Are you pregnant or postpartum and feel like you've lost your mind? Pregnancy and postpartum experience brings about an enormous amount of changes, and all mothers as well as fathers and other non birthing partners experience a range of reactions. I'd like to share with you more about the experience of anxiety related to the perinatal period. Note that much of what I share comes from data on women who are pregnant or have given birth, but these experiences likely generalize to other birthing parents and in some cases the non birthing partner (e.g., fathers or other partners).
Pregnancy changes the brain and for good reason. Let's talk about pregnancy. While you are noticing your baby bump growing, other hidden changes are happening throughout your body, including within your brain! During pregnancy, grey matter shrinks in certain areas of the brain. Grey matter is brain tissue that helps with processing information and is important for emotion, memory, and movement. Scientists believe that grey matter shrinks in certain parts of the brain during pregnancy to help individuals respond more to social cues. That is, the brain may be preparing you to respond better to their baby's needs and be more aware of threats to the baby's safety.
A study supported this by comparing brain images of first time pregnant women to first time fathers and women who have never been pregnant. Decreased grey matter was observed in areas that serve to read social cues and attend to threats (Hoekzema et al., 2016). These changes remained two years later and were associated with positive attachment between mother and child. This also occurred for parents conceiving via IVF.
So, when you feel like you've lost your head during and after pregnancy, be gentle with yourself. Know that some of this is to be expected and means that your brain is doing what brains do: it's trying to prepare you for the enormous feat of raising a child. But also, please know that just because something is expected or common, doesn't mean that you have to "just deal with it." If this increase in vigilance or anxiety is impacting your well-being and ability to care for your child, it is absolutely okay to reach out for some additional support to help reduce this anxiety. Remember, there is a wide range in reactions to pregnancy and childbirth, so it never hurts to talk with a trusted healthcare professional about your experiences.
Here are some signs that you should consider seeking professional support for your perinatal anxiety: panic attacks (increased heart rate, fears of dying/"going crazy", hyperventilating, racing thoughts, extreme tearfulness), inability to sleep (when baby is sleeping), checking things recurrently, recurrent thoughts/images/impulses that are upsetting, restlessness, being on edge, feeling irritable, and inability to leave the baby alone. If you are experiencing these symptoms, you are not alone. You are among the 1 to 2 in 10 individuals who experience this after childbirth. Contact me if you wish to discuss postpartum anxiety, or find another trained professional via postpartum.net.
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