Baby blues - how were u affected

[pregatlast]

I had a pretty easy pregnancy and wasn't bothered by the stereotypical emotions etc but I was well warned by friends to expect the baby blues around day 5 after giving birth, so I was prepared! I had a few silly emotional moments on days 3 and 4, but happy moments, like I cried when we got home from hospital as I was so glad to be home and I cried when I got a nice message or card or flowers etc. Day 5 came and no baby blues. Day 8 was a different story, I just kept crying for no reason all day - especially if my lo cried so I assumed that was my baby blues day. Yesterday was day 10 and I had a bit of an emotional wobbler with my midwife and it's now day 11 and I'm at it again!!! I just keep crying for absolutely no reason - is this normal???

 

[starangel27]

i think this is normal i on & off cried for about 6 weeks adjusting to having a baby & not knowing what they need lack of sleep etc.
i cried when my partner went back to work but i think it was mainly just tiredness

 

[NewMummyx]

Im still going through it atm, its very hard and im on anti depressants x

 

[ellers]

Ooh yeah, hit me like a ton of bricks. For about 6-8 weeks. Failure to BF properly was one factor. Couldn't cope. Was weighing up which set of parents I could give him to for adoption. Planned to take a long walk into the sea (we're near a beach) with LO. All enhanced by lack of sleep.
Hated the early days so much and didn't bond too well. Because he had to go onto bottles, I couldn't bear to feed him and couldn't watch OH do it for a long time.
It passes! x

 

[pregatlast]

My feeding is going really well and I feel we have bonded well etc, my husband goes back to work next week and while I'm a little worried/upset about it I'm not really thinking about it - I really am just crying for NO reason atall! It's such a strange and horrible feeling

 

[BabaPu]

Ooh yeah, hit me like a ton of bricks. For about 6-8 weeks. Failure to BF properly was one factor. Couldn't cope. Was weighing up which set of parents I could give him to for adoption. Planned to take a long walk into the sea (we're near a beach) with LO. All enhanced by lack of sleep.
Hated the early days so much and didn't bond too well. Because he had to go onto bottles, I couldn't bear to feed him and couldn't watch OH do it for a long time.It passes! x

I could have written this myself! I had what I called baby jitters two weeks leading up to the birth I convinced myself that I no longer wanted a baby.

I also had such enormous guilt (and still do to a lesser extent) about stopping breastfeeding after a week and felt like Iwas poisoning my child with formula. Awful days. You can never prepare yourself for how lifechanging that first child will be. My baby blues were compounded by feeling totally isolated. I combated that by going to a variety of baby clubs - they've stopped those now due to the schools being off and so I'm going to have to replace them with something else

 

[amygwen]

It is really hard. I started having baby blues the day I came home from the hospital, so day 3. It lasted for about a week and went away. But baby blues was absolutely horrible, it was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to experience. Just keep your chin up, talk to people as much as you can and get out of the house even if it's just for a walk! Those made me feel a lot better! It will pass!!

 

[mrs_park]

Days 3/4/5 I was a blubbering mess! I had an awful time in hospital and I guess that did not help. I cried almost all night every night in hospital and then I cried tears of relief when I came home.

 

[nullaby]

Its very normal..i was like that too..especially if i saw something that made me happy i would cry. Its such a strange feeling but it passes. Get out of the house, just for a walk is great advice.

 

[Al Syr]

My baby is 12 days old and I keep crying as well. If you look in this forum and the third trimester forum I started a thread that says "I'm a horrible person" all the replies from all the other moms have made me feel better.

 

[tristansmum]

i had bad baby blues for a good 4-6 weeks. cried cobstantly, didn't feel a massive love for him, was thinking did i want to keep him, couldn't bf well so had guilt about formula, lots of pain from c section, exhaustion. basically i cried everyday for a month. i did not enjoy the newborn stage at all!

But it passed and now at 9 months i adore him. its a massive change to your life plus your hormone are everywhere. xxx

 

[Green Lady]

I've got this and I can't believe how hard it's hit me. I went two weeks overdue and was SO ready to have this baby, so excited for her to get here, I even felt relaxed about giving birth really (though I wasn't happy to be induced). Then just *bam*, soon as we're home from the hospital everything is a mess. I know it's hormones/tiredness/stress affecting me but I still keep breaking into tears for no reason.

