Post-partum Anxiety

I had the same thing pretty much. My baby which is my third is almost 10 weeks old. Mine went away around 5 or 6 weeks.
Just hang in there and if you get antsy all else fails call a friend to talk, or clean something. that got my mind off things.

You are going to get tons of opinions on this subject and it may make your current struggle even more stressful. Take heart you are not alone.
I encourage you to make an appt with your obgyn and/or family doctor you trust. I struggle with anxiety disorder and have since I was 16. Your description of your feelings sound like classic case anxiety. It may be temporary or permanent and time will tell. No one can tell you whether or not to medicate. You will have to decide. People will suggest yoga. Some will say to try harder to relax. If it is true medical anxiety you can't control it just by trying harder. It is real and difficult to know how to handle at times. And at other times it can be paralyzing. The anxiety is effected by hormones and sleep deprivation and pregnancy and post partum and more! You have gotten married and had two kids in three years. Thats a lot!
Visit with your doctors about it and don't be afraid to try medication. Hope you don't mind if I say a prayer for you. I know this is a hard thing to go through.

If it is what I had, it is called post-partum anxiety disorder. Mine was very bad! At first I thought I was losing my mind. The doctor put me on a very low dose anxiety medicine that I had to take for a few weeks. Also it helped me to stay cool. (temperature wise) I am still having small bouts of it now, but nothing like before.

I had major anxiety and depression the first six weeks of my daughter's life. The anxiety lessened but continued until she was at least 6 months. If it's affecting your ability to function, I would talk to your doctor. If you can make it a couple more weeks, I bet it will improve and you will start feeling semi-normal again soon. Chocolate is good for boosting your mood. Lavender oil is helpful for relaxation. Decaf hot tea helped me especially chamomile. My mantra: "this too shall pass".

S. - I feel your pain! After both my children were born I was anxious and cried constantly at the drop of a hat. It started about half way through my pregnancy and went on for about 12-16 weeks after their birth. It wasn't to the point where I was afraid I would do something bad, but I was very nervous and would break down crying in public which was inconvenient and embarrassing!! This behavior was pretty unusual for me, I normally only cry once a year or so and am pretty hard to stress out.
After my first child I had a break down at my peditrician's office, they told me to call my OB. My OB was very nice and understanding. They gave me some anti-anxiety medication and best of all told me this was very typical for new moms. They have some rx's that are safe for breast feeding. I took the meds for 3 months or so and was back to my old self. After I started talking with some friends, I found out that MANY of my friends had similar experiences, some were totally fine with one of their kids and were shocked when they had trouble after their second. Some took medication and some suffered through without because they didn't realize it was an option. After my second was born, I left the hospital with an rx in case it started again and felt much better just knowing there was a way to help myself.
I strongly recommend you talk with your OB. They are there for you. There is no reason to suffer. This is nothing you have any control over, your hormones are a mess right now, plus are are most likely very tired. Having 2 under 2 is not an easy thing.
Mine are now 2 and 5 and life is much easier I feel so lucky that I started taking the medication earlier with my second baby, the transition for my older one would have been much worse if I hadn't been able to be myself. It was definitely the right choice for me and my family. Good luck and God bless you!!

I have a pretty laid-back personality, but I found that when I have stressful thoughts while I'm caring for my son or when I am tired (usually very stupid ones, like - I'm really thirsty or where's the burp cloth or I have to pee, but I can't right now) are enough to make me feel really...on edge and antsy - like my skin is crawling. I have noticed this sensation seems a little more pronounced since becoming a mommy. I have no doubt that these "symptoms" would be a whole lot worse if I didn't take a high potency/quality B-Complex and Omega 3 fish oil every day.

S.,

Talk to you dr...there are several medicines that are safe to take while breastfeeding and you will feel so much better!!! There is no need to feel like that when there is medicine that will make you yourself. I had this problem after my second one too and then I started getting depressed too. I took Lexapro for several months and feel SOOOO much better. The dr told me that I had postpartum depression with anxiety. I let it go on for several months until I thought I was going crazy and it had started consuming me. Within a few days of starting the medicine...I was back to normal and functioning like my old self. Let me know if you have any other questions...I will be happy to help in anyway I can!

If it gets worse, I would call your doctor. A friend of mine and I both went through this, and our anxiety got out of control. If it gets worse, you need to take care of it before it gets really bad. I'm sure you will be fine though. If you are able to enjoy your kids during the day, that is great! Best of luck!

Having had 5 kids over the span of 14 years, I can say-and without a doubt-each pregnancy is different during and after. Let this ride...at least for 6 months. No, the anxiety is not fun-it's lousy. I'm just saying let your body fully return to normal... Hormones can be weird little buggers. Levels can vary from day to day and minute by minute right after delivery...Breathe, dear. Breathe! Just relax. Getting crazy will not help..

I've had major anxiety attacks, and I've had the same anxious moments that you are referring to also. Believe me that a panic attack is something you will know if it ever hits you.

I had one panic moment when I brought my first child home and laid her in the crib for the first time. It went "OMG! I'm responsible for taking care of this baby!" and it passed quickly when I told myself that I'd know what to do.

It seems to me that the feelings you are having are related more to the effects of following a baby's schedule. What you mention seem to be related to concerns about time. What should I eat? The baby is asleep, so I better take advantage of the moment and fix myself something to eat, but what? I'm not really hungry, but if I don't eat now, who knows when I might get the chance next?

Another example: the baby's down for a nap now. I've got an hour or maybe two before he wakes up. Should I do laundry, take a nap, watch TV, or call my best friend for a chat? Once the baby wakes up, it's all about the baby and this is the only time I have to get anything done ... and then you end up "doing nothing" except trying to decide what to do.

I'm 25 years away from the last baby, but we care for our granddaughters including a 9 month old. When I read your message, I clearly remembered those days especially when I was on maternity leave. I would be heading back to work and I wanted to spend as much time with the baby as possible, but as I regained my energy from pregnancy and childbirth, I was also fretting about arranging child care and getting into some kind of schedule or routine with the baby.

At 4 weeks was pretty much the time my babies put themselves on a schedule so that I pretty much could predict when they'd wake and sleep and when they'd nurse. They liked their cuddle time and I loved cuddling them, but we both got content with alone time for the baby in her swing or crib so that I could take care of my needs like showering and using the toilet or folding a load of laundry.

With two kids, time management and balancing demands are even more complicated than they were with the first child. It becomes a good opportunity to introduce sharing, helping, and being patient to an older child.

You might want to see your doctor to have your thyroid checked (a simple blood test). I had postpartum thyroiditis after having my daughter. It made me very anxious and I had insomnia, heart racing, irritability. I had to go on thyroid medication for about 6 months (starting when my daughter was 8 months old), then was normal for about a year. Then I found out I had low levels of thyroid hormone at a regular doctor appointment and will now have to be on medication for life. It's not a big deal to take a pill every day, but it sure makes a difference if it's not treated.

Hope you get some help soon and feel better!

First off congrats on your bundle of joy!! My advice to you would be to go talk to your Doctor, he or she can tell you what may be going on......I wouldn't be surprised if its those hormones......but I would def check it out so that it doesn't get worse!

Good luck a