Guest Blogger Post – The Baby Blues
To continue on with our Guest Blogger series, the second blogger we would like to spotlight is Robin Brostovski. She is an innovative health and wellness consultant who has a passion for helping others reach their personal health and wellness goals.
As SAH/WAH moms, our health often takes a back seat to everyone else’s needs. Because so many people depend on us, taking care of ourselves should actually be one of our top priorities. In her guest post, Robin offers ways to overcome the baby blues, a postpartum condition that affects many new moms.
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Congratulations on the birth of your little bundle of joy! The day finally arrived and you held that little miracle in your arms and the love that poured out from your very being unsurpassed any other feeling you ever had. And then it hit! A few days or weeks later you wanted to return that little bundle from whence it came. You cried at the drop of a hat, and wanted to possibly give dad away as well. Depression set in. You felt out of control, like you had no way to stop the ever flowing tears and depression. This is called The Baby Blues – the time nobody wants to talk about after baby is born, hoping that it won’t happen to them. By the way, did you know that dads get it too? Yep, 10% show signs of Postpartum Depression.
The scientific mumbo jumbo is that after pregnancy, hormonal changes in a woman’s body may trigger symptoms of depression. During pregnancy, the amount of two female hormones, estrogen and progesterone, increases greatly. 
In the first 24 hours after childbirth, the amount of these hormones rapidly drops back down to their normal non-pregnant levels. Researchers think the fast change in hormone levels may lead to depression, just as smaller changes in hormones can affect a woman’s moods before she gets her menstrual period. Occasionally, levels of thyroid hormones may also drop after giving birth. Low thyroid levels can cause symptoms of depression including depressed mood, decreased interest in things, irritability, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, sleep problems, and weight gain.
A new mommy can have sudden mood swings, sadness, crying spells, loss of appetite, sleeping problems, and feel irritable, restless, anxious, and lonely. Symptoms are temporary, not severe and treatment isn’t needed. But there are things you can do to feel better.
First and foremost, you need rest. Babies like to wake in the middle of the night, sometimes more than once, and if you are breastfeeding, then that will take more out of you as well. So at least for the first month, try to nap when baby does. If you have older children in the home, let them watch the younger ones during this time. If you have small children, maybe make a mandatory nap time or quiet time for them while you rest.
Secondly, get some help. Let dad, grandma, or a friend watch your other children for you, or let them help with the baby while you get some rest or much needed ‘me’ time.
Thirdly, make sure you eat properly and drink plenty of water. Just grabbing something here and there is going to cause low blood sugar levels, and that can trigger bouts of depression or even anger. So take time to eat properly of fresh fruits and veggies and whole grains. You need to build your immune system and your blood cells. And if you are breastfeeding, this is very important!
Fourth, get exercise outdoors. A nice walk in the fresh air and sunshine does wonders for depression. After all the sun is called sunshine for a reason – it boosts the mood! Scientists have found that most people with depression are those who don’t go outside much, therefore having low Vitamin D levels as well. So get outside and put the baby in the stroller and walk. They make some really cool jogging strollers these days too! It’s worth the investment for your sanity.
Fifth, join a new mom’s support group. It’s a good way to get some of your frustrations out and chat about them with other moms who just gave birth or have very young children. You may find they have play dates, or mommy and me times, even exercise and other classes available for moms!
And lastly, enjoy your baby! There’s just something about the smell of a new baby. And remember, they just don’t stay little long. Before you know it they will be heading off to college. So treasure those baby years and milestones. The Baby Blues won’t last long, and if you take the steps above, you will notice it lessening daily, or dissipating all together, promptly.
Robin Brostovski, NH, BHC
Robin is a Health and Wellness consultant and work from home mom living in south central Virginia (in the country) with her hubby, two grown boys, and various critters. They are home school veterans, and volunteer for small dog rescue as well. Her passion and desire is to enable women to make the lifestyle changes needed to reach their health, weight and wellness goals.
3 Comments
Category: Caring for You, General
Thank you, Robin, for sharing this. I have five children (my youngest is 3 1/2 months), and I’ve experienced this in varying degrees after the birth of my children. Thankfully, my husband was home for 3 weeks after the birth of our last son, and I was able to rest during that time. It made all the difference for me.
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i think being a mommy is basically the most tormenting and noble type of profession. It isn’t really a profession as you don’t have to take special classes just to learn the basic way of it but it’s your instincts that’s been telling you to do it. You do all the sacrifices just to be able to race a child and basically you are less appreciated by some, thus just continue what you have started and everything will be fine.
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