Symptoms of Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders
The symptoms of postpartum depression, anxiety and elevated mood can overlap. Depression symptoms can include sadness, trouble sleeping, sleeping too much, low energy, trouble concentrating, changes in appetite, feeling overwhelmed, withdrawing socially, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts, intense guilt, shame, feeling like a failure as a mother, and irritability. Anxiety symptoms include panic attacks, worries, irritability, disturbing thoughts or imagines of hurting your baby or harm befalling your baby, restlessness, racing thoughts, racing heart rate, tingling feelings in your extremities, pressure in your chest, digestive distress, muscle tension and headaches. Anxious mothers may be afraid that they are a risk to their babies and avoid spending time alone with their baby. Postpartum can also bring symptoms of elevated mood, which can include feeling more energized than normal, feeling very confident, feeling as though you have great insight/understanding that you've never had before, irritability, making reckless decisions, and paranoia. These symptoms are particularly dangerous as they can mark the onset of postpartum psychosis. All of these symptoms are exacerbated by the expectation that this "should be the happiest time in my life." Holding on to that belief often creates a vicious cycle in which PMAD symptoms serve as proof of your failure as a mother which, in turn, worsens your symptoms. Regardless of your symptoms, it's best to get treatment quickly rather than wait and see if the symptoms pass on their own.
Mothers who are feeling this way often put on a facade to pretend that they are feeling better than they are. Check out this great page from Postpartum Progress on what women look like while suffering from PMAD. Postpartum Progress also has great resources for explaining the symptoms of postpartum depression and anxiety in "plain mama English." They also have a page that does this for postpartum psychosis.
Mothers who are feeling this way often put on a facade to pretend that they are feeling better than they are. Check out this great page from Postpartum Progress on what women look like while suffering from PMAD. Postpartum Progress also has great resources for explaining the symptoms of postpartum depression and anxiety in "plain mama English." They also have a page that does this for postpartum psychosis.