Which statement best describes postpartum blues?

• A. Mood swings, tearfulness, feeling low, emotional, and fatigued
• B. Depression lasting for several months
• C. Euphoria and high energy
• D. No mood changes

Answer: (A)

Postpartum blues are emotional lability that many women experience in the first days to about two weeks after giving birth. The best description of postpartum blues is mood swings, tearfulness, feeling low, being emotional, and fatigue. These symptoms arise from sudden hormonal changes after delivery, combined with sleep deprivation and the stress of caring for a newborn. The important part is that this pattern is usually mild and self-limited, typically resolving within a couple of weeks with supportive care.

This mood pattern helps distinguish postpartum blues from postpartum depression, which lasts longer and is more severe, involving persistent low mood, anhedonia, sleep or appetite changes, difficulties functioning, and sometimes thoughts of harm. It’s also not consistent with euphoria and high energy, and it’s not absence of mood changes.