If you’re feeling down after having your baby, you’re not alone. Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common condition many women experience after giving birth, though it can be hard to recognize. Here are the symptoms to watch out for, plus how it’s diagnosed and treated.

RECOGNIZING THE SYMPTOMS OF PPD
Trying to figure out if you have the baby blues or PPD can be tough: Though you may know something isn’t quite right, you may not think it’s actually PPD. Sometimes, when people hear “depression,” we think of someone having thoughts of harming herself — so if you don’t have those feelings, you may think you don’t have PPD. But every case of depression, including PPD, doesn’t necessarily include thoughts of self-harm or suicide. Symptoms of PPD can include:

Crying
Irritability
Disrupted sleep (either not being able to sleep or wanting to sleep the day away)
Eating problems (no appetite or an excessive one)
Persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness or helplessness
Severe anxiety
Problems doing tasks at home or work
Loss of interest in activities you used to enjoy
Social isolation — feeling withdrawn or unconnected
Feelings of worthlessness and of being a bad mother
Inability to care for yourself or your baby
Obsessive thoughts about your baby’s health
Having negative feelings toward or little interest in your baby
Fear of being alone with your baby
Even if you see these symptoms in yourself, one symptom of depression is self-doubt — so you may question whether your feelings are related to stress, the baby blues, PPD or simply tiredness due to new motherhood. What’s more, you may feel guilty or embarrassed about not feeling happy after having your baby, worried that it’s somehow your fault and you’ll be judged by others.