Having a baby is stressful.  Period.  There are physical, social and emotional stressors that everybody faces. Every mom needs to know that she is supported and cared for as they make the transition to motherhood.  Postpartum sadness is extremely common, but luckily true depression and psychosis are much less common. 

At each well-check until 2 months of age, we ask screening questions to see if our moms are starting to have concerning symptoms of excessive postpartum stress.  Sometimes it’s a little subtle, so the questions sometimes raise awareness of what to watch for.

We also focus on setting reasonable goals and focusing on specific priorities – because we all feel like want to everything perfectly right – by focusing on a few priorities, we reduce the tendency to be overwhelmed.    

Learn more here: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/prenatal/Pages/Depression-and-Anxiety-During-Pregnancy-and-After-Birth-FAQs.aspx