Needing some encouragement

jburrell13

I'm a FTM, I just had a perfect little girl on 10/15/15 and she is amazing. Although over all I am overwhelmed with love, I have been experiencing pretty bad anxiety an hour or two a day. It causes me to just cry and cry and cry, I mainly have anxiety about the baby sleeping and something happening to her and the fact that my husband and I decided I will not going back to work as planned. My mom has been so supportive and always wants to visit our pick me up since they live very close to us but it just makes me have more anxiety being away from my home and bedroom. I'm worried that my anxiety really affects my appetite and I will end up not being able to nurse as long as I'd like too. I really just need some positive people that can give me advice so I don't feel so different. Any advice is welcome.

Kateah McMasters

I went through a very similar experience when my baby was born in August. This is definitely more than just baby blues. My advice is to talk to your doctor about medication. You dont have to feel this way nor should you. Mine got so bad I started to resent the baby. My doctor started me on a very low dose and I feel a million times better. No more crying for no reason and I'm enjoying the baby now

I felt so ashamed that I had to turn to medication and couldn't get through it on my own. However it was the best thing for me and the baby. Don't be ashamed to ask for help.

ali022790

After having my daughter over a year ago, I suffered from severe postpartum depression and anxiety, with the anxiety becoming debilitating. It started as a few anxious thoughts throughout the day and spiraled out of control because I didn't ask for help. It got so bad I wouldn't leave the house, suffered from panic attacks and developed what one therapist thought was postpartum OCD. I hardly ate anything, cried every night, and eventually I began to feel like I was going crazy. The absolute best thing I did was ask for help from a trained professional. The once a week, 50 minute session, was my way of slowly getting out of the house, and that,plus the therapy I was receiving, started to ease my anxiety of leaving the house. I have been seeing someone for almost a year now and can tell you that I feel almost 100% back to my old self, and am excited to be pregnant with my second.

 I wanted to comment on your post because I want you to know there is absolutely no shame in what you are feeling and I think a lot of new moms go through it, and suffer silently. If I can offer any advice it's to just talk to someone now, because there is no risk involved at all. If you start to feel better on your own, then you've used that time for positive self reflection. If you're not feeling better after talking to someone, they can offer you help through medicine, or other therapeutic techniques. Don't make the mistake I did, which was thinking that being anxious all the time was just something that came along with motherhood. Being a mommy is supposed to be filled with feelings of love,hopefulness, and happiness, not feelings of darkness, fear and inadequacy ( which is how I felt at my worst). Talk to your doctor and see what they say. If you don't agree, talk to someone else, because only you know when you don't feel right. 

Please know you don't have to feel anxious, and feeling this way isn't permanent. Congrats on your little girl, and I hope you feel better soon.