To be honest I'm finding breastfeeding more difficult than I ever imagined. I worried about not being able to work it but it's been going great, physically at least. Emotionally I'm a wreck from being 'on tap' 24 hours a day. LO has had two pretty good nights in a row and I've managed to get some sleep but I keep wondering how much longer this will go on. My husband has been sleeping on the sofa at night and it makes me feel even more lonely, but there doesn't seem to be much else to do for now. He's gone back to work now and I miss him so much during the day it's like he's been gone for a week. I feel so clingy and emotional and I wonder how long it will take to feel like myself again. I love my little girl so much and I love seeing her little face when I'm feeding her, but I am really ready for these bad feelings to end

 

[Loui1001]

Mine really kicked in yesterday

I went 10 days over and had an emergency c-section last week following a failed induction - I know I've been lucky in that I'm not too sore from section and LO is feeding and sleeping really well. He's a dream baby! My blues are more anxiety related than due to tiredness or pain, all that I can think of is 'what if's', like something happening to LO or my husband, what if I do something wrong like let him overheat or hurt him.... it's awful

to all xx

 

[MommyVonVon]

I know how you feel. I started getting the baby blues while still in the hospital. It was so bad I didnt even want to leave. I still get it but its much better. I couldnt be left alone with the baby for long periods of time because I would get so nervous. I take it day by day but now I have a whole new bond with LO

 

[24/7]

I cried most days for the first month or so then it passed. xx

 

[laila 44]

I had my little girl 2 weeks ago and have been crying on and off every since. For me, I find that the lack of sleep and exhaustion makes it worse! My poor DH is so distraught because he says I cry so much for no reason at all. If I'm happy, I'll cry and sometimes I feel isolated or stuck in the house and it makes me sad as well...I really think its a hormonal adjustment and it sucks right now. I don't feel like myself and am just waiting for it to pass...I feel you! just hang in there xx

 

[maddog37]

I hope all you girls who still have the baby blues feel better soon. Someone on one of these threads talks about how your hormones drop on day 8 or 10 or thereabout after birth, so you come down from the high of giving birth. Just know you're not alone and that it'll pass. I think I laid in bed every night in the first month crying, "omg, what have we done???"

If you have other symptoms and things feel too unbearable or you feel you can't deal, please talk to your doctor. Or even ask your questions here, I'm sure many of us will be happy to try to help ease your mind.

 

[LockandKey]

like you, I had a really easy pregnancy, nothing to worry about, no extra emotions, I was pretty much the same as I was before I got pregnant, just with a belly. After I had my baby it hit me like a bad storm that just wouldn't go away. I was weepy almost every day, I got really mad at times too for almost no reason, I was so easily frustrated and depressed, I even thought about giving DD up for adoption so it would be easier on me. terrible I know, but once I hit the 6 weeks I've been calm ever since, I can deal with her a lot easier and not get emotional or upset whenever she cries, I just calmly and happily take care of her needs and that's it. I feel a real sense of pride and joy both in her and myself

 

[caz_hills]

Im so glad to see this thread. I'm on day 18 and since the birth I have felt really different to how I thought I would feel. I adore my little boy but never expected it to be so hard. I breastfed for eleven days and was feeding eleven or twelve times a day. It physically and emotionally drained me and I ended up in tears nearly every feed.

Stopping has helped but I still express to give him the breast milk. I think that I knew that I would be tired but it's just not how I expected it to be. I'm not sure what I expected but I'm exhausted, i feel like it never ends and that I'm a failure and I have no confidence.

Everyone says it's the baby blues but I do worry that it won't improve. Does anyone know when typically things improve?

But bottom line, I adore my husband and baby - it's just sad and upsetting that I don't seem to enjoy it yet. I hope it comes soon.

 

[maddog37]

Everyone says it's the baby blues but I do worry that it won't improve. Does anyone know when typically things improve?

The nurses and psychiatrists I spoke with said it's not "baby blues" anymore if it's still happening after 3 weeks, but most women seems to say 6 weeks before they feel a significant improvement.

Be kind to yourself and take things one day at a time. My anxiety improved a lot once I was able to let go of the guilt (one of my big guilt is that my baby would've died if this was the stone age or something). I feel that a lot of ppd/ppa gets lumped with "baby blues". I was diagnosed with a really severe case of ppa, but my parents refuse to acknowledge that and just says that everyone gets it and I just need to stop worrying about the baby (which I'm not most of the time I have the anxiety symptoms, and in speaking with the psychiatrist and the therapist, they both think I developed ppa due to my own childhood).