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Baby blues
Tips on how to deal with feeling low after the birth of your baby.
It’s perfectly normal to feel a bit weepy or a bit low after the birth of your baby. Remember, your body has been through a lot of changes and your hormones are all over the place. You are likely to be exhausted physically and emotionally.
A new baby is a challenge for a woman of any age, so ask for help when you need it. Talk to your family and friends and accept their offers of help – time off from the baby, help with shopping, a cup of coffee, a chat.
Chatting to other mums who have had similar experiences sometimes helps. There may be a postnatal support group in some areas.
If the ‘feeling low’ goes on a bit long – for more than two weeks - contact your GP or the Public Health Nurse, as you may be suffering from postnatal depression and need some professional treatment. Remember, this is a very common condition that lots of mums (and even dads) get and help is available.
You could also log onto www.pnd.ie for an interactive website, where you can chat online to other mothers and professionals who have an understanding of how you feel.
You can also ring Aware, an organisation who helps those suffering with depression, on its LoCall number 1890-303 302 for support and advice about postnatal depression or visit their website at www.aware.ie.
There is a more extreme form of post-natal depression which is fairly rare, affecting 1 in 500 new mothers. If you feel extreme restlessness, mild confusion, inability to sleep, and generally out of it, medical intervention is vital. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Who else you can talk to for support:
- Ask the public health nurse.
- Phone Treoir’s National Information Centre for parents who are not married to each other, on LoCall 1890 252 084 or log onto www.treoir.ie.
- One Parent Exchange and Network (OPEN) at 01 814 8860 is a network of lone parent groups and may be able to put you in touch with one in your area.
- Contact One Family, LoCall 1890 66 22 12, who offer counselling, support, courses for parents, information and lots more to all members of one parent families.
True life:
“When my baby was born I was so proud of myself. He was perfect. My boyfriend was actually so proud, he loved his little son. I loved this. I was so thrilled it was perfect for us. In the following weeks I started getting all these bad feelings, they were so horrific I wasn’t happy. I didn’t want this. I was so young with such a beautiful son, but I just couldn’t bring myself to bond with my son. I couldn’t connect. Eventually my Mam persuaded me to go to the doctor and she was great.”
