About 80 percent of women who have just given birth experience baby blues. Although the symptoms sometimes seem trivial, baby blues can have a negative impact on both mother and baby and must be treated immediately.
baby blues It is a mood disorder experienced by mothers after giving birth. This condition causes the mother to be easily sad, tired, irritable, cry for no apparent reason, easily agitated, and difficult to concentrate.
baby blues It can start as early as the first week after delivery and generally lasts up to 2 weeks. Complaints are not always felt, but come and go. However, this complaint must be handled properly so that it does not develop into postpartum depression (postpartum depression).
Various Causes Baby Blues
So far, no cause baby blues not known for sure. However, there are several things that can trigger this condition, including:
Hormonal changes
After giving birth, there is a drastic change in hormone levels. The hormones estrogen and progesterone in the body will decrease. This can cause chemical changes in the brain and trigger mood swings (mood swings).
Difficulty adapting
Difficulty adapting to existing changes and new responsibilities as a mother can be the cause baby blues. Many new mothers feel overwhelmed to take care of everything themselves, including taking care of the needs of the little one.
Lack of sleep
The newborn's irregular sleep cycle causes mothers to be awake at night and takes up a lot of their sleep time. Lack of sleep continuously will make the mother tired and uncomfortable. This is what can trigger the occurrence baby blues.
How to overcome Baby Blues
baby blues will generally go away on its own. However, if you experience it, this condition needs to be managed properly. Some things you can do to overcome baby blues is:
1. Don't burden yourself
Don't force yourself to do everything yourself. Do what you can do. If you feel overwhelmed, both in taking care of your little one or with housework, don't hesitate to ask for help from the closest trusted people.
2. Get enough sleep
Make sure you get enough sleep. Take advantage of your little one's bedtime for you to sleep. If your little one wakes up at night because of bedwetting and you still need sleep to recover, don't hesitate to ask your partner for help to change your little one's diaper and take care of him for a while.
3. Exercise regularly and eat quality food
To help overcome baby blues experienced, you are advised to exercise regularly. Exercise can not only distract and worry you feel, but also help improve mood and sleep quality.
If you don't have time to exercise, food can also help control your mood. Avoid foods that are high in simple carbohydrates such as syrup, packaged pastries, and white bread. This type of food is thought to be aggravating mood swings.
4. Share stories
You are encouraged to socialize with other new mothers so that they can share stories about your feelings. However, if this feels heavy, you can start by telling your husband. After all, it is your husband who is closest to you.
In addition to the several ways above, you can also take a few days to me time. This may be able to help with symptoms baby blues that you feel.
In the midst of a happy moment to welcome the Little One, baby blues must feel strange and unnatural to you. However, keep in mind that this is normal and experienced by many other mothers. To deal with this, you need a lot of physical and moral support from the people around you.
However, if your complaints do not improve and still persist for more than two weeks after giving birth, do not hesitate to immediately consult a psychologist so that the complaints do not get worse.