.
What are some mood changes you can have following childbirth?
Having a baby is a big step. It can feel scary, unsettling, and confusing. These emotions are normal responses to this significant life change. After all, you have taken on the responsibility of another human being! Having a child can also be exciting and joyous. You might even notice your thoughts fluctuate between positive and negative emotions: fear and excitement, joy and anxiety.
“Such mood changes are typical, especially during the early days of motherhood,” Raines says. The most common emotional changes her patients have described in the first months with their baby include:
- Suddenly crying, seemingly for no reason
- Feeling calm one minute and anxious the next
- Irritability due to minor (or unnoticeable) triggers
- Feeling overwhelmed by new responsibilities as a mother
- Feeling irrational fear, loneliness, or sadness
Why causes postpartum mood changes?
It’s not always easy to pinpoint exactly what’s behind a woman’s emotional shifts after having a child. That’s because every mother’s experience, circumstances, and reaction to becoming a mother is unique. Multiple factors often influence mood changes, and knowing some of the more common factors may help a new mother cope:
- A history of mood changes during certain phases of the menstrual cycle: If you typically become moody around your menstrual cycle, this predisposition may contribute to whatever mood instability you experience after delivery. Your body might just be more sensitive to overall hormonal changes.
- Family: The genes you inherit, alongside your childhood experiences, can impact how you respond to childbirth and motherhood. “Your experiences dealing with strong emotions in childhood, for example, might impact how well you’re able to cope with emotional changes during early motherhood,” Raines says.
- Indirect factors related to early parenting can exacerbate mood changes. If you’re not getting enough sleep, or don’t have time to exercise regularly while caring for your newborn, it can make you more prone to emotional triggers and more sensitive in general.
Tips for coping with mood changes
So if you’re in the beginning postpartum days and are experiencing mood shifts, what can you do to manage them? Raines says certain measures are helpful in the days and weeks after delivery, and it all comes down to self-care. “We cannot be ‘on’ all the time; we need breaks. Those breaks are self-care.” This means getting enough of the following:
- Rest and sleep
- Movement
- Support from family and friends
- Nutrients (preferably through a healthy diet, but adding vitamins can help fill in any gaps in your diet)
- Guidance from a trained perinatal mental-health professional
References
1 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1521693413001338?via%3Dihub
Additional resources
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