Q I can't sleep at all because of nighttime feedings and my mood keeps dropping. What should I do to recover?
A Rest whenever your baby sleeps, even in fragments, and actively accept help from those around you — this matters for recovery. If your mood is very low or persists for more than 2 weeks, this could be postpartum depression and needs professional support.
Detailed Answer
Postpartum sleep is fragmented by night feedings, and with hormonal shifts, sleep deprivation, and the burden of recovery combined, mood can easily drop. Resting alongside your baby when they sleep and actively accepting help from family and those around you to secure sleep and recovery time is important. However, if deep sadness, tearfulness, or negative thoughts about your baby or yourself continue for more than 2 weeks or make daily life difficult, this could be postpartum depression, which needs professional support. This is not a matter of willpower — it's a condition that requires treatment.
Our Korean Medicine Clinic's Perspective
In Korean Medicine, when qi and blood are greatly depleted postpartum, the capacity to manage one's emotions is also depleted. At Dongjedang, we replenish depleted qi and blood and clear rising heat to calm an oversensitive mind and body, but if depression appears prominent, we recommend professional care first. If you're breastfeeding, breastfeeding safety is always considered first here too.
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