Post Partum Depression: Can the patient have mood swings?

Sudden mood swings are very common in women post pregnancy. It is known as postpartum depression or baby blues that can result in dramatic changes in the moods due to some unknown reasons.

As intense emotions tend to play a roller coaster in the minds of new mothers, it becomes very difficult for them to cope up with the situation and overcome the same. Feelings like guilt, disgust, sadness, hopelessness and overwhelming emotion tend to rule over them and they fall prey. It is due to the fast occurring hormonal changes in the body that triggers such mood swings and abnormal symptoms.
The postpartum symptoms and mood swings are often mistaken to be rude behavior of the new mother, while the reason is actually an underlying complication that the woman is battling with. Mood changes would result in frequent crying, trouble in focusing and concentrating, difficulty in making decisions, irritability, lack of energy and motivation, losing self-confidence and other such thoughts. Usually the thoughts are more self-destructive in nature and are related to the baby as well.
Some mothers are so badly affected by the postpartum symptoms that they deny feeding the baby or even caressing or the loving her own child. Some sufferers suggest that they feel embarrassed for what has happened to them and the changes in their body and physical structure are unacceptable.