Postnatal depression (PND) is when a woman experiences depression that develops between one month and up to one year after the birth of a baby. Postnatal depression affects up to one in seven women (almost 16 per cent) giving birth in Australia.
Up to 80 per cent of women experience the baby blues in the early days after the birth due to changes in hormone levels. Women can feel tearful or overwhelmed but this usually passes within a few days and without specific care apart from support and understanding.