4 Months Week1
Your baby
Your baby has known you since she was just a few days old, but now she may actually be able to show it, about half of babies at this stage begin to exhibit an obvious recognition to their parents.
Your baby may quiet down and make eye contact with you; she may search for you in a room and move her arms in excitement or smile when she finds you. She may even find your scent calming and comforting.
She will probably continue to smile at strangers especially if they look at her straight in the eye or talk to her… you can be sure she’s starting to sort out who’s who in her life and she without a doubt prefers you and your partner and maybe a few others.
When baby blues don’t go away!
The more common "baby blues" affects almost 80% of women and makes an appearance between day three and day ten after giving birth. The baby blues are caused by rapidly changing hormone levels in the mother, predominantly progesterone. Typical symptoms are weepiness, a sense of inexplicable sadness and a feeling of being overwhelmed by even the most trivial incident. By the end of a fortnight however, these symptoms depart as the body adjusts to the new hormonal regime of not being pregnant for the first time in nine months.
The postpartum depression is far more severe and can occur quite suddenly or alternatively the symptoms can come on so gradually that neither the mother herself nor her family understands what is happening until the condition is quite well-established.
Its 4 months after having a baby, are you still experiencing the following?
- Having trouble sleeping
- Always exhausted
- Isolate yourself from friends and family
- Cry over small things
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Have anxiety attacks
- Have unexplained anger
- Have difficulty concentrating
- Fear leaving the house or being alone
- Think other moms are better moms
- Snap at your baby and partner frequently
- Worry that your partner will get tired of you feeling this way
- Feel like you’ll always feel this way and never get better
If you answered yes to three of the above questions, it is recommended that you seek help. Joining other moms for outings and parenting forums may also help as this is where you can share your fears and challenges without feeling out of place, Remember that you are important in your baby’s life so get help for your baby’s sake.
