Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes explains that men can experience postpartum depression after a new baby arrives. She notes physiological (sex-hormone) changes that may lower libido, and psychosocial contributors including increased depression, rumination, stress from added responsibilities, and sleep deprivation from infant care.
Did you know that men get postpartum depression, too? I know, right? But it's true. Studies have shown that when there's a new baby in the house, the sex hormones in men also changes. Okay, so that's one thing that's going to happen. That may reduce their libido. They are more focused on nurturing the child than procreating again. But we also see increased depression, increased rumination, increased stress. They have another life that they are responsible for. In addition, just like the other parent, they are not getting enough sleep. Babies do not sleep through the night. So men are susceptible to a lot of the same vulnerabilities that contribute to postpartum depression in the birth mother.
