3 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT POSTPARTUM ANXIETY
What are the specific symptoms of postpartum anxiety? How many women get postpartum anxiety? Are there different kinds of postpartum anxiety?
Perhaps you’ve recently asked yourself one or all of these questions. This post will provide you with the answers to all 3 of those questions and point you in the direction of where to get help if you are struggling with postpartum anxiety. Thankfully, there is a way through and this state of anxiety isn’t permanent but it is important to get professional help if you are concerned that your worries or fear may be more severe than typical new parent concerns.
WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC SYMPTOMS OF POSTPARTUM ANXIETY?
Racing thoughts
Dread or sense of danger
Excessive worry about the baby's health or safety
Feelings of irritability, agitation, and jitteriness
Rapid heartbeat and/or breathing
Trouble falling and/or staying asleep despite being tired
Overwhelming sense of burden or responsibility
HOW MANY WOMEN GET POSTPARTUM ANXIETY?
Postpartum anxiety is actually quite common at 10-20% of birthing parents experiencing it postpartum. That averages out to 1 in 7 people.
Onset is generally 0-6 months postpartum but most women experience symptoms starting in the first couple of weeks after giving birth.
Resolution is generally within 6-12 months postpartum but is greatly impacted by the support you have to move through postpartum anxiety, professionally and otherwise.
ARE THERE DIFFERENT KINDS OF POSTPARTUM ANXIETY?
Yes. Postpartum anxiety can lead to Postpartum OCD. OCD unfortunately has more of a stigma to it than generalized or postpartum anxiety but it is essentially just a more severe form of anxiety. Everyone experiences anxiety at some point in their lives so you shouldn’t feel ashamed if you are having a more significant experience with anxiety, particularly after giving birth.
If your fear about your baby is causing you obsessive thoughts or compulsive behaviors, you may be experiencing Postpartum OCD more than Postpartum Anxiety. Obsessive thoughts are often referred to as intrusive thoughts and may include mental images about the baby being harmed. These are thoughts or images that aren’t the same as other anxious thoughts you may have had and are generally quite upsetting for the birthing person. Many women fear being left alone with their infant because of obsessive thoughts. This often leads to compulsive or hypervigilant behavior such as constantly checking that the baby is breathing, repetitive disinfecting of surfaces, excessive cleaning of bottles, or other health related impulses.
Please be assured that these experiences are part of the postpartum period for a number of women and you are not broken. You may need support but you aren’t failing and asking for help is actually the very best thing you can do for yourself and for your baby. There is no shame in struggling through the transition from pregnancy to postpartum.
If you are in need of additional resources, check out Postpartum Support International for education, resources, and support groups. They have local state chapters in most states as well.
As always, feel free to reach out to me directly, if I can be of assistance in getting you connected with the support you need. I wish you the best in your process through postpartum.