The Causes of Postpartum Mood Swings

Giving birth is supposed to be one of the happiest times of your life, but when you have to deal with postpartum mood swings, it can be less than joyful for everyone involved. Postpartum depression is a common condition that affects around 15 percent of all women in the world who have a baby. It can start a few weeks after the baby is born or after a few months, and serious cases can last for a long time if they are not treated appropriately. Unfortunately, the condition can cause a lot of moodiness, so it would do you some good to know what causes it.

The Typical Moods You Might Experience

First of all, you need to know what sorts of moods go along with this condition. In order to understand what causes the average postpartum mood swings, you have to grasp what a mood swing is. If your moods fluctuate more often than not and you experience any of the following, then you might have a problem:

• You become over-emotional for insignificant things.
• You find it difficult to sleep.
• You often feel sad for no reason.
• You suffer from feelings of guilt.
• You sometimes feel hopeless about life or motherhood.
• You have incessant feelings of being overwhelmed.
• You lack excitement for things you once loved.

What Causes All of This?

When you have a baby, your body goes through a number of drastic hormonal changes. It has to accommodate your bodily functions as well as for the baby’s. Because of this, it begins to operate on a heightened level—one that will eventually have to even itself back out. Those who give birth to live children are more likely to suffer from postpartum mood swings, but that does not completely rule out the possibility for mothers who had miscarriages or stillbirths. Essentially, it is not the baby that causes it but, instead, the changes that occur inside you while you are pregnant.

What Do You Do?

Taking hormonal replacements is never a good idea when you are battling postpartum mood swings. As luck would have it, this problem is not something that lasts for very long in most cases. Simply speaking with your doctor or a psychiatrist would go a long way in terms of management. There are even certain diet choices that can be made to assist your body in normalizing itself more quickly. At the end of the day, you just need to remember that your problems are temporary and try to concentrate on your new bundle of joy.