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Postpartum depression feels a lot like the depression you can get at other times of your life. The only difference is how it affects your feelings about being a mother and your ability to care for your baby.

You are most likely to get postpartum depression in the first three months after your baby is born. But you can get it at any time during the first year.¹

If you have postpartum depression, you may:¹

• Feel low and anxious
• Lose interest in your life and stop enjoying it
• Have changes in your appetite (for example, not feeling hungry and losing weight)
• Feel agitated
• Have a hard time sleeping, even when your baby sleeps
• Feel "slowed down"
• Feel tired and not have any energy
• Feel worthless or guilty
• Find if hard to concentrate or make decisions
• Think about death or killing yourself.

These are the symptoms of bad depression you can get at any time.

Postpartum depression may also make you feel:^{2 3}

• Overwhelmed by your baby's needs
• Unable to cope or care for your baby properly
• Trapped and wanting to get out
• Angry at yourself and others, including your baby
• Alone and unable to tell anybody how you feel
• Afraid or panicky
• Despairing and hopeless
• Like you are losing your mind
• Like you might harm your baby.

The feelings you get with postpartum depression are different from those of a condition called the baby blues. The baby blues are changes in mood that many women get about four or five days after their baby is born. Baby blues usually go away by the tenth day after giving birth. For more information, see The baby blues.

Another, more serious illness that a very few women get after they have a baby is called postpartum psychosis. This illness usually starts in the first two weeks after birth. These women get bad anxiety and feel upset and agitated. They may also think about harming themselves or their baby. For more information, see Postpartum psychosis.

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.