If your wife can't sleep (because she can't, not because the baby won't), if she doesn't want to eat, if she loses interest in life or feels hopeless, if she is having disturbing or suicidal thoughts, or if the blues are lasting more than a week or two, this might be more than postpartum blues -- she might have true postpartum depression.

Seek professional advice right away. Her obstetrician or family doctor is a good place to start. Don't let anyone brush this off. True depression is much less common than the blues. Professional treatment is important, and is usually quick and effective. Whether your wife's situation is the blues or full blown depression, don't minimize it.

The weeks following your child's birth are different from any other time in your life. They are rich, complex, and often out of control. So take a deep breath. Relax. Pamper yourselves. Enjoy the little things. When life seems particularly hard, take comfort in knowing that this time will soon be over. Though life will never be the the way it was before your daughter was born, soon things will settle down. In the meantime, remind yourself and your wife that this is a once in a lifetime experience that you don't want to miss.

Dr. Alan Greene, author of Raising Baby Green, is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of California San Francisco. In addition to being the founder of www.DrGreene.com, he is the Chief Medical Officer of A.D.A.M., and the Pediatric Expert for WebMD. He is the Chair Elect of The Organic Center and on the Advisory Board of Healthy Child Healthy World. Dr. Greene appears frequently on TV, radio, websites, and in print including appearances on The Today Show, Fox and Friends, The Wall Street Journal, Parents Magazine, and US Weekly. Dr. Greene is a practicing pediatrician at Stanford University's Packard Children's Hospital.

Copyright © Alan Greene. Permission to republish granted to Pregnancy.org, LLC.