Q: Is it normal to get depressed after you deliver a baby? How frequently does this happen? How long do the symptoms last?

A: Even though the birth of a baby is viewed as a happy occasion, it is normal to be depressed for a short time. It’s difficult to pinpoint how common this is, but researchers estimate that a depressed mood affects anywhere from 50 to 75% of new mothers. Because of the dramatic hormonal changes that occur in a woman’s body after she delivers a baby, an even higher percentage of women may experience some sort of emotional letdown.

The most common syndrome is called “postpartum blues.” Mothers describe sadness (often worsened by the expectation that they “ought” to be happy), crying jags, anxiety, irritability, impatience, restlessness, and hypersensitivity. Typically, symptoms emerge on the third or fourth day after delivery and resolve on their own within 2 weeks.

A mood shift that starts later than the “blues” is called postpartum depression. Postpartum depression usually develops at least 1 week or so after delivery (mothers may feel relatively well until then) or anytime up to 6-8 weeks later, and it may last up to a year. This longer-lasting disorder is less common, affecting about 10-20% of new mothers. Symptoms include agitation, anger, fear, insomnia, decreased appetite, and depressive, obsessive, or racing thoughts. Postpartum depression can also involve changes in sleep patterns, panicky feelings, difficulty concentrating, guilt pangs, and thoughts of suicide. A much rarer mood disorder, postpartum psychosis, occurs only in about one out of 1,000 women who have recently given birth. A psychotic disorder is characterized by an absence of rational thinking in addition to other mood changes.

The time immediately after delivery is by definition one of great change for all mothers–a baby radically alters a woman’s personal, family, and home dynamics. This, in addition to the expected hormonal changes new mothers experience, can easily produce depressed feelings, most of which are short-lived and quite normal. If your symptoms do not improve or seem to worsen, you should discuss what you are feeling with your doctor.