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Postpartum Depression Counselling and Support
Postpartum depression is a low mood that stays for weeks after having a baby, often with worry and a heavy tiredness. It’s common, it isn’t your fault, and it can be treated.
A new baby changes your body, your sleep, your days and your relationships all at once. Feeling teary for a few days is common. When the heaviness doesn’t lift, you deserve proper support, and so does your family.
- Online from home
- Confidential
- Family sessions if you want
Baby Blues Or Something More?
A rough guide, not a test. Only a professional can tell what is going on for you, so if you’re unsure, talk to someone.
Baby blues
When it starts
In the first few days after birth
How long it lasts
Settles on its own within about two weeks
What it feels like
Teary, touchy, up and down, easily overwhelmed
What helps
Rest, good food, sleep and a little extra help at home
Postpartum depression
When it starts
During pregnancy, or any time in the first year after birth
How long it lasts
More than two weeks, and it often doesn’t lift without support
What it feels like
Low or numb most days, little joy, guilt, worry, and a tiredness that gets in the way of daily life
What helps
Talking therapy, practical support at home, and sometimes medicine
Get help now
- Thoughts of ending your life or harming yourself, or urges to harm the baby
- Seeing or hearing things others don't, or believing strange or frightening things
- Confusion, or not being able to sleep at all, even when the baby sleeps
Any of these needs urgent help, now. Some can be signs of postpartum psychosis, a rare medical emergency. Don’t wait for an appointment: call 112 or go to the nearest hospital emergency.
What It Can Look Like
It doesn’t always look like sadness. In India it often shows up as tiredness, body aches, or simply not feeling like yourself.
Low Or Numb Most Days
Crying often, or feeling flat and far away from everything.
Little Joy
Not enjoying things you used to, sometimes even time with the baby.
Tired All The Time
A heavy tiredness that sleep doesn't fix. Many women call it kamzori or thakaan.
Hard To Switch Off
Lying awake with a busy mind, even when you finally get a chance to rest.
Guilt And Self-Blame
Thinking "I'm not a good enough mother" again and again.
Worry That Won't Stop
About the baby's feeding, weight, breathing or health, even after reassurance.
Scary, Unwanted Thoughts
Sudden thoughts or pictures of the baby getting hurt, sometimes even by you, that horrify you. They are common with worry and don't mean you'll act on them. If a thought ever feels like an urge, get help now.
Pulling Away
Avoiding calls, visitors or going out. Feeling alone even in a full house.
If some of this sounds familiar and it has lasted more than two weeks, it’s worth talking to someone. You don’t need to be sure first.
Common, And Not Your Fault
About 1 in 5
new mothers in India go through depression after giving birth.
Not weakness
and not bad mothering. Many things play a part, from broken sleep and hormones to pressure at home.
From pregnancy on
It can start during pregnancy or any time in the baby's first year. You can reach out at any point, even months later.
Source: Review of 38 Indian studies, Bulletin of the WHO, 2017 doi.org/10.2471/BLT.17.192237
How We Help
Support that fits around life with a newborn. You set the pace.
A First Conversation
An Unhurried First Session
A Plan For Life With A Baby
Extra Help If Needed
CBT
Cognitive behavioural therapy
Spotting harsh thoughts like "I'm failing at this" and testing them, and planning small, doable steps for each day.
IPT
Interpersonal therapy
Works on the big change of becoming a mother, and on relationships at home that feel strained or lonely.
Family Sessions
With your husband, mother or mother-in-law
So the people around you understand what's happening and know how to help.
How Family Can Help
Family is often the first to notice. Here is what you can do:
- Take a night feed or an early morning so she can sleep a few hours in a row.
- Listen without fixing. Skip "you're just tired" and "every mother goes through this".
- Share the load: meals, washing, shopping and errands.
- Keep visitors and advice in check if she seems overwhelmed.
- Encourage her to talk to someone, and offer to go along.
Staying at her mother’s home after the birth? Those weeks can be a real support. Plan ahead for the move back, when the extra hands are gone.
If you notice any of the signs under Get help now, don’t wait. Call 112 or go to the nearest hospital emergency.
Questions Mothers And Families Ask
No. Postpartum depression is a health problem, not a character flaw. Asking for help is a sensible, caring step, for you and for your baby.
The baby blues start in the first few days after birth and pass within about two weeks. Postpartum depression lasts longer, feels heavier, and gets in the way of everyday life.
Yes. Online sessions mean you don’t have to leave the baby or travel. If the baby needs you during a session, that’s okay.
Yes. Talking therapy doesn’t involve any medicine. If medicine is ever considered, a psychiatrist can explain which options suit breastfeeding.
Not always. Talking therapy is often the first step. If things are more severe, a psychiatrist may suggest medicine alongside therapy. The decision is yours.
Yes, if you want them to. A family session can help them understand what’s going on and how to support you. You can also keep your sessions just for you.
It depends on what you’re going through. You and your therapist will review how things are going and decide together.
Yes. Fathers and partners can also become low or anxious after a baby arrives, though it’s talked about less. They can book a session with us too.
Start With One Conversation
You don’t need the right words or a clear answer. Tell us how things have been, and we’ll help you with the next step.
If you have thoughts of ending your life or harming yourself, urges to harm your baby, or you feel unsafe right now, call 112 or go to the nearest hospital emergency. For free support, call the government’s Tele-MANAS mental health helpline on 14416 or 1-800 891 4416. Outside India, call your local emergency number.
Educational content, not therapy or a diagnosis. A Trijog therapist can help with what is yours specifically.
Source: Upadhyay RP and colleagues. Postpartum depression in India: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2017, volume 95, pages 706 to 717C. Page last updated September 2026.