Is this PND?

[AnonymousALJ]

I'm a FTM and have a 14 week old daughter who I love more than anything but I'm worried about my mental health.
Since she was born I have been very teary and crying a fair bit, as well as feeling anxious and generally grumpy and snappy. I put this down to my hormones to begin with and I think it did get a little better.
Recently I feel it's been getting worse. I feel this heavy sadness on my chest, most of the time with no real reason, some days are worse than others. I have good days but then a number of bad days where I spend the day either trying to keep it together or in tears. I can barely sleep even though my daughter sleeps through the night now.
I feel so anxious about leaving the house with her as she doesn't like the pram or cat seat, but I don't mind being stuck in the house as I have no interest in doing anything other than caring for her these days. I have no interest in anything and just feel tired all the time.
I'm very snappy with my other half and I know I'm not the best version of myself right now, I don't feel like myself and find myself keeping myself to myself more and more. I also get periods of extreme anger over the littlest of things. If my daughter is fussy and won't go down of an evening I've had to lay her down a few times and walk away as I can feel the anger building up.
I've also had some intsuive thoughts like what if I fall down the stairs or trip while holding her or she's in the Carrier. And over the last few days have had some very negative thoughts.
Is this post natal depression / anxiety? If it is and I reach out to my GP what will they do?

Firstly wanted to send a massive hug. I think it's definitely worth speaking to your health visitor and/or GP - this could potentially be PND or perinatal anxiety and there is support that can be put in place. Depending on what you are comfortable with, they can prescribe medication or refer you for talk therapy (sometimes both if necessary). There may be perinatal mental health services near you - you should be a priority for help whilst you have a child under 1. They may also be able to pinpoint you to helpful people and resources within the community and online.

I felt very similarly to you after my second and I can only see now that I am out of the fog, that I very likely had PND and perinatal anxiety. Well done for recognising how you are feeling. In my experience it absolutely can get better - you just might need a little bit of help to get there. That is totally okay and normal. Also just wanted to reassure that it is a really tricky time anyway - with lack of sleep, hormones, the feeling of responsibility for someone so precious, navigating marriage with very little sleep or time!

In the meantime, look up some breathing and grounding techniques for when you are getting those intrusive thoughts that peak your anxiety. Remind yourself that it is just a thought, you are not your thoughts and you don't have to seek reassurance for them or give any power to the intrusive thoughts. They will always pass eventually - try not to get into conversations in your mind about them. Just let them pass like traffic.

Sending lots of love - happy to talk 💓