It’s time to retire the term ‘baby blues’

Nearly all moms experience challenges in their adjustment to motherhood. It’s confusing when such a supposedly “joyous” time of your life instead is marked by bouts of crying, sadness, anxiety and overwhelm. 

For a new mother, the temporary difficulty transitioning into motherhood is often identified as the “baby blues.” But having the baby blues is technically on the spectrum of postpartum depression (PPD). Using such a euphemism has the potential to diminish a mother’s experience and prevent her from reaching out for support when she needs it the most. 

Data suggests that 1 in 8 mothers will experience PPD after birth, the more severe, longer-term version of the baby blues. But this number doesn’t account for those who report experiencing the baby blues—which may affect up to 80% of mothers. (Though the incidence is likely higher in both cases, as many cases of PPD and baby blues are not reported.) By using the term “baby blues,” are we leaving some mothers in the dark?

The spectrum of postpartum depression disorders

Perinatal depression can be seen as a spectrum of disorders, ranging from baby blues on the milder end of the spectrum, then postpartum depression and, on the more extreme end, postpartum psychosis.

Baby blues are currently defined as having low mood and mild depressive symptoms after birth, but are thought to be self-limiting, lasting no longer than two weeks. But if symptoms do last longer than two weeks, a mother then meets the criteria to be diagnosed with postpartum depression. PPD can last months to years if left untreated. 

Related: How motherhood myths impacted my struggle with postpartum depression and anxiety

We’ve come so far in destigmatizing mental illness as a culture. Yet, by continuing to name this lower-spectrum form of postpartum depression as the almost-lighthearted “baby blues,” we minimize the potential it has to turn into a more severe form of PPD—and continue to contribute to the stigma around mental illness. 

Calling it “the baby blues” also minimizes a new mother’s propensity to reach out for help once she realizes her symptoms aren’t “going away on their own” like she thought they would. 

Adjusting to motherhood

As a motherhood therapist, I spend the majority of my time working with new mamas on just this, their transition into motherhood, looking at their expectations, supports, and plans to care for themselves, not just their newborn.  

Whether it’s the sleep deprivation, raging hormones, unreal expectations, lack of a village or the sheer newness of it all, transitioning into motherhood is much more challenging than we often make it out to be. 

Julia Jones, founder of Newborn Mothers, says that when a baby is born, so is a mother. And the birth of a mother can be more intense than childbirth. 

Related: What I wish I knew about the emotional adjustment to motherhood

Transitioning into motherhood, whether you’re a first-time mother or a seasoned mama of four, is an adjustment. Each time can feel extremely different than the last, depending on our circumstances, history and previous mental health experiences. 

It’s time to retire the term “baby blues”

Can we finally retire the term “baby blues?” It’s a form of postpartum depression, full stop.

That’s not to say the PPD label isn’t complicated. The surreal expectations placed on a new mother are intense and her strive for perfection in her new role can be crippling. To add the label of “postpartum depression” to her new identity can feel debilitating and paralyzing, furthering any thoughts of failure that she might already have. 

But continuing to name her experience as the “baby blues” minimizes what it is, and can mean she may not actively seek support for herself.

Related: Not judging each other as mothers isn’t enough—here’s what else we need to do

The truth is that every mother needs her village of support (that’s why so many mothers struggle with PPD to begin with), so reaching out for help when you are struggling is to be expected, natural and right. You are deserving of that support, mama, be it from a friend or clinical mental health therapist. 

A note from Motherly

The baby blues are a type of postpartum depression, mama. Be they the “milder” version than we typically refer to when we talk about PPD; nevertheless, those feelings are real, impactful and can turn into more if we don’t step in to offer the support immediately that every new (and seasoned) mother is worthy of. 

I’m sadly not shocked that 80% of mothers experience a mild form of PPD after birth. If we can normalize that experience, line up more support and reduce the stigma around PPD, maybe more mothers would reduce the self-applied pressure they feel to be “perfect” and instead look at the root causes of their distress during their transition into motherhood. We could become more proactive in our approach to maternal mental health instead of being so reactive that it furthers the shame mothers often feel. 

Sources 

Balaram K, Marwaha R. Postpartum Blues. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. 2022. 
Zauderer C. Postpartum depression: how childbirth educators can help break the silence. J Perinat Educ. 2009;18(2):23-31. doi:10.1624/105812409X426305