{"id":802,"date":"2025-12-18T09:59:28","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T09:59:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mylurah.com\/resources\/?p=802"},"modified":"2026-03-22T17:29:47","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T17:29:47","slug":"mental-health-shifts-during-postpartum-are-real","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mylurah.com\/resources\/mental-health-shifts-during-postpartum-are-real\/","title":{"rendered":"Mental Health Shifts During Postpartum are Real"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After childbirth, many women expect their bodies to heal, but few are prepared for how much their emotions and mental health can change. The postpartum period brings major hormonal shifts, sleep deprivation, and new responsibilities, all at once. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These changes can strongly affect mood, thoughts, and emotional well-being. Feeling overwhelmed, tearful, anxious, or emotionally distant during this time is common and real and not a personal failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the most misunderstood aspects of postpartum mental health is the pressure to feel happy immediately after birth. While joy can be present, up to 70&ndash;80% of new mothers experience the &ldquo;baby blues,&rdquo; which may include sadness, irritability, mood swings, and tearfulness in the first one to two weeks after delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For some, these symptoms persist beyond two weeks or become more severe, potentially developing into postpartum depression (PPD) or postpartum anxiety disorders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Postpartum mental health conditions include depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and, in rare cases, postpartum psychosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Early identification and treatment of these conditions are crucial to the well-being of both mother and child, as untreated mental health issues can negatively impact maternal-infant bonding and child development in the long term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><strong>What is postpartum depression?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Having a baby is a life-changing experience. Being a parent is exciting but can also be tiring and overwhelming. It&rsquo;s normal to have feelings of worry or doubt, especially if this is your first time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But if your feelings include extreme sadness or loneliness, severe mood swings and frequent crying spells, you may have postpartum depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Postpartum depression (PPD) is a type of&nbsp;depression&nbsp;that happens after you give birth. Postpartum depression doesn&rsquo;t just affect the birth mother. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It can affect surrogates and adoptive parents, too. It&rsquo;s common to experience hormonal, physical, emotional, financial, and social changes after having a baby. These changes can cause symptoms of postpartum depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have postpartum depression, know that you&rsquo;re not alone. It&rsquo;s not your fault. And that help is out there. Your healthcare provider can manage your symptoms and help you feel better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>At Mylurah we&rsquo;re building a digital platform that centers Black women&rsquo;s reproductive journeys, including culturally sensitive support for Period, Pregnancy and Postpartum. Because representation in care isn&rsquo;t optional, it&rsquo;s essential<\/em><\/strong><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What are the types of postpartum mood disorder?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mylurah.com\/resources\/baby-blues-vs-postpartum-depression-in-black-mothers\/\">Postpartum blues or baby blues<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perinatal depression can develop during pregnancy (antenatal depression) or within the first year after childbirth (postpartum depression). In severe cases, symptoms may include persistent hopelessness, thoughts of self-harm or harming the baby, or symptoms of postpartum psychosis, which require immediate medical attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>By joining MyLurah community group, you can take advantage of the platform and improve your chances of meeting people of like mind who are ready to listen to you and offer solutions anytime.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What causes postpartum depression?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rapid hormonal changes after delivery, particularly the sharp decline in estrogen and progesterone, are believed to contribute to mood changes, though postpartum depression is caused by a combination of hormonal, psychological, and social factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to these chemical changes, the social and psychological changes associated with having a baby increase your risk of postpartum depression. Examples of these changes include physical changes to your body, lack of sleep, worries about parenting or changes to your relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>If you&rsquo;ve had any of the following symptoms, please notify your healthcare provider right away:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Recurrent thoughts of death or&nbsp;suicide<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Depressed mood for most of the day, nearly every day for the last two weeks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Feeling anxious, guilty, hopeless, scared, panicked or worthless<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dif&#64257;culty thinking, concentrating, making decisions or dealing with everyday situations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Loss of interest or pleasure in most activities nearly every day for the last two weeks<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Postpartum mental health struggles are often worsened by lack of support, unrealistic expectations of motherhood, and fear of being judged. Many women suffer in silence because they believe they should &ldquo;be strong&rdquo; or grateful. In reality, asking for help is a sign of strength. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Postpartum mental health challenges may be influenced by factors such as lack of social support, prior mental health history, stressful life events, sleep deprivation, and socioeconomic stressors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><em>WRAP UP<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>Postpartum mental health changes are real, common, and deserving of care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The emotional shifts that happen after childbirth are not a weakness or a failure but a natural response to major physical, hormonal, and life changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recognizing these struggles and talking about them openly helps remove shame and encourages healing. Every mother deserves understanding, support, and access to proper care during the postpartum period. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When mental health is taken seriously, mothers are better able to recover, bond with their babies, and feel supported in this new chapter of their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After childbirth, many women expect their bodies to heal, but few are prepared for how much their emotions and mental&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1146,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[51],"class_list":["post-802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-postpartum","tag-mylurah-postpartum"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mylurah.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mylurah.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mylurah.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mylurah.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mylurah.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=802"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/mylurah.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1168,"href":"https:\/\/mylurah.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802\/revisions\/1168"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mylurah.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mylurah.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mylurah.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mylurah.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}