Baby blues and osteopathy

The baby blues and postpartum depression are psychological states that a woman may experience after giving birth. These states can range from a few days of depression to a serious postpartum depression. This article aims to lift the veil on this taboo of society in order to prevent these pathologies and accompany them at best.

Baby blues or not, you are a great mother!

The baby blues are an episode of depression that affects women who have just given birth. This temporary state of depression can turn into postpartum depression if it is prolonged. It is important to be vigilant and to accompany the patient as best as possible.

The baby blues are related to a combination of causes:

• Emotional shock: it is a mixture of happiness, joy, gratitude which is mixed with pain, fatigue and also with fear.
• Fatigue and pain: a childbirth is a source of great fatigue but also of pain that maintains the fatigue. Already without a baby, when we are tired, exhausted, we are annoyed by anything.
• Hormonal shock
• Feeling of emptiness: many women who have given birth feel this emptiness inside them because they no longer have a little being in their belly that they feel moving.
• Pressure and advice from family and friends: those close to you who want to do the right thing often give advice that is necessary. It is important to find out how to work with your loved ones to avoid them being too invasive, especially mothers or mothers-in-law. Communication is very important.
• Too many visits to the hospital: when a woman gives birth she is not in top shape and needs to rest. The introduction of breastfeeding, blood loss, etc. means that the new mother needs to be alone with her partner and her baby. It is important to make this clear to the family, who may be "parasites". Once again, it is important to discuss this beforehand.
• Pressure to breastfeed: breastfeeding rarely happens like in the movies, the reality is much more complicated, even a nightmare for some women. Many women (although not many anymore) want to breastfeed because it is good for the child and for themselves, but are afraid of not being able to do so. It is necessary to be patient and to surround yourself with a team of professionals (lactation consultant, midwife, osteopath).

The baby blues can be recognized by a woman presenting the following symptoms:

• Fatigue
• Difficulty falling asleep
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Avoiding contact with your baby
• Fear of hurting the baby
• Guilt: Women with the baby blues also often suffer from guilt about not being a good mother.

The EPDS questionnaire, which you can download below, allows you to assess the extent of this depression yourself.

Communication is the key to all problems. Other people do not experience what you are experiencing, it is important for the woman who has just given birth to be surrounded, listened to and not harassed with advice on what to do.
Sit down with your husband, talk with your friends, and reassure yourself that 60% of women go through this period of depression.

If you are afraid of not being listened to or are uncomfortable talking about it with someone close to you, talk to your midwife, your doctor and even your osteopath.

An osteopathic consultation is very helpful for women suffering from baby blues for several reasons:

• The woman takes time for herself, just for her, during an osteopathic consultation.
• An osteopathic consultation lasts an average of 45 minutes, which gives you time to talk with your osteopath. It is sometimes easier to talk to a stranger...
• The osteopath, thanks to a set of techniques, will do everything to relieve your pain and put your body back on its feet. The body and the mind being closely linked, it is necessary that the mechanics work perfectly.

Marie Messager
Osteopath D.O
2 rue Alexis de Tocqueville
78000 Versailles