8 Clues On How To Know If You Have Postpartum Depression

For those that have had children, some of you may be wondering if what you suffered with was indeed ‘postpartum depression.’ Unfortunately for me, I suffered with bad anxiety and bouts of depression when my youngest was only a few months old. Being the idiot I am, I never connected it to possibly being due to postpartum depression.

AND…because of this, the anxiety and depression only worsened to the point where I now suffer from it – even so I am doing things for it. Basically, I should’ve been smarter and dealt with it sooner. Maybe then I wouldn’t have it now and lingering around to piss me off on random days.

Listen to me and listen to me good: If you feel anxious or depressed after the birth of your child, even up to 6 months later, go get help ASAP. Don’t make the same mistake I did because postpartum depression is no fun in the park ordeal. It really gets debilitating and seriously to the point of where I couldn’t watch my own children. TRUTH. Thanks to this, it caused my #1 parenting failure.

Some Postpartum Depression Signs To Look Out For:

Baby Blues Don’t Get Better: Baby Blues are normal the first 2 weeks after the little one is born. But note that if it continues past the 2 week mark, something is up and it may be best to go check yourself out with a Doctor, especially if the sadness and hopelessness gets worse. I myself honestly didn’t have the baby blues. What I did have was anxiety that started 2-3 months after my daughters birth and that should’ve been a sign for me.
Sadness and Guilty Thoughts: Being sad once in a while and having those spells is pretty normal. But if you’re having them more often along with feeling like you’re a bad parent or downing yourself as a mom, you may be dealing with postpartum depression. This may actually be one of the first signs, so keep a look out.
No Interest in the Things You Once Loved: For me, that was shopping and watching my shows. All of a sudden, my thoughts were consumed by negativity and I honestly had zero interests in what I used to enjoy doing. Not only that, but I lost interest in eating which is BAD. Some may eat more when anxious and depressed, but for me, it was the opposite. So if you stopped doing what you once enjoyed, get yourself checked.
Decision Making Gets Hard: This can go for almost anything. Getting out of bed, eating, changing the baby’s diaper, etc. If you can’t decide that things need to be done or you just don’t want to do them, that’s a clue for possible postpartum depression. For me, I just couldn’t make the right decision for my kids. My poor husband was always having to do it alone. Not easy.
Worry of Not Being a Good Mommy: Yes, oh yes. And I am sure many felt this way and it is completely normal, especially those whose baby’s were sick or born prematurely. BUT, if you constantly are worrying about not being a good mommy, this could be a clue.
You Ain’t Sleeping Well and Patterns Have Changed: We all know sleeping patterns change when the baby arrives, but there is always an exception to that being normal. If you find yourself restless and not being able to sleep when the baby is or maybe sleeping all the time, you should check yourself with a doctor for postpartum depression. For me, I slept a lot. I just wanted to always be in bed and hide.
Big and Stressful Changes in Life: Anything that makes you sad can worsen your postpartum depression (if you have it). For instance, fighting with your significant other or maybe a death of a loved one. Any of these stressful life changes can be triggers. Keep an eye out for them and work on dealing with them so they don’t affect you to the point where your postpartum depression is worsened, or worse yet, created.
Thinking of Harming Yourself: This one is serious and not to be joked about. If you ever have thoughts of harming yourself or even the baby, PLEASE go to the doctor ASAP. This is more advanced postpartum depression and it needs to be taken care of as soon as possible.

Postpartum Depression is real and it sucks. I know as I have dealt with it and wish I knew sooner that that’s what is was because now I suffer from anxiety almost daily. I feel if I knew the signs and figured it out sooner and went to see someone, I wouldn’t be where I am now. Unfortunately it is something many women deal with after the birth of their bundle of joy, but taking the right steps to noticing the signs and doing something about it ASAP will help greatly in the long-run!

WANT TO READ MORE FROM MY BLOG? CHECK OUT THIS POST: My Biggest Parenting Failure