Brain Rules for Baby (John Medina) / quote 17 of 91
Baby blues and postpartum depression
What to make of the transition to parenthood? We have so far outlined an experience that requires a “giving response” three times per minute, allows half the sleep you need, provides little energy for friendships, and turns issues like who takes out the garbage into divorce risks. If these aren’t perfect conditions from which to ferment our final Grape of Wrath, I don’t know what are. Our fourth subject is depression. Fortunately, the majority of you won’t experience it, but it is serious enough to warrant attention. About half of all new mothers experience a transient postpartum sadness that vanishes within a few days. These baby blues are typical. But another 10 percent to 20 percent of mothers experience something much deeper and infinitely more troubling. These women are dogged by feelings of deepening despair, sorrow, and worthlessness, even if their marriages are doing well. Such painful, bewildering feelings last for weeks and months. Afflicted mothers cry all the time or simply stare out the window. They may stop eating. They may eat too much. These mothers are becoming clinically depressed, a condition known as postpartum depression.