Postpartum Anxiety vs. New Parent Worry: How to Tell the Difference
Written by: Lori Santa Maria
Bringing home a new baby can be one of the most exciting and overwhelming times for new parents. During pregnancy, families often spend months preparing for the new baby by reading parenting books, installing the car seat, setting up the nursery, researching the best baby monitors and making sure everything is ready for the baby’s arrival.
But, no amount of preparation can fully prepare parents for what it feels like to actually bring a newborn baby home. Suddenly, parents are responsible for this tiny person while navigating new parenting roles, sleepless nights, new routines, physical and emotional changes and countless questions: Is my baby eating enough? Are they getting enough sleep or sleeping too much? Is that sound normal? Am I doing this right? Some worry is a normal part of adjusting to parenthood. But, when does typical new-parent worry become something more?
How to Tell the Difference Between New Parent Worry and Postpartum Anxiety
What is Postpartum Anxiety?
Postpartum anxiety can be described as excessive or persistent worry, fear or anxiety that develops after having a baby. The increased anxiety may be due to real-life stressors such as finances, health, new roles as parents or it may be due to the changes in hormones that happen during the postpartum period. While some worry is a normal part of adjusting to parenthood, postpartum anxiety can feel more intense, difficult to control, and may begin to interfere with everyday life. Postpartum anxiety is more common than many people realize. It is estimated that at least one of five women has postpartum anxiety (Nierenberg, 2021). Postpartum anxiety often occurs with postpartum depression and has overlapping symptoms but the two are different conditions.
Symptoms of Postpartum Anxiety
Postpartum anxiety symptoms can look different for everyone, but common symptoms include worry, racing thoughts, fear or a constant feeling that something bad might happen. These worries can become difficult to control and may begin to interfere with one’s ability to enjoy their baby, rest, complete everyday activities, or simply feel like themselves. People with postpartum anxiety can experience unwanted and scary thoughts of harming their baby or the baby being harmed. People may start to avoid public places in fear that something bad might happen. Anxiety can also cause physical symptoms such as racing heart, nausea, dizziness, irritability, panic attacks, tearfulness, restlessness, disrupted sleep, and loss of appetite (Cleveland Clinic, 2022).
When is it Time to Reach out for Additional Support?
It can sometimes be difficult to know whether what parents are experiencing is typical new-parent worry or something more. Questions to consider asking yourself:
Is my anxiety interfering with my daily life?
Is worry preventing me from doing things I normally would?
Do I feel compelled to check, research, seek reassurance, or do certain things excessively because of my anxiety?
Are my thoughts and worries keeping me awake even when I have an opportunity to sleep?
Am I experiencing thoughts that feel scary, intrusive, or unwanted?
If anxiety feels overwhelming, difficult to control, or is beginning to affect your daily life, relationships, sleep, or ability to care for yourself, it may be helpful to talk with a mental health professional. Postpartum anxiety is treatable, and reaching out for support can be an important step toward feeling more like yourself again.
References
Cleveland Clinic. (2022). Postpartum anxiety: Symptoms, diagnosis & treatment.https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22693-postpartum-anxiety
Nierenberg, C. (2021). Postpartum anxiety: An invisible disorder that can affect new mothers. Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/postpartum-anxiety-an-invisible-disorder-that-can-affect-new-mothers-202107302558