I recently watched a medical drama where a patient admitted to their Emergency Department with symptoms that I now think of when my kids are playing or doing a certain activity. I'm being vague so my worry does not become one of yours. Has this ever happened to you? I certainly don't need to add fuel to the fire and often have flashes of what could go wrong in any given situation.
From "Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts" by Karen Kleiman, she reports that 91% of moms have negative or intrusive thoughts about harm coming to their baby.
What is Postpartum Anxiety?
Postpartum is the period of time after giving birth, up to one year. That means that symptoms in the postpartum period can start anytime within your child's first year of life (after would not have the "postpartum qualifier" although many professionals like to include the first 2 years after birth.
Postpartum Anxiety is excessive or extreme worry that interrupts your ability to complete everyday tasks, with an onset within the postpartum period. I would say there is a spectrum to that, we all have anxiety and worry, part of the question is how uncomfortable is it to you?
Postpartum anxiety is different then the more spoken of Postpartum Depression, and also very significant in the parenting journey.
What do we do with these thoughts that we struggle with? Do we ignore them and hope they go away? Do we speak about them with a trusted partner or friend?
Sometimes its hard to talk about with others because
we want to be considered strong, a good mom/dad,
we don't want others to judge us or "turn us in"
no one will understand
So......what to do with these thoughts. Talk about it! If you don't feel comfortable with anyone in your life, a trusted counselor can be a great option ;)
CBT uses thought challenging exercises
Mindfulness practices
Progressive muscle relaxation
Self care - more on this to come!
Comments