Postnatal Mental Health

Are You Feeling Irritable, Angry, Sad and Confused? Find Out What’s Wrong and What You Can Do About It.

- Raewyn Koh

Baby has been born and your loved ones are so overjoyed for the birth of your little one. Around your maternity ward are smiles but it is hard for you to smile with them. Inside, you’re feeling irritable, angry,sad, and most importantly, confused. This should be the happiest moment of your life but it feels far from it.

Maybe this is something you’ve experienced or you know of someone who has. During the postpartum period, it isn’t uncommon for women to feel a swinging change in moods within the first week after delivery. According to the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Women’s Mental Health, around 85 percent of women will experience some type of mood disturbance but these are usually mild and short-lived. However, there is about 10 to 15 percent of women who will develop more significant mental health issues. Most of us would have likely heard of postpartum depression but this is not the only mental health issue to develop. Postpartum mental health issues usually fall on a continuum ranging from mild postpartum blues to the most severe, postpartum psychosis.

Postpartum Blues