Tag: maternalmentalhealth

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Coping with Postpartