Anxiety After Having A Baby

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What is Postpartum Anxiety?

Postpartum anxiety (PPA) affects 1 in 4 women during pregnancy and/or in the first year following childbirth.

While up to three in four mothers experience the “baby blues” for up to two weeks after delivery (which is marked by anxiety, tearfulness and sadness or mood swings), some can experience more significant symptoms of worry that feel uncontrollable.

Postpartum anxiety is marked by persistent and excessive worry related to a range of topics (e.g., Am I properly caring for my baby? Are my other children going to feel neglected? Will I make my baby sick if I take them out of the house? Do others think I’m a bad mother?). For some women, this might be an exacerbation of more longstanding anxiety, while for others, this is a completely new experience that feels ‘out of character’ for them.

Signs and symptoms of PPA may include:

  • Excessive worry about a wide range of everyday situations and topics (but often focused on the baby)
  • Difficulty controlling or “turning off” the worries
  • Increased irritability and impatience
  • Restlessness
  • Trouble concentrating or making decisions
  • Difficulty sleeping (either falling asleep or staying asleep – even when the baby is sleeping!)
  • Racing thoughts
  • Rapid heartbeat
  • Muscle tension or headaches

Moms:

  • Breastfeed less often
  • Have poorer mother-infant attachment
  • Struggle more with parenting
  • Are less likely to return to work after baby

Offspring:

  • Emotional and behavioural problems (e.g., ADHD, anxiety, and depression)
  • Poorer grades and school failure

Partners:

  • Separate from the mothers of their children
  • Function poorly in their work outside of the home

The good news is that you can overcome postpartum anxiety! International treatment guidelines suggest that most women with PPA should start their journey to recovery with lifestyle interventions (e.g., exercise/nutrition, improving sleep, using supports) or low-intensity psychotherapy or computerized self-help (including apps like MomsInMind). If these are not effective, then formal psychotherapies should be tried, and then medications can be considered (if psychotherapy is not effective or is not available).

 

Click through to see the steps that you can take to recover and reclaim your life.

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