Is This The “Baby Blues,” or Something Else (PMADS)?
Becoming a parent, giving birth, or supporting a birthing partner can be stressful, pivotal, and a transformational event in one's life. It can bring a mix of feelings positive, negative, and in between. Perinatal is the period of time for a mother during pregnancy, post-loss, and postpartum (1 year after birth).
What are the “Baby Blues”?
Baby Blues is a common way to describe the short period of rapid change after birth. This period affects 60-80% of new mothers universally. This can be due to the hormonal changes (VERY sudden drop in hormone levels following childbirth) and acute sleep deprivation. This is usually 2 days to 2 weeks following birth. This is common since a baby can change one’s identity, view of self, and daily functioning.
Symptoms of Baby Blues
Crying often and not always for a reason
Feeling very tired
Having trouble falling asleep
Having trouble staying asleep
Having trouble thinking clearly, or feeling out of touch
Feeling very nervous around the baby
Becoming easily annoyed and/or angry and not understanding why
Feeling that nothing will ever be the same
Not feeling like yourself
As a provider, I usually look at a few criteria to help me see if something deeper is happening and needs treatment and support. I look at the severity, intensity, timing, and how long these symptoms are lasting. There are some risk factors that can make a person more susceptible to developing a Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder.
If you are experiencing these baby blues symptoms for longer than 2 weeks or other depressive, anxiety, or intrusive thoughts - please seek help!
Symptoms of the baby blues lasting more than 2 weeks and impacting your daily life functioning can be defined as a PMAD, Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder. There are many types and treatments that usually require specialized services like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), EMDR/Brainspotting, Parent-Infant Attachment, and couples therapy.
Types of PMADS
Perinatal mood disorder
Perinatal anxiety disorder
Perinatal obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Perinatal PTSD
Perinatal psychosis - is a medical emergency and cannot wait for outpatient therapy and must be treated at a higher level of care, like a hospital with a supportive care team. Please see this handout to know the risk and warning signs
PMADS can be very common with as many as 1 in 5 people experiencing depression and anxiety during the perinatal period.
The GOOD NEWS. You are NOT alone.
PMADS is very treatable, and help is available. You do not need to wait for a diagnosis to reach out for help.
Reminder: If you are experiencing any of this - you didn’t do anything wrong.
For free resources, group support, handouts, prescriber information: Postpartum Support International
National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: 1-833-852-6262 (1-833-TLC-Mama)
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Interested in Counseling for Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Anxiety, or PMADS?
If you’re a Marylander who knows that counseling is the direction you need to take, the therapists at LifeSpring Counseling Services are here to help. We offer online counseling services for mindfulness, depression, anxiety, trauma, and grief and loss. We also offer Brainspotting as a specialized service, and Brainspotting can be done online, too!
Here’s how you can get started! Online & in-person counseling for postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and PMDAS aren’t the only services offered at our Baltimore, Maryland office
The counselors and social workers at our Maryland office also offer counseling services for trauma, grief and loss, boundary setting, communication skills, and difficult life transitions. We also offer specialized counseling services including Brainspotting and spiritually-integrated counseling. Because we are located next to several local universities, we also work with college students.
Written by: Ashley Swift, LCPC
