Checks
Your 6 to 8 week postnatal check: what to expect
What happens at your own 6 to 8 week postnatal check with a GP, what to mention, how it differs from your baby's check, and what to do if you haven't been offered one.
Feelings
Baby blues or postnatal depression? When to get help
Feeling low, anxious or tearful for a few days after having a baby is very common. Sometimes it's more than the baby blues. Here's how to tell, and who to talk to.
When to get help straight away
Postpartum psychosis is a medical emergency. See a GP immediately if you think you, or someone you know, may have developed symptoms of postpartum psychosis. You should request an urgent assessment on the same day. You can call 111 if you cannot speak to a GP or do not know what to do next. Your midwife or health visitor may also be able to help you access care.
Go to A&E or call 999 if you think you, or someone you know, may be in danger of imminent harm.
Call your crisis team if you already have a care plan because you've been assessed as being at high risk of developing postpartum psychosis.
If you're having thoughts of harming yourself, you don't have to cope alone. Call Samaritans free on 116 123, any time, or call 999 if you're in immediate danger. For urgent help, call 111 and select the mental health option. 111 will tell you the right place to get help. You may be able to speak to a trained mental health professional over the phone.
Sources: NHS, Postpartum psychosis (reviewed 18 October 2023); NHS, Where to get urgent help for mental health. Last checked September 2026.
In short
- The baby blues usually go away within 2 weeks of the birth.
- If you still feel low after that, or it gets worse, talk to your GP, midwife or health visitor.
- Postnatal depression can start in pregnancy, or at any time in the first year after birth.
- It's a common mental health condition, and there is help.
- Partners can get depression after a baby too.
The baby blues
The NHS says feeling down, anxious or irritable for a few days after your baby is born is very common. It's sometimes called the baby blues.
It usually goes away within 2 weeks of the birth.
When it might be more
Postnatal depression is a common mental health condition that can happen after having a baby. It's also called postpartum depression.
Symptoms can begin while you're pregnant, soon after birth, or up to a year after your baby is born.
The NHS lists these symptoms:
- low mood
- finding it hard to enjoy anything
- feeling hopeless, or that you cannot cope
- feeling guilty or worthless, or that you're a bad parent
- feeling fearful or anxious, or worrying all the time
- feeling restless or irritable
- difficulty sleeping, even when you get time to rest
- difficulty concentrating or making decisions
- difficult feelings about your baby, or finding it hard to bond
- thoughts of suicide, or of harming yourself or your baby
If you're having thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, please use the urgent help at the top of this page now.
Feeling that you're a bad parent is on the NHS list. It's a sign to get support, not a judgement on you.
Things like this are common in postnatal depression, and can have other causes. A GP can help work out which.
Who to talk to
The NHS says to speak to your GP, midwife or health visitor if you think you might have postnatal depression.
If it's hard to find the words, you could say:
What you could say
"I haven't felt like myself since the baby was born. Can we talk about it?"
In England, you can also refer yourself to an NHS Talking Therapies service, without seeing a GP first.
What help is available
The NHS lists these treatments, shown here alphabetically:
- antidepressants
- talking therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
If you're breastfeeding, your GP, pharmacist or health visitor can talk you through medicines.
The NHS says postnatal depression usually gets better in 3 to 6 months, but it can sometimes last much longer.
Specialist perinatal services (England)
Some mothers need more support. Specialist perinatal mental health services in England help women with moderate to severe or complex needs, in pregnancy and after birth. They also support the bond between parent and baby.
There are also 42 Maternal Mental Health Services in England. They help with difficulties linked to pregnancy and birth, including birth trauma. Your GP, midwife or health visitor can tell you what's available near you.
Postpartum psychosis
Postpartum psychosis is a serious mental illness that can start soon after having a baby. It affects around 1 in 1,000 mothers after giving birth. It's very different from the baby blues.
Symptoms usually start suddenly within the first 2 weeks, often within hours or days of the birth. More rarely, they start several weeks later.
The NHS lists:
- hallucinations: hearing, seeing, smelling or feeling things that are not there
- delusions: thoughts or beliefs that are unlikely to be true
- mania: feeling very "high" or overactive, such as talking or thinking too much or too quickly
- a low mood, being withdrawn or tearful, or trouble sleeping
- a mix of high and low moods, or moods that change quickly
- feeling very confused
The NHS says someone with postpartum psychosis may not realise they're ill. A partner, family member or friend may need to act. It should be treated as a medical emergency. Use the urgent help at the top of this page.
The NHS says most people make a full recovery with the right treatment.
For partners
The NHS says fathers and partners can also have depression after having a baby.
If you're a partner, you might be the first to notice something's wrong. You could offer to book the GP appointment, or go along.
Urgent mental health help across the UK
- England: call 111 and select the mental health option.
- Wales: call 111 and press 2.
- Scotland: call NHS 24 on 111 and choose the mental health option.
- Northern Ireland: call Lifeline on 0808 808 8000.
- Anywhere in the UK: call Samaritans free on 116 123, any time.
If you've felt low for more than 2 weeks, tell your GP, midwife or health visitor this week. You don't have to be sure it's depression to ask.
Sources
- NHS, Postnatal depression (reviewed 18 March 2026)
- NHS, Postpartum psychosis (reviewed 18 October 2023)
- NHS, Where to get urgent help for mental health (reviewed 26 April 2023)
- NHS, NHS talking therapies (reviewed 5 November 2025)
- NHS England, Perinatal mental health (date not shown)
- GOV.WALES, NHS 111 press 2 (date not shown)
- mygov.scot, Get support for your mental health (updated 20 November 2024)
- nidirect, Mental health emergency: if you're in crisis or despair (updated 2 April 2026)
Last checked September 2026. Next check December 2026.
This guide gives general information. It isn't medical advice, and it can't tell you what's right for you.
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