In the first week or so after you have given birth to your baby, it is common for a change in hormones to make you feel emotional. Sometimes this happens at the same time as your breast milk 'comes in'. Many women find that they feel extra irritable, tearful and irrational and they can find themselves crying without knowing why.
Although many women start to feel better after a few days, baby blues can last for 10 to 14 days. If you're starting to feel very unhappy, anxious or depressed then contact your GP, midwife or health visitor as they will be able to refer you for specialist support. Where low mood continues for longer, this may be postnatal depression, which requires treatment.
Find out more on our mental health issues and support page.
“I just didn't understand what was happening. I thought I'd be happy with this perfect little boy that I'd just birthed, but I just started crying all the time. I was scared I was getting really depressed, but after a few days I felt like me again.”
Tabitha, mum of three children