When are your Mood Changes more than Baby Blues?
You’ve heard of postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety, but you never imagined you’d experience them. What started out as the “Baby Blues” might have hung on too long and now you’re wondering, is it something more?
Many of the mothers that reach out to us for services are experiencing “fuzzy” symptoms and they aren’t quite sure what to make of them. Postpartum “rage” is common – lashing out at a partner or feeling irritated by things that you used to let go.
Other moms report an urge to keep their child safe that seems completely normal, but they’ve been told by a partner or friend that they are worrying too much. Of course you want to keep your baby safe, how do you know when the thoughts you’re having are anxiety related?
Read on to get some tips on determining whether your experience might be a post partum mood disorder, such as post partum depression or post partum anxiety.
When sadness, numbness, or rage seem to take up most of your day…
Approximately 15-20% of women experience depression in pregnancy and/or postpartum. Symptoms often creep up, starting out as a mild mood change that doesn’t resolve over time.
If you’re experiencing increased rage or irritability, lack of interest in your baby, a sense of numbness, frequent crying or sadness, intense feelings of guilt or shame, difficulty enjoying things that you once found pleasure in, or thoughts of harming your child, you may be experiencing postpartum depression. The Baby Blues typically resolve in two weeks or less. If your symptoms have persisted, not resolved, or worsened, it might be time to seek support.
It’s important to note that you don’t need to experience ALL if the symptoms above for a diagnosis of postpartum depression. Just one or two of these symptoms can have a significant impact on your relationship with your child, partner, and other loved ones.
When you can’t turn off your mind and it keeps you up at night…
Loved ones might have mentioned postpartum depression, but have you been screened for postpartum anxiety? In a world where we’re constantly bombarded with images of what could go wrong for our child, it’s easy for anxiety to be triggered in pregnancy or postpartum.
Just like depression, just one or two of the following symptoms could be enough for a diagnosis: constant worrying, being fidgety or unable to relax, difficulty sleeping or eating, a mind that won’t shut off, feeling like something bad might happen, or physical symptoms like dizziness, racing heart, and nausea.
For some, postpartum anxiety presents as all day worry and distress that wears you out and makes you feel exhausted. For others, a good day can be interrupted by sudden, unexpected panic and fear. Some new moms are too anxious to go out with their baby, or worry about being judged constantly. However your symptoms manifest, if you think yo may have postpartum anxiety, please reach out to us for an assessment.
When it’s more than anxiety…
Rarely discussed or included in childbirth classes, Postpartum Obsessive Compulsive Disorder affects 3-5% of new moms. Symptoms can include repetitive and intrusive thoughts, such as thoughts of harming the baby even though the mother has no desire or intent to harm her child. Moms with PP OCD are often disturbed by these thoughts and images and may be afraid to tell their provider, for fear that they might be separated from their child.
Other symptoms include obsessions and repetitive thoughts, especially about the baby; compulsions, such as the need to repeatedly check things, clean constantly, look things up; strong discomfort surrounding these symptoms; “hypervigilance” (constantly assessing for threat) about protecting the baby; and fear of being left alone with the baby.
Many mothers with Postpartum OCD report never having experienced OCD symptoms in the past. This new experience can be frightening, but it doesn’t make you a bad mom. Please reach out to us for support.
A birth or pregnancy experience that is too painful to think about…
Postpartum trauma, traumatic pregnancy and birth, and postpartum post traumatic stress disorder affect a significant number of new parents. We so frequently hear parents dismiss their own traumatic experiences because “it could have been much worse” or because a medical provider never acknowledged their fear.
If you experienced medical trauma such as prolapsed umbilical cord; unplanned C-section; use of forceful interventions in childbirth such as forceps; a child in the NICU; blood transfusion; extremely long or painful labor; lack of support or communication from medical providers; or other severe complications of pregnancy and birth, you may be experiencing trauma that will improve with postpartum therapy.
Often ignored in the literature can be the experience of breastfeeding trauma when a mother is told “breast is best” but finds herself unable to feed her new baby the way she plans. If your baby lost significant weight, you experienced extreme pain in breastfeeding, you felt unsupported in your feeding choices by the medical community, you were unable to resolve issues like low milk production, then you may be one of many women who has experienced breastfeeding trauma.
Symptoms of trauma include intrusive thoughts about the experience, avoidance of reminders of the experience, flashbacks or nightmares, anxiety, panic, hypervigilance (being on high alert), and a sense of detachment or numbness. Even if you don’t meet the criteria to diagnose PTSD, if you find yourself unable to “get past” a negative experience, please reach out to us to talk about how postpartum therapy can help you move forward.
When you just aren’t sure what’s going on…
Still not sure if your mood really has changed? Many women feel this way because everything has changed in their lives after the birth of baby! We strongly suggest talking to a partner or trusted loved one about what they observe. Be open and non-defensive to their feedback. Many times our loved ones have a more objective view of fluctuations in our moods.
Maybe some of this rings true for you and some of it doesn’t. Maybe you aren’t totally ready to pick up the phone and call your doctor for medication. We provide a free 15 minute phone consultation to explore what’s going on and help you make a decision about what you will find helpful to move forward. During that call, we’ll ask you what you need support with and explore treatment options.
If you’re on the fence or unsure about how postpartum therapy might help, we want you to pick up the phone (973-527-4539) or send us a message. There is no harm in reaching out and no obligation to come to therapy if you decide it’s not for you. We really do believe we can help you heal and live your best life! To learn more about Postpartum Therapy, click here.