Having a baby is an emotional roller-coaster ride and transforms a woman in many ways.

It’s ironic that when it’s the time to feel ecstatic and happy, a woman who has just given birth has to go through times of feeling low, which would impact her motherhood style. Many things may be blamed on the new baby.

A new baby means less sleeping, more work hours, lack of help. In addition, if the extended family or spouse is not supportive, postpartum depression or baby blues may set in. Stress, sleep deprivation, fatigue all contribute to making a woman feel low.

How can we handle this without medication? First thing is to recognize it. Secondly, it’s important for the woman to get a lot of rest. In the past in Indian cultural traditions, the wife went to her maternal home for delivery and rest. With the break up of the joint family system, with nuclear families struggling in the absence of support and help. When the issue of a woman having to look after everything, postpartum blues set in.

Hormonal changes, physical changes, and stress all contribute to postpartum blues. If it does not go away, it becomes depression and one should seek help from a professional psychiatrist. So remember, when a baby comes into our lives, it’s a time to be happy stress-free, loving and ensure a harmonious and stress-free environment for the mother and the baby so that one can enjoy the process and the milestones of the babies growth.