Pregnancy

'Up to 80% of mothers go through the baby blues, often about three or four days after the birth. You might feel very anxious about small things or mildly depressed, or just keep bursting into tears for no apparent reason.' These feelings can also occur during pregnancy and may continue after the birth of your child.
 
www.nhs.uk
 
If these feelings do not go away, it may be that you are suffering with perinatal depression (PND). Half of all mothers feel low for a few days soon after having a baby, but only 1 in every 10 will become depressed.
 
PND is not just feeling blue:

• you have no appetite (or over-eat for comfort)
• you can't cope
• you feel anxious
• you feel guilty
• you are afraid to be alone with your baby
• you feel life just isn't worth living
• it lasts weeks or months
• it can start anywhere between one to six months after the birth.

What causes PND?
 
We don't know - but you are more likely to develop PND if you have had depression before - especially during pregnancy, you do not have a supportive partner, your baby is unwell, you lost your own mother when you were a child, or you have had several stresses in a short time.
 
www.rcpsych.ac.uk
 
Other symptoms include:

• Depressed or sad mood
• Tearfulness
• Loss of interest in usual activities
• Feelings of worthlessness or incompetence
• Fatigue
• Sleep disturbance
• Poor concentration

Significant anxiety symptoms may also occur. Generalized anxiety is common, but some women also develop panic attacks. Obsessive-compulsive disorder has also been reported, where women report disturbing and intrusive thoughts of harming their infant. Especially with milder cases, it may be difficult to detect PND because many of the symptoms are also common in those who do not suffer with PND and are due to the demands of motherhood.
 
www.womensmentalhealth.org