Can Postnatal Depression Go Away on Its Own?

Postnatal depression feels incredibly lonely and scary.

Especially when you have a little baby to look after on top of that, the overwhelming emotions can make it hard to seek help.

You have millions of questions running through your head every day.

“How does postnatal depression affect the baby?”

“Does depression impact my milk supply?”

“Will they take my baby if I admit I am depressed?”

“How does it affect others?

“How long will it last?”

You want to feel better but you are also too worried to seek help.

You are worried about what might happen when you admit how you are feeling.

Naturally, you start asking yourself: Can postnatal depression go away on its own?

The short answer is no.

However, it’s more complex than that.

In this post, I’ll share why postnatal depression doesn’t simply disappear and what you can do to recover.

Why Postnatal Depression Needs Treatment

Postnatal depression (also known as postpartum depression or PND) is a serious mental illness so you need to treat it like one.

It is different than baby blues, which is a feeling of sadness and low mood that affects up to 80% of women after having a baby.

Postnatal depression affects 1 in 7 women in the first year of giving birth. (However, these statistics refer to reported cases only.)

Just like physical diseases such as diabetes, postnatal depression requires proper treatment.

You wouldn’t expect diabetes to go away on its own, and the same logic applies to postnatal depression.

Can I recover from postnatal depression without medication?

Many mums wonder whether they can recover from postnatal depression without medication.

The answer depends on the severity of the depression.

In mild cases, medication may not be necessary, but ignoring mild postnatal depression can lead to severe depression.

This is why it’s important to seek help early.

When it comes to antidepressants, mums are often scared to go down this route due to fear of getting addicted to them.

This is a common misconception. Medical doctors generally do not consider antidepressants to be addictive in the traditional sense. (If you have concerns, always speak to your GP!)

Antidepressants won’t “cure” postnatal depression, but they can help you regain the energy and strength to begin the recovery process.

Think of them as a bridge to recovery—helping you get out of bed, function, and take those crucial first steps toward healing.

Once you are feeling more stable, there are many other treatment options to explore, from talking therapies to alternative treatments, self-care practices, and even simple conversations with someone you trust.

THIS is where real recovery starts.

In my personal experience, talking to other people about my feelings, asking for help (and not refusing it when offered), and regular exercise were what eventually helped me to pull through postnatal depression.

But none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been on antidepressants first.

It was antidepressants that gave me the strength and allowed me to take the steps to heal.

I know it can feel scary to reach out for help but if you really want to be happy again, you simply can’t do it on your own.

The good news is that the list of options for help is really long so chose one you feel most comfortable with and just rip the band-aid off.

The more you hesitate the more painful it is going to be later.

Being a postnatal depression survivor myself, I know only too well how scary and overwhelming it can feel to talk to a professional.

This fear puts (quite understandably) a lot of mums off reaching out for help.

That’s why I suggest starting with smaller steps that feel achievable for you. Personally, I think the best way to start is to talk to someone you trust.

Someone who won’t judge and flood you with advice but rather listen and support you. (I offer deep insights into how to recover from depression in my book Motherhood – The Unspoken.)

Talking to someone like this often leads to other sources of help or gives you the courage to talk to a professional.

Either way, it is a great stepping stone that definitely won’t leave you at the same place you are now.

And that’s what you want, right?