Parenting can be a big challenge emotionally and while everyone talks about what a great thing is it, feeling overwhelmed is also common in new parents. There are some feelings that you might deal with after your delivery and it is common with all new parents:
Baby blues
Baby blues are most common in mothers and within one week of giving birth, almost 80% women would suffer from baby blues. This is a sensitive time and while even during pregnancy women ca be an emotional rollercoaster, even after giving birth, they can be like this. Common symptoms of baby blues include wanting to cry, being irritable and having mood swings. Within 3-5 days of delivery, the symptoms would get worse and it is completely normal. Baby blues happen because of body’s hormonal changes. It does not need any treatment and would just require understanding and supportive partner or family. If the symptoms don’t go away for two weeks, you might be suffering from postnatal depression.
Adjustment problems
Adjusting to a new life with a baby can be quite stressing for both parents. It is hard to adjust to daily life, but now making adjustment for a baby as well. A baby can bring huge changes to your sleeping pattern, your me-time, your work and everything else that you do. A baby can almost take over your entire life and some people find it hard to adjust to the new situation since it can cause emotional changes as well. The initial few weeks are quite hard but slowly, parents learn.
Attachment Problems
One would assume that right after the birth of the baby, you would have an instant bond with the little one but sometimes that doesn’t happen. For new parents, that can be quite worrying since they do not understand what is wrong with them. It can create feeling of guilt and disappointment. But in reality, it can take parents a few days or weeks to develop a connection with their baby. It is nothing to feel guilty about or be stressed out about.
Anxiety
Anxiety is the most common emotional issue that new parents face, even during pregnancy and afterwards. Since parents are worried about the birth of the baby and later about its health and their own ability to parent, anxiety is normal. Anxiety can make you feel like you are losing control and have to constantly worry about one thing or the other. But too much anxiety can interfere with your ability to take good care of your child. So, it is essential to grow out of the anxiety.
In rare cases, new parents, especially mothers can also suffer from postnatal depression in which case, it is important to seek the help of a professional.