How normal is it to experience baby blues?

As an LMC midwife, I tell my clients to expect one bad hour a day, one bad day a week and one bad week a month. That’s normal. But it is NOT normal to feel ‘black’ most of the time. That’s a big red flag that things are out-of-kilter. This is a postnatal stress disorder or postpartum depressive reaction. It is more intense and longer-lasting than the baby blues, comes in more than one variety, can start any time during the baby’s first year, lasts from a couple of months to years, and it is not possible to shake off the condition — it’s like a bad toothache, it requires treatment. You’re a wise woman to reach out for help.