In the US alone, fifteen to twenty percent of moms experience postpartum depression and other mental illnesses related to pregnancy and childbirth, including postpartum anxiety, postpartum OCD, depression or anxiety during pregnancy, post-adoption depression, postpartum PTSD, bipolar, peripartum onset/postpartum bipolar, depression after miscarriage or perinatal loss and postpartum psychosis.
You may have postpartum depression if you have had a baby within the last 12 months and are experiencing some of these symptoms
From Postpartum Progress:
- You feel guilty because you believe you should be handling new motherhood better than this.
You don’t feel bonded to your baby .
- You can’t understand why this is happening.
- You are very confused and scared.
- You feel irritated or angry.
- You feel nothing. Emptiness and numbness.
- You feel sadness to the depths of your soul.
- You can’t stop crying, even when there’s no real reason to be crying.
- You feel hopeless, like this situation will never ever get better.
- You can’t bring yourself to eat, or perhaps the only thing that makes you feel better is eating.
- You can’t sleep when the baby sleeps, nor can you sleep at any other time. Or maybe you can fall asleep, but you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep no matter how tired you are. Or maybe all you can do is sleep and you can’t seem to stay awake to get the most basic things done.
- You might be having thoughts of running away and leaving your family behind.
- You know something is wrong.
- You may not know you have a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder, but you know the way you are feeling is NOT right.
- You think you’ve “gone crazy”.
- You are afraid that this is your new reality and that you’ve lost the “old you” forever.
- You are afraid that if you reach out for help people will judge you. Or that your baby will be taken away.
You may have postpartum anxiety or postpartum OCD if you have had a baby within the last 12 months and are experiencing some of these symptoms:
- Your thoughts are racing.
- You feel like you have to be doing something at all times. Cleaning bottles. Cleaning baby clothes. Cleaning the house. Doing work. Entertaining the baby. Checking on the baby.
- You are worried. Really worried. All. The. Time.
- You may be having disturbing thoughts. Thoughts that you’ve never had before.
You are afraid to be alone with your baby because of scary thoughts or worries.
- You may feel the need to check things constantly. Did I lock the door? Did I lock the car? Did I turn off the oven? Is the baby breathing?
- You may be having physical symptoms like stomach cramps or headaches, shakiness or nausea.
- You feel like a captive animal.
- You can’t eat. You have no appetite.
- You’re having trouble sleeping.
- You are so, so tired, but you can’t sleep.
- You feel a sense of dread, like something terrible is going to happen.
- You know something is wrong.
- You may not know you have a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder, but you know the way you are feeling is NOT right.
- You think you’ve “gone crazy”.
- You are afraid that this is your new reality and that you’ve lost the “old you” forever.
- You are afraid that if you reach out for help people will judge you. Or that your baby will be taken away.
Organizations that provide support:
Professional Help: