Are you pregnant, a new mom or thinking about becoming pregnant? The birth of a child is a huge life change and can affect your mood, significant relationships and identity. Being a new mom can be exciting, scary, overwhelming and stressful all at the same time. The reality of having a baby can be very different then what you may have first expected it to be.
If you are a new mom thinking, “this is not what I expected motherhood to be” you are not alone.
After giving birth there are physical and emotional changes a woman undergoes such as tremendous drops in hormone levels, extreme lack of sleep, increased responsibility in caring for a newborn as well as possible unmet expectations about breastfeeding and the birth process.
It’s normal to feel irritable, tearful, stressed and tired for a couple of weeks after the birth of your child. These are common symptoms of the “Baby Blues”. The symptoms associated with the Baby Blues happen to many new moms and subside quickly.
Symptoms
- Weepiness
- Moodiness
- Anxiety
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feeling like you can’t do it alone
If you are experiencing more severe symptoms that are negatively impacting your life and relationships it would be very helpful for you to seek out extra support and resources for yourself. Some of these symptoms may be;
Symptoms
- Appetite changes
- Sadness
- Irritability
- Excessive worry
- Anger
- Lack of concentration
- Low self-esteem
- Forgetfulness
- Difficulty sleeping
- Appetite changes
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Exhaustion
- Loss of pleasure in formerly pleasurable experiences
- Fears of hurting your baby
- Guilt
- Upsetting, repetitive thoughts or images
- Repetitive cleaning
- Chest pain, breathing difficulties
- Numbness or tingling
- Nightmares
- Mood swings
There is help and you can feel better again. Feel free to contact me to discuss making an appointment and working towards feeling better.