Postpartum Anxiety

Greetings,

I had planned on covering this topic a little bit and in honor of yesterday (my son turning 18). I thought I  would take this opportunity to talk a little bit about postpartum anxiety. We have all heard of postpartum depression, but this is a separate beast. This is a beast I am not all that familiar with. After having my baby I thought I was Wonder Woman. I could do anything with my swollen ankles and swollen breasts. Mess with my child you might see my Inner She Hulk come out…but this blog is about anxiety and its many nuances so we must dig a little deeper. 10% of women develop anxiety postpartum and 6% will develop anxiety problems during the pregnancy itself.  This makes sense and I am kind of surprised that the numbers are not higher, if you think about how many people try so hard to get pregnant and how many people have miscarriages, anxiety would defiantly fall into play, hell, it totally falls right into place.

The symptoms for pregnancy and postpartum anxiety are basically the same as any other kind of anxiety or panic attack. Some of these symptoms could certainly freak the little pregnant body out, the shaking, the sweating, the heart pounding you might feel as if you are actually having a heart attack. If you are questioning your symptoms and think something might just be physically wrong with you-GET TO THE DOCTOR! Better to be safe, and you and your Doctor can figure this out together. I had such a hard time accepting anxiety and agoraphobia into my life. I fought it tooth and nail. I did not want to be labeled anything let alone mentally ill, but in truth it wasn’t worth the fight. It does not make you weak or less of a person. If I would have faced the battle sooner maybe I would have won the battle sooner(still have not won this battle, but I remain optimistic). This really is treatable!

What are the risk factors? Who is at risk? Risk factors for perinatal anxiety and panic include a personal or family history of anxiety, previous perinatal depression or anxiety, or thyroid imbalance, the thyroid is a complicated beast too! Too fat, too thin, hair falling out, nails breaking off, skin looking like crap…pain in the ass (figuratively speaking). Anyone can be at risk. It is also okay to question your Doctor’s. It is okay to question and get a second opinion. It is okay to seek out an endocrinologist if your thyroid is out of control. It is YOUR BODY! If you have a life growing inside of it or you just gave birth to another little human, make sure you are in optimal condition. You need to be around, energized, and in good condition. We wouldn’t drive baby around with exhaust fumes seeping into the car or with faulty brakes, so think of your body like you think about your car. You want it running perfect. You want it to be safe.

If this is something you are facing we as women have choices, if we don’t feel like we can reach out to friends or family many support groups exist. You can find groups in person, on the phone, on the internet, all you have to do is reach out! You are not alone!

"One of the greatest weaknesses in most of us is our lack of faith in ourselves." - L. Tom Perry

Love and Light,

You Are Not Alone!

Agoraphobia Gurl