Pregnancy Signs & Symptoms, Week by Week Pregnancy Guide

Postpartum or Postnatal depression is a clinical depression that can afflict 5 to 9 % of women who have delivered a baby.

It occurs immediately after child birth or within a few months thereafter and some cases may affect men as well. The chief characteristics of postpartum depression include:

• An inexplicable sadness may be experienced though everything has gone well and mother and child are healthy
• There could be feelings of fatigue even after having recovered from the physical stresses of childbirth.
• There could be insomnia as well as feelings of listlessness and disinterest in things
• Many women experience repeated crying jags that may be triggered by nothing at all or by seemingly innocuous things
• There is the feeling of general anxiety
• Appetite changes are also noted in some episodes of postpartum depression
• Many women experience a reduced libido and a lack of interest in sex
• There are feelings of irritability and anger

Although this is a real condition, it is often got given much credence and less than 20% of women who may have this condition, will seek professional help for it.