The first weeks with a new baby can feel like a complete life reset, and not only for the person who gave birth. Sleep disappears, routines vanish, and the emotional pressure of keeping a tiny human safe can hit everyone in the home. Postpartum mood changes are often framed as something that happens only to mothers, but the reality is broader and more complicated. Reproductive psychiatrist Dr. Kathleen Hanlon stresses that these shifts can show up in any new parent, and recognizing them early can make the transition less frightening.
As Hanlon puts it, “All parents go through challenges in the first weeks after a baby arrives.” She points to the familiar pileup of stressors that can push emotions to the edge, including “sleepless nights, identity changes, relationship tension, and the fear that we will not be up to the new role.” When those feelings get named instead of hidden, she says it becomes easier to cope “with less shame and more self compassion.” Hanlon also warns that outdated social attitudes still feed the myth that only mothers struggle after birth, which leaves many fathers, partners, and adoptive parents feeling unseen.
One reason the conversation gets muddy is that normal mood swings are common right after delivery. Clinical psychologist Dr. Jana Rundle explains that many mothers experience sudden tears, irritability, or a fragile emotional state without a clear trigger. This early period is often called baby blues, and it tends to pass on its own. Baby blues usually appear within the first two weeks after birth and research suggests it affects around 80 percent of new mothers.
Rundle notes that the baby blues are typically linked to a mix of hormonal shifts, physical recovery, and chronic sleep loss. Postpartum depression is different because it is heavier and it lasts longer. Rundle explains that it can make basic tasks, such as getting out of bed or taking care of yourself, feel overwhelming. Symptoms can include intense fatigue, persistent sadness, hopelessness, sleep disruption, and losing interest in things that used to bring pleasure. She emphasizes that “the key difference is the duration and intensity of symptoms,” and adds that if mood changes do not ease after two weeks, worsen, or interfere with daily functioning, that is more consistent with postpartum depression than baby blues.
Rundle also flags postpartum psychosis as rare but extremely serious and urgent. She says it can involve confusion, delusional thinking, and losing touch with reality. Paranoid thoughts may appear as well, which can be terrifying for the person experiencing them and for their family. Rundle underlines that this condition requires immediate medical care. She also stresses that postpartum psychosis is treatable when people act quickly.
Even when the birth parent is the center of medical care, other caregivers can quietly struggle. Rundle explains, “When all care and attention are focused on one person, an invisible emotional burden is often created for everyone else.” She adds that partner experiences are frequently minimized even though the adjustment to parenthood affects the whole family. Research cited in the article suggests about 10 percent of fathers meet criteria for postpartum depression, and that figure can rise to as high as 50 percent when the mother is also dealing with mental health difficulties. Rundle sums up the problem in a blunt way, saying, “Partners are not only support,” because they are also people going through a major life change of their own.
Psychotherapist Stephanie DeFilippis argues that the myth that paternal postpartum depression does not exist needs to end. In her words, “Fathers and non birthing partners can absolutely develop postpartum depression.” Paternal postpartum depression can involve depressive or anxious symptoms during the first year after a baby is born, often connected to sleep deprivation, stress, and a sudden role shift. DeFilippis also explains that the presentation can look different than what people expect. She says, “Unlike mothers, depression in fathers often does not show up as crying or sadness, but as irritability, withdrawal, anger, or overworking.”
The article also highlights that postpartum mood disorders can affect adoptive parents and surrogates. Psychiatrist Dr. Peyman Tashkandi explains that even without the biological process of pregnancy, the emotional and psychological buildup to welcoming a child can strongly influence mood and physical responses. Adoptive parents may face extra challenges in bonding, because their path into parenting can be different and sometimes slower or more demanding emotionally. Surrogates, on the other hand, do go through pregnancy and postpartum hormonal changes, and separation from the baby can bring feelings of sadness or loss. The takeaway is that postpartum mental health is not limited to one family structure or one kind of parent.
When any parent is struggling with depression or anxiety, it can ripple through the whole household. Pediatric neuropsychologist Dr. Rita Eichenstein warns that untreated depression and anxiety can reduce focus, empathy, and patience. She notes that babies are highly sensitive to the emotional atmosphere around them, and when parents respond less consistently, conflict between partners can increase. Eichenstein says that babies can feel the tension, and prolonged stress in the environment may influence development over time. That is why early recognition and treatment matters for everyone, not only the parent who is visibly struggling.
Clinical social worker Jennifer Teplin also pushes back against the glossy picture people often carry about early parenthood. She says, “People rarely talk about the deep emotional changes that come with a baby’s arrival, and the cost it can have on mental health.” Teplin encourages families to seek help at the first signs something is off, rather than waiting until the situation becomes unbearable. She emphasizes, “Postpartum mood disorders are very common, and if recognized early, they can become only a small obstacle on the parenting path.” She also warns that if ignored, they can turn into a long lasting emotional burden, and she adds that fathers and other caregivers are often especially overlooked and unsupported.
For broader context, postpartum depression is generally considered a form of mood disorder that can occur after childbirth, and it is often discussed alongside perinatal mood and anxiety disorders that can appear during pregnancy or after delivery. Screening tools are commonly used by clinicians to spot warning signs, and treatment can include therapy, social support, and in some cases medication guided by a qualified medical professional. Postpartum psychosis is far less common than postpartum depression, but it is a medical emergency because symptoms can escalate quickly. If a parent notices severe mood symptoms, frightening thoughts, hallucinations, or a sense of losing touch with reality, it is critical to seek immediate professional care.
What do you think would help families take postpartum mental health more seriously for every parent, not just mothers, and share your thoughts in the comments.
