baby blue

noun

1

: a pale blue

2

baby blues plural : blue eyes

She's a zaftig woman, with long red hair and a pale rose complexion setting off those baby blues.

—Michele Kort

3

baby blues plural in form but singular or plural in construction : a feeling of sadness that is experienced by a woman shortly after giving birth, that is typically accompanied by other symptoms (such as mood swings, crying spells, and insomnia), and that usually lasts less than two weeks : postpartum blues

Baby blues isn't an illness or even a proper psychiatric diagnosis, it is simply a way that people have tried to describe unpleasant feelings that occur shortly after having a baby and tend to resolve in a few days.

—Jackie Ganley

—usually used with the

a case of the baby blues

compare postpartum depression

Examples of baby blue in a Sentence

She gazed into his baby blues.

She had a bad case of the baby blues.

Recent Examples on the Web

Here, baby blue cabinetry pops against a white ceramic tile backsplash and modern stainless-steel appliances. —Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 13 Dec. 2024

While some are cruising in baby blue convertibles on Rodeo Drive, others are living, eating, sleeping, and surviving on the streets. —Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2024

Then, the day moves on to hydrotherapy rituals at Spa Imagine — one of the largest in the Mexican Caribbean — a dip in the baby blues of the Caribbean Sea, or time to relax from the heated, bubbly goodness of the suite's private plunge pool. —Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 1 Dec. 2024

Gotham For months Blake Lively has worn nothing but floral outfits, usually in colorful, girly shades of pink or baby blue. —Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 18 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1