Who knew post-natal anxiety was a thing?

[AmyPollyMamaKind]

Hi all. So I suffered really badly with post-natal anxiety (PNA). I am much better now after some therapy and my mindfulness practice (hence now wanting to help others, so I have trained as a teacher).

My question is who knew it was a thing?

I knew all about PND and I think that is talked about much more. I had never heard of PNA... is it just me who was out of the loop? Did you have PNA and not PND?

Thank you x

Yes I did. Morphed into post natal ocd which was a treat as well. Had to see a psychiatrist and had quite a lot of medication and some cbt.

I was a fairly anxious person anyway but had a number of losses and had to have ivf so spent my entire pregnancy is a state of high alert which then exploded when the babies were around 3 months.

Kids are pre teens now but is something in my life. Mostly controlled but I have to be careful. Generally manifests as health anxiety or generalised anxiety disorder and I know the signs.

No depression at all though. All 'just' anxiety. Properly shit

"Just" rolls eyes - maybe that's why it's not seen talked about so much. But I was almost house bound for 3 months.

Thank you for sharing x

Yes it really is. I had PND and PNA and I now research it as I went back to college to study it (had such an impact on me). About 43% of mothers will have one or the other within the first 3 months.

The first time around I had PND but third child I had both - but the PNA lasted longer - it was the constant state of anxiety and worry (about nothing in particular). I found exercise really helped (and still does) as it released some of the built up adrenaline. Also, mindfulness really helped (but you should only do this if it is with a credible psychologist and not a random person in your local hall offering mindfulness as it can go badly wrong).

The best thing is getting diagnosed so you don't feel like you are imagining this.
Please feel free to PM me if you'd like some more information - I am not trying to get business as I have now moved into another area of psychology!

Yes, I’ve had it with all 4 of my children. Luckily not too badly but it tends to last a few weeks and focus on the babies health/breastfeeding/my wound.

Yes I did and I was not at all prepared for it.

DD was a complete miracle after many many miscarriages and failed IVF. We had been discharged from nhs and private when I fell pregnant with her.

I spent nine months waiting to lose her. The night before I went in for a planned section I wrote letters to dh and my family, as I didn't expect to come out of it alive. I was sure I would die, or she would and I would have gone thereafter.

When it was ok, I initially went into shock, then the anxiety hit. I was absolutely and utterly convinced something was going to take her. Health is a particular trigger for me. So I was cleaning and sterilising everything. Then sleep, she didn't sleep but even when she did I was watching her. Then her temperature, her milk intake, you name it. By the time I got to weaning it exploded and I almost had a breakdown at choking risk.

I've had a lot of counselling and for me much of it goes back to failing to address losses earlier and the fact those can never be explained.

I'm sorry you have been unwell, I was also housebound.

What I will say is that day by day it's improving but it's bloody hard.

Oh my goodness. I had no idea about this. I had what I thought was crippling PND after my first child was born. But reading this I now realise it was actually PNA. It was absolutely awful and undiagnosed.

I'm still being treated for pnd & pna, ds is nearly 16. The only difference is that now it is just called depression & anxiety all of which stems from pregnancy & afterwards.

Thank you all for sharing. I think it is really important that it is talked about more. Sending you all so much love x

@Annasgirl I have mindfulness teachers in my life, one in particular is an ex-Buddhist monk who I would absolutely trust, I think it might be a bit of a sweeping statement to dismiss all of them if they aren't a "credible psychologist". Of course any mental health issue must be dealt with carefully. I had RTT (therapy) before I started meditating again. But mindfulness teachers will not only teach meditation, mindful living also helps, and understanding why it works. x

I absolutely had horrendous PNA. It was exhausting. I was so happy, but so so scared. I have GAD (mostly controlled) but still now, things regarding DS really set me off. Dreadful intrusive thoughts. Horrendous. I worry about TTC again because I know it will happen again and it will be twice as bad because it'll be two children to worry about.

Yep me. It was crippling and was the thing I was most scared of happening to me with my second baby. Luckily so far I’ve been ok.
Living with an impending sense of doom is exhausting. I had an overpowering sense to protect DS, whilst having thoughts to hurt him at the same time. Terrifying.

It’s only looking back I realise I had this. Mine manifested as health anxiety for the baby (not helped by extreme heatwave last summer!) and then as PP said really took off with choking fears around weaning. I didn’t ‘enjoy’ maternity leave as I was basically housebound, and feel sad I missed out. Now pregnant with DC2 and hoping it doesn’t come back... I think for me a lot of it was fear of the unknown and I’ve now had counselling for previous losses so fingers crossed.

Yeah, I had that too. Didn't help that I was living in a private rental with a lying landlord who concealed a serious mould problem, even though he knew I was pregnant when I took the lease. I woke up one morning to waist-high black mould in the bedroom and inside the baby's cot. It affected every property in row so was structural rather than something daft I'd done.

My family didn't help either. My mother was either getting me wound up over tiny things, or telling me that I deserved to be "hit" because my anxiety was so severe as to result in suicidal thoughts.

All anxiety for me. In fact, I’ve spoken with many women who had severe anxiety, but none who were depressed. Obviously that doesn’t really mean anything, but it has made me wonder if PnD is simply the wrong term.

Honestly, I feel you all. Weaning was a nightmare. It has got better with time, but gosh it's hard.

I always talk openly about it - I really never expected it at all x