Why Do Women Go Through Postnatal Anxiety After Child Birth? Know The Major Symptoms

Postnatal anxiety can be very similar to postpartum depression with only a few distinctions. Learn all about its major symptoms and why women go through it?

pregnancy, child birth and child care is a beautiful period for new parents. But, it can have a negative toll on you as well. You must have heard of postpartum depression. Well, postpartum depression is very common among pregnant women and it hits right after child birth. But, that is not the only thing that hits after child birth. Another condition called post-natal anxiety or postpartum anxiety can also be an issue for some parents. New parents feel stressed and anxious after child birth and it is common but these feeling go away after sometime. When these feelings of depression, anxiety and stress do not go away, it becomes an issue for parents to take good care of their new born.

Two Types Of Anxiety That Women May Face: Postnatal And Perinatal Anxiety

There are two types of anxiety that women may face, first, perinatal anxiety. This type of anxiety g=begins from when a person becomes pregnant till the labour day. So, basically it may happen throughout your pregnancy period. The second type, postnatal anxiety happens after child birth and can continue for s couple of weeks of longer.

Symptoms of postpartum anxiety are a lot similar to postpartum depression. A woman may face intense mood changes after giving birth because her hormones are once again trying to adjust to the normal woman's body which is not carrying a child anymore. For some people, these mood swings may be very intense and they may struggle to deal with them for weeks or even years. It is important to recognize what the mother's mental state is otherwise it may take a toll on her bond with the baby. Just like postpartum depression, postnatal anxiety requires treatment when it does not go away of its own.

Symptoms Of Postnatal Anxiety

Anxiety often shows up both mentally and physically. In postnatal anxiety too, a woman may face both mental and physical symptoms. When our body perceives danger or threat, it reacts in a fight or flight mode. That is why a person starts to worry a lot, may develop obsessive tendencies, may feel incapable of controlling her thoughts or might feel like he or she is going insane. But, this is how our body and mind react when in fight or flight mode.

Physical symptoms of postpartum anxiety include:

• You may experience poor sleep.
• You may not feel hungry.
• You may fidget a lot, unable to sit still.
• Stomach pain and nausea.
• Increased heart rate and palpitation.
• Feeling breathless
• Muscular tension

Emotionally, you may feel:

• You may feel constantly irritated.
• You may not be able to relax at all.
• A feeling of dread or doom.
• You may be forgetful or distracted.
• Worried or fearful.
• Obsessing about things that you do not need to worry about.