Postpartum and Mental Health

We go by airplane rules when it comes to postpartum and mental health. Remember, your health is as important as your baby’s. That means you need to put your own mask on first to be able to care for your baby.

When you become a new parent, many things are changing at once, and it can put a serious strain both physically and mentally.

If you are feeling stressed out, overwhelmed, helpless, or even angry, please know that it is NORMAL and it is OKAY. Put your baby in a safe space and walk away. Leave the room, even get out of the hearing range of their cries if possible. Take some deep breaths, drink some water, and call a lifeline. This can be a family member, friend, professional, or helpline. Just that five minute break can be enough for you to power through until bedtime.

If you’re feeling these emotions consistently, make sure that you check in with your doctor. Seeing a therapist or being prescribed prescription medication is sometimes necessary for parents to deal with the change in lifestyle and in their hormones/brain chemistry in a safe and healthy way.

Postpartum Blues/ Baby Blues

Studies say that 50-80% of birthing parents experience baby blues within the first few weeks of giving birth. This can be part of the normal roller coaster your body has experienced from growing a baby, giving birth and adapting to the hormonal change.

Postpartum Depression

PPD typically sets in after the first few weeks and have clearer signs that just being sad or overwhelmed.

Things to look out for:

• Depressed or sad
• Bouts of crying
• Sleep disturbance [not being able to sleep when your baby is sleeping at night]
• Feelings of guilt or worthlessness
• Lack of interest in things that brought joy before
• Fatigue
• Change of appetite
• Suicidal thoughts

Postpartum Anxiety

Postpartum causes excessive and severe worry during the postpartum period. It is less known or researched than postpartum depression, but it can become so severe that it interferes with a person’s ability to function in everyday tasks. If you have an irrational worry that you are going to drop your baby or that something will happen to them if you fall asleep, you might have postpartum anxiety.

Symptoms of postpartum anxiety:

• worrying thoughts
• tense feelings
• physical symptoms-increases in blood pressure/heart rate/nausea.

Postpartum Psychosis

PPP is the rarest and most severe psychiatric illness only happening in 1-2 per 1000 birthing people. Symptoms can start as early as 48-72 hours after giving birth but more commonly appear within the first two weeks.

Some things to look for are similar to a manic episode:

• irritability
• insomnia
• rapid shifts in mood.
• disoriented/confused
• erratic behavior
• delusional thoughts
• hallucinations

Hallucinations become very serious if they involve hurting themselves or the baby or even accusing other family members of wanting to hurt the baby. These often manifest in the deep desire to protect the baby from getting hurt [but can result in the opposite.] If you see any of these behaviors it’s important to seek immediate help as postpartum psychosis can quickly escalate and may be life threatening.

ALL parents and caregivers get overwhelmed sometimes and it can be a normal part of transitioning into parenthood. We want to be aware and educated about postpartum and mental health, so you can get the right support as you navigate these new experiences.