Baby blues can colour early days

BEWARE: CAN DEEPEN INTO POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION

- Yvonne De Bruin

Most new moms come home with their new gift of a little boy or girl, excited, happy and totally in awe of the new addition to the family. But there are some who feel utterly and completely sad, lost and out of sorts. Called the baby blues, these emotions peak about three days after delivery and last from a few days to two weeks.

A mother with the baby blues may cry very easily and struggle to sleep properly. She may feel irritable, sad and a little on edge.

Because the baby blues are so common and do not interfere with a mother's ability to care for her baby, they are not considered an illness.

For many women, the symptoms are mild and go away on their own. But some may develop a more disabling form of mood disorder called postpartum depression.