Perinatal Depression & Anxiety
10-15% of women experience a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder.
Up to 80% of women experience baby blues after having a baby.
The transition to parenthood is one of the most life changing events.
Finding out you are expecting a baby, navigating pregnancy, and ultimately welcoming home your baby is a joyous experience for many, but may also be filled with despair and worries.
This is supposed to be the happiest time in your life, but it may not feel this way.
You thought that becoming a parent would feel like the most natural thing in the world.
You envisioned a perfect birth, signed up for a prenatal class to prepare for labour, and decorated your baby’s nursery with hopes and dreams spent together in this space.
You are certain that everything will work out if you just try hard enough and you can’t wait to feel bonded to your baby once you hold him/her in your arms.
But what if you can’t stop feeling sad or worried?
There are so many things expectant and new parents worry about and are constantly receiving (often mixed) messages about:
When is it safe to tell others you’re pregnant? Which foods can you eat during pregnancy? How much exercise can you engage in? Which choices do you want to make for your labour? Is your baby gaining enough weight? Will you sleep train your baby? Have you decided how you will start your baby on solids? Are you doing enough tummy time? What does it mean to have scary thoughts about harm coming to your baby?
It feels impossible to “get these things right.”
Baby blues (rapid mood shifts shortly after birth) often resolve on their own by two weeks postpartum and are normal feelings during this time. In comparison, mood and anxiety disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum period (which can be experienced by both women and men) often require treatment. This includes postpartum depression.
Transitioning back to work can also be a time of increased anxiety and depression. Click here for more information.
Reaching out to a therapist can be the start on your way to feeling better.
Terminology: Perinatal refers to the period of time prior to and after birth.
Unwanted Recurrent Intrusive Thoughts
These thoughts are common, yet often not talked about due to shame, guilt, and stigma. Intrusive thoughts can be experienced in the form of images and centre around unwanted accidental or unwanted intentional harm coming to the baby or other loved ones. This causes great distress and great effort is put into preventing the perceived harm from happening. Intrusive thoughts are a symptom of anxiety/ OCD and can be treated.
“No matter how much you hoped, wanted, and planned for motherhood, this transition will, at times, be stressful. And the intensity of these feelings has nothing to do with how good a mother you’ll be, or how much you’ll love your children.”
— Alexandra Sacks, M.D.
What do PMADs look like?
Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) typically occur in pregnancy and up to one year postpartum.
Common symptoms.
Emotional changes: Overwhelmed, numb, irritable, angry, worried, lonely, disconnected.
Cognitive changes: Not bonded to baby, intrusive thoughts about self or baby getting hurt, feel like you’re not good enough, constant worry about the baby, unable to think clearly, feel like you would be better off dead or like you are a burden to your family.
Behavioural changes: Lack energy, eat much less/ more than usual, unable to sleep, crying often.
Additional symptoms.
These symptoms are sometimes more common in fathers/ partners of the birthing partner: Violent/ aggressive behaviour, impulsive and risk taking behaviour, using alcohol/ substances to cope, physical ailments (e.g. headaches, stomach aches), withdrawing from family/ friends, turning to work or other distractions, concerns about work productivity.