ABSTRACT
The experience of sadness or depression during pregnancy or in the postpartum period can be an unsettling experience for new or expecting mothers. This experience, however, is relatively common, with up to 84% of women experiencing the ‘baby blues’ in the early postpartum period and 9–19% of women experiencing postpartum depression. Some women also experience depressive symptoms (e.g., sadness, loss of pleasure) during pregnancy. Chapter 2 provides an overview of these symptoms with the goal of helping women, their families, and their healthcare workers become more familiar with the nature and signs of depression in women during pregnancy and the postpartum. This chapter will help you distinguish between the ‘baby blues,’ clinical depression, and other mental health difficulties (e.g., postpartum psychosis), and to better understand the events or situations that can increase the risk of depression during pregnancy and the postpartum.
