Are My New Parent Jitters Actually Postpartum Anxiety?
Takeaway: Confusion between new parent jitters and Postpartum Anxiety (PPA) is common. Learn about the differences and signs that your fears and worries about your baby or your new role as a mom may be more than the typical anxiousness we expect all new parents will experience.
Whether you’re a first time mom or becoming a parent again, having a new baby is bound to bring up a wide range of emotions that may impact your mental health. Yet many new mothers don’t realize that their fears, worries, and concerns about their baby or their new role as a mother go beyond the normal new parent jitters and rise to the level of Postpartum Anxiety (PPA).
The Difference Between Postpartum Anxiety and New Parent Jitters
Mental health professionals generally agree that having worries and concerns as you step into the role of being a mom for the first time is normal and expected. We call these new parent jitters, and we are here to support you through them. The jitters often fall into two categories:
Worries or concerns about how to care for your newborn or your newborn’s wellbeing. No matter how much reading you do before your baby arrives, you’re going to have questions. That copy of What to Expect When You’re Expecting can’t possibly answer all of your questions, and it’s normal to feel flustered or out of your element when you’re learning how to care for your child.
Being nervous about stepping into the role of mom.. Becoming a parent for the first time is one of the biggest life transitions you will ever experience, it carries immense responsibility, and it fundamentally alters your family and relationships. You wouldn’t be a parent if you didn’t wonder if you made the right decisions or struggle to choose the best path.
Gaining access to information, getting your questions answered, and being heard when you share your concerns tends to alleviate the jitters. They are fleeting, momentary, and do not impact your overall sense of well-being. When your fears and worries become more intense and begin to impact your self-esteem, your self-care, your enjoyment of everyday activities, and daily tasks, it’s time to consider postpartum anxiety.
Is Postpartum Anxiety Different from Postpartum Depression?
Postpartum Depression (PPD) and Postpartum Anxiety (PPA) are two separate mental health conditions that can begin anywhere from 2-weeks to 12-months after giving birth, although symptoms can last longer than that. And although they are both nuanced conditions that impact every woman differently, there are some generalities that are helpful to understand.
Postpartum Depression (PPD) is more well-known that PPA, and this is because medical doctors including midwives, doulas, OBGYNs, and pediatricians regularly screen new mothers for PPD throughout the first 12-months of their child’s life. Symptoms of PPD include feeling low, uninterested in being a mother, having trouble connecting emotionally with your child, and feeling extreme sadness.
Postpartum Anxiety (PPA) is less-known than postpartum depression, and many women are never screened for this condition even though it impacts at least 10% of new moms. Because of this, many women who struggle with their postpartum moods and emotions believe they have PPD, when it’s actually anxiety. The hallmarks of PPA include feeling worried, feeling on edge, and being so focused on your performance as a mom that you sacrifice your wellbeing in the process.
Something to note is that PPA and PPD can go hand-in-hand, and about half of women who experience Postpartum Depression will also experience Postpartum Anxiety.
Postpartum Anxiety Symptoms
Postpartum Anxiety is more than worry and feeling on edge. It’s a collection of physical, emotional, and experiental symptoms that interfere with self-esteem, your self-care, your enjoyment of everyday activities, and your daily tasks.
Physical Symptoms of Postpartum Anxiety
Having trouble sleeping, even when you feel tired
Tense muscles (especially in the chest, shoulders, and jaw)
Changes in your eating habits, often resulting in weight loss or gain
Dizziness
Hot flashes
Nausea
Very fast or very slow heart beat
Emotional Symptoms of Postpartum Anxiety
Experiencing scary or intrusive thoughts
Excessive worrying
Feeling on-edge and tense, emotionally
Uncharacteristic anger or rage (ie. postpartum rage)
Racing thoughts
Experiential Symptoms of Postpartum Anxiety
Being very rigid about baby sleep and feeding schedules
Feeling like you can’t cope with the pressure of being a new mom
Focusing on caring for your child “correctly” or doing everything right
Over-researching your questions and concerns about your baby
Not feeling able to be away from your baby, even for short periods of time
Trouble with concentration
Every woman’s experience of Postpartum Anxiety is different, so you may experience all of these symptoms, only a few, or may have experiences that aren’t captured in this list.
Postpartum Anxiety is Not Your Fault
There is nothing you could have done differently to avoid Postpartum Anxiety; you didn’t cause it. It’s not your fault. And it’s much more common that you realize.
Postpartum Anxiety officially impacts 1 in 6 women, but maternal mental health therapists like me believe that the number of women who experience PPA is actually higher. Problems with our medical system such as women not being screened well-enough or often enough, the way the symptoms of PPA are often equated with being a ‘good mom,’ and the fact that many women hide their symptoms because they are afraid to access support mean that many women suffer unnecessarily.
Therapy Can Help You Cope with Postpartum Anxiety
Postpartum Anxiety doesn’t typically go away on its own, and, left untreated, it can impact women for years. If you believe you’re experiencing Postpartum Anxiety, therapy can help you navigate the way your unique symptoms of PPA impact your self-esteem, your self-care, and your enjoyment of everyday activities (including parenting).
I want you to know that I understand that your experience with postpartum anxiety means that becoming a mom, or becoming a mom again, hasn’t felt the way you expected. I experienced PPA following the birth of my son, and things got better for me when I started using tools and strategies to counteract my anxious thoughts. I believe that you, too, will feel better with support.
Therapy is a valuable tool for navigating your anxious thoughts and emotions. Having a safe space to share your complex feelings, process your worries, and learn more about the way this experience impacts you often helps. We can find ways to help you feel better.
Get in touch to learn more about counseling with me and see if my care is a good fit for you.
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MEET THE AUTHORHi, I’m Dr. Julie Franks.
Dr. Julie is a maternal mental health therapist in Washington State and founder of Nurturing the Sisterhood. She cares for women who aspire to become mothers, pregnant and postpartum women, and women in the early years of motherhood. She specializes in anxiety care. She believes that her transparency about her personal struggles with infertility, pregnancy loss, high risk pregnancy, birth trauma, and anxiety help the women in her practice feel seen and heard.
