postpartum depression & postpartum anxiety Treatment in Colorado

Many women experience mood changes after delivering a baby. You’ve probably heard of the “baby blues”. This feeling takes over many new mothers for a few hours to a couple of weeks post-delivery. But, up to 30% of women experience mood and emotional changes beyond the baby blues. When you start having significant depression or anxiety in the postpartum period, you may have Postpartum Depression or Postpartum Anxiety.

​

So many women experience your postpartum issues in silence, wondering what is wrong with you and why can’t you adjust to having a baby. Often our experience of having a baby is not what we expected. These difficulties are ignored in the media and society. Transitioning to life with a newborn becomes all too real and often overwhelming to manage. You may be a very accomplished woman in other spheres of your life, but having a baby is a completely new experience for you that you may know nothing about.

​

Postpartum Depression (PPD)

​

Postpartum Depression does not discriminate on who it affects. You may have a very satisfying marriage. Perhaps you had an easy time getting pregnant and enjoyed being pregnant. Or, you may have gone through time-consuming, expensive and emotionally-taxing fertility treatments. Maybe you struggled the entire time with a difficult pregnancy. You can get PPD after your first, second, third or fourth child, or whether you’ve had a “natural” birth or a C-section.

 

You may feel secure with few stressors in your life, or have a lot going on that you’re trying to keep on top of. There may be some factors that increase the chances you will get PPD. These can include a predisposition to depression in your family, chronic sleep deprivation, colicky babies, isolation or lack of support from friends or family. In general, however, PPD can happen to any new mother at any time.

​

Postpartum Anxiety (PPA)

 

Postpartum Anxiety occurs when you have high expectations for yourself as a mother or caretaker. Then, because having and caring for a baby is hard, your expectations are not met. You may even experience panic attacks, which are the bodily manifestations of your anxious thoughts, that are very scary. Perhaps you had some anxiety in your life prior to having a baby but it was always manageable. Or, you are a high-achieving professional and are used to being competent in what you do. Regardless of your history with or without anxiety, postpartum anxiety can affect any postpartum mom.

​

Do any of these symptoms of Postpartum Depression or Postpartum Anxiety describe you?

​​

• Feeling depressed despite thinking you should be overjoyed

• Lack of appetite or enjoyment in food, or excessively eating junk/sugary foods

• Feeling like you are a failure and why can’t you figure this out

• Intense anxiety about being a mother

• Crying daily

• Difficulty concentrating or focusing

• Self-doubt about how you are caring for your baby

• Lack of enjoyment in things that you used to enjoy

• Feeling inadequate and helpless

• Difficulty sleeping, even when your baby sleeps

• No energy to do anything

• Images in your mind of having hurt your baby

• Feelings of hopelessness, like things will never change

• Irritable mood, with even small things getting on your nerves

• Scary thoughts about yourself or your baby

• Thoughts of dying or suicide

​

The transition to motherhood is one of the most significant life changes that can happen to you. It is understandable that your mind and body will have difficulty adjusting. The emotional impact and toll not just giving birth, but then caring for a newborn, has on a mother is significant! Your distress and symptoms are entirely normal, yet do sometimes show a need for professional treatment.