Postpartum stress: do you have it?
Let me start off by saying I don't think I have postpartum depression, but according to what some doctors list, I do have postpartum stress.
Stress and depression -- not the same thing, but the stress, if it continues and increases, it can lead to depression.
Do all moms have stress? OK, that's a really silly question, I know. But I'd like to think I was cool and calm -- my friend Kim even told me how relaxed I seem.
So why am I getting in a tizzy about what The Postpartum Stress people say?
Well because they say if I can say yes to three or more of these bullet points, I have postpartum stress.
Do you:
feel tired a lot?
have trouble sleeping?
have anxiety attacks?
wonder if you ever will have time for yourself?
get angry easily?
isolate yourself?
don't have much of an appetite?
worry about little things that never used to bother you?
think your children would be better off without you?
snap at your partner and children frequently?
think other moms are better mothers than you are?
cry easily?
find it hard to be happy/joyful?
fear leaving the house or being alone?
have difficulty concentrating?
think something is wrong with you?
feel like you'll always feel this way and never get better?
But...and this is a big BUT, of course I have trouble sleeping and feel tired a lot -- I'm breastfeeding my babies throughout the night. I cry easily because I am still very hormonal. I'm having difficulty concentrating because as a new working mom, I'm having separation anxiety from my twins.
And I am having anxiety attacks, but it's not because of the babies, it's because I'm settling into my new life with new responsibilities while learning how to juggle home, work, and my realtionship with my husband.
Deep breath in. Exhale out. Repeat.
Should I be worried? Am I just stressing myself out over stressing myself out? Do you feel this way, too?
Written by Michele Zipp for Baby in CafeMom Parenting
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Postpartum Depression: Why Doesn't Anyone Talk About It?
