During the last weeks of the pregnancy, the woman's body produces high levels of oestrogen and progesterone hormones, in preparation for the labour and birth. As soon as the placenta is delivered, hormonal levels plunge dramatically - becoming a fraction of what they used to be. This dramatic drop not only starts the stimulation of breast milk production but also brings about many emotional changes. 'The blues' is a term often used to describe a range of emotions that up to 80% of women will experience during the first week after giving birth. This will most commonly be around the 3rd to 5th days, being mainly attributed to this sudden hormonal shift, compounded by all the adjustments that come with caring for a new baby. 'The bIues' can also be called the '3rd day blues' and will usually pass after a day or two.
Emotions associated with 'the blues' can manifest in different women in various ways. They can run raw and fast, with many women feeling sensitive, irritable, shaky and teary. It can sometimes be hard to understand (or describe) the reasons why you are feeling this way. Tears may flow, yet you may actually "Feel OK", even overwhelmingly happy and content. Or they may come in response to feeling like nothing is 'going right', advice is conflicting, or support is not forthcoming. In many cases they just come 'out of the blue'.
Some women will quietly move through their emotions. For others there will be an outpouring of expression, or sudden mood swings. A few women may not experience the blues at all. One woman recounted her experience of sharing a room with 3 other women in the hospital postnatal ward. They all had had their babies on different days, and all became teary one day, followed by another woman the next day. The tissue box was passed from bed to bed. Watching each other move through it made it easier to cope with, and knowing it was normal made the often unexplainable tears more acceptable.