Postpartum Anxiety
Here in this post, we are providing the “Postpartum Anxiety”. You can discuss more your concerns about mental health in our community, and we will provide you with tips and solutions in a short time. Keep visiting Mental Health.
Overview
Postpartum anxiety is when a person experiences excessive anxiety during the postpartum period, which is the period following childbirth.
Postpartum depression gets more attention, but postpartum anxiety is more common. It affects more than 1 in 6 women after childbirth.
It’s normal to feel a little stressed or worried when you bring a new baby into your home. Sometimes, those feelings cause anxiety that interferes with everyday life. Many people know about postpartum depression, which is a type of depression that can occur after childbirth. Postpartum anxiety, or excessive anxiety that develops after childbirth, is less known or researched.
Duration
Anxiety disorders cause excessive anxiety for 6 months or more. Some researchers suggest that someone may have postpartum anxiety if they have symptoms for at least one month.
Symptoms of Postpartum Anxiety
Constant or near-constant worry that can’t be eased
- Feelings of dread about things you fear will happen
- Sleep disruption
- Racing thoughts
Physical Symptoms
There are the following physical Symptoms
- Fatigue
- Heart palpitations
- Hyperventilation
- Sweating
- Nausea or vomiting
- Shakiness or trembling
Other symptoms of Postpartum Anxiety
There are the following other symptoms are:
- Excessive worry, even about inconsequential matters
- Being unable to sleep because of worry
- Running the same problems over in your mind, even though they’ve been solved or aren’t important
- Poor concentration due to worry
- Overprotecting your baby due to constant worry about what could go wrong
- Worrying about or imagining you have various illnesses
You can have anxiety and depression together, making it difficult to figure out what’s going on without a doctor’s help. While postpartum anxiety may go away on its own, it could also worsen. It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor.
Causes of postpartum anxiety
Following are the causes of postpartum anxiety
- A personal or family history of anxiety
- Previous experience with depression
- Certain symptoms of PMS (such as feeling weepy or agitated)
- Eating disorders
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Risk factors
Potential risk factors of postpartum anxiety include:
- Experiencing many stressful life events or a lot of stress during pregnancy
- Low levels of social support
- Problems adjusting to life/relationships after childbirth
- Having previous unwanted pregnancies or surgical abortions
- Taking certain approaches to cope with problems or major life changes
- Increased fear of childbirth, and fear for the life of the fetus or oneself during delivery
- Worry about lack of control during the labor process
- Lack of confidence in one’s ability to handle delivery, or in the medical staff performing or assisting with the delivery
- Increased worries about parenting skills or ability
- Lack of sleep
- Changes at work
Treatment
The most important step in getting help for postpartum anxiety is to get diagnosed. After talking about your symptoms with your doctor you may get medications, a referral to a mental health specialist, or recommendations for supplements or complementary treatments like acupuncture.
Anxiety can be treated with:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Stress-reduction methods
- Aromatherapy
- Antidepressant medications
- Antianxiety medications
- Psychotherapy
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
Certain activities can also help you feel more in control, like:
- Exercise
- Mindfulness
- Relaxation techniques
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
Short-term talking therapy with a mental health professional to learn ways to change anxiety-producing thought patterns.
Stress-reduction methods
Practices that can reduce or help manage stress, such as relaxation techniques, mindfulness, yoga, and meditation.
Aromatherapy
Breathing in calming or soothing essential oils may help reduce or manage stress and anxiety, in particular lavender or bitter orange. People who are breastfeeding should not apply essential oils to their skin because they can enter the bloodstream and cross over into breast milk.
Antidepressant medications
Medications such as selective serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, SSRIs, and SNRIs, which increase levels of mood-stabilizing brain chemicals.
Antianxiety medications
Medications that work to reduce anxiety, such as benzodiazepines.
Most antidepressants and antianxiety medications are only prescribed in cases of moderate to severe postpartum anxiety because they can cause side effects. They can also cross over from the bloodstream into breast milk and potentially harm a child who is breastfed.
Prevention
Tips for helping prevent postpartum anxiety include:
- Managing or reducing stress during pregnancy and afterward.
- Building strong social support systems of friends and family.
- Learning ways to cope with stress and life changes.
- Talking to doctors and other medical staff that will be assisting with labor and delivery about ways to reduce concerns and gain more confidence and control.
- Getting enough sleep and exercise.
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