Bonding with Your Baby

Singing the Blues

You have everything in the world to be thankful for, but you feel like hiding under the covers. How do you know whether it's simply new-mom fatigue -- or a sign of postpartum depression?

"Depression can cause people to 'shut down' emotionally, so it's very difficult to feel strongly bonded toward your baby," says Margaret Howard, PhD, director of Postpartum Disorders Day Hospital, Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, in Providence. On the other hand, "it's very common for new moms to experience the 'baby blues,' which is characterized by mood swings, tearfulness, emotional sensitivity, irritability, and feeling nervous and overwhelmed," says Howard.