A bout of the mean reds

By Victoria Farncombe on Apr 21, 08 12:35 PM

Sorry I haven't posted anything all weekend. It's because I've been too grumpy to write anything. I didn't want to update my blog (stupid blog), I didn't want to talk to my husband (stupid husband), and nothing, nothing would cheer me up.

Not even watching I'd Do Anything - usually the highlight of my week.

Deep down I would have quite liked to rampage through the house, smashing wine glasses and vases in manner of tantrumming two-year-old.

I was vile. Which made me feel guilty so then I was more vile.

It's the tiredness, I think. The weekend previously I'd been excited because Mollie seemed to be falling into a fairly acceptable night-time pattern of only waking at 3am.

Then, wham! On Friday, she woke at 11pm...then 1am...then 3am...then 5am...Allghhhhhh.

Having trawled my usual parenting haunts on the internet (www.babycentre.co.uk, www.mumsnet.com) for answers, I've now realised it was just a growth spurt, characterised by insatiable hunger on the baby's part.

Good news is they usually only last 48 hours and last night normal service had resumed. I woke up this morning feeling happy again.

But it was a scary insight into how easily new mums can spiral into depression.