postpartum anxiety

Why My Postpartum Anxiety Was Difficult to Diagnose

By Guest Writer, Stacey Ackerman

The first time I noticed something was wrong with me was three weeks postpartum. It was after the birth of my third child, so I felt pretty confident that I could handle this newborn thing. I woke up that morning feeling dizzy. The room started spinning. Everything felt sort of off balance and out of whack, but I couldn’t figure out why. I called my OB/GYN who thought the allergy medicine I had taken was making me drowsy, which seemed like a logical explanation.

Over the week, the dizziness came in spells. It would get really bad, making me feel like I was living in some kind of dream world, then I would feel okay for a few hours. I wasn’t feeling sad or depressed; just strange and surreal.

I called for a follow-up appointment to learn more about postpartum depression (PPD). I talked to a friend who had given birth two weeks before me and she was taking antidepressants. I didn’t feel like I was depressed, however, I just didn’t know why I felt so off. [Read more…] about Why My Postpartum Anxiety Was Difficult to Diagnose

Postpartum Anxiety: The 411 on this Postpartum Mood Disorder

by DP Nguyen 5 Comments

The postpartum period that occurs following the birth of your baby can be tough emotionally and physically. Taking care of a new baby 24 hours a day, seven days a week can be exhausting, overwhelming, and very stressful. From the lack of sleep (since you’ll be waking up every three to four hours to feed your newborn) to the physical healing that may take place, you may not be the happiest camper.

Your doctor or healthcare provider has probably informed you about the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression, which affects between 10 to 15 percent of women from a month to a year following delivery. Postpartum depression falls into the category of postpartum mood disorders. [Read more…] about Postpartum Anxiety: The 411 on this Postpartum Mood Disorder

Postpartum Anxiety – A Mother’s Journey

by Guest Writer 2 Comments

Guest Post by: Christa Connerat of One Cheap Mama

When I was pregnant with my first child, I was surrounded by information regarding postpartum depression or PPD. There were posters at my OB/GYN’s office and articles in magazines alerting me to the signs and symptoms of PPD. After I had my son, I watched myself carefully for any of the typical symptoms. But because I didnʼt notice any, I considered myself to be one of the lucky ones who would not experience postpartum depression.

What no one ever told me, though, was to be on the lookout for Postpartum Anxiety – one of the lesser known postpartum mood disorders.

Had I known that what I was going through in the ﬁrst few weeks home from the hospital was not the typical nerves and stress associated with new motherhood, I would have saved myself so much frustration and tears.

I would have understood that what I was going through wasnʼt normal. I would have sought the help that I so desperately needed. Four years later, I am able to see my experience for what it was, Postpartum Anxiety, and I hope to shed more light on this condition so that other women donʼt have to suffer unaware as I did. [Read more…] about Postpartum Anxiety – A Mother’s Journey