10 Realistic Strategies For Managing Postpartum Anxiety
If you’re pregnant or you’ve given birth in the past year and you’ve been experiencing intrusive thoughts (they can get pretty dark but are not suicidal) and overwhelming nervousness and irritability, you may be struggling with a Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder.
In case you aren’t aware of the statistics, postpartum mood disorders, such as postpartum depression and anxiety are the #1 complication of childbirth.
Our cultural expectations of women and the lack of support for them is a huge part of the problem, not something that’s broken inside you. And even if you’re genetically predisposed to anxiety and depression, that’s not your fault.
As a licensed therapist certified in perinatal mental health, I have a few things to offer on this topic, and they’re all grounded in reality and science.
The #1 Complication of Childbirth May Surprise You
Even after experiencing postpartum anxiety myself, I was shocked to learn that Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) are the #1 complication of childbirth. PMADs is an umbrella term used to refer to postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, pregnancy/postpartum OCD, PTSD, insomnia, postpartum psychosis, and postpartum bipolar.
Of all the things you’ve worried about your entire pregnancy, you may not have considered that the risk of a mental health condition was much higher than the risk of any of the other terrible outcomes you’d played out in your head.
Mindfulness Tips For New Mothers
When you start practicing these skills during pregnancy, you set yourself up for a calmer and healthier postpartum.
Learning about mindful awareness has been the biggest game changer for me in my parenting, relationships, professional life, mental health, and honestly, existence in our very overstimulating and chaotic world.
Motherhood Is Hard! You Don’t Have to Love It All The Time
One of my favorite ways to support women is to allow a safe place to be completely honest about how overwhelming and difficult life is when you are a mother. It’s very important to acknowledge how things really are. Not as a competition or in a judgmental way. Not in a positive or negative / good or bad way. And not to feed into more negativity. Just talking about it truthfully because the truth matters, and I think it’s helpful to look at things rationally (i.e. This and that, not either/or.)
Not So Surprising Lessons From Pandemic Life
Regardless of whether or not the curve has begun to flatten, our way of life is likely going to be different from now on in many ways. Let’s embrace the changes that will make us healthier. Why strive to “get back to normal” when we can evolve to be better than before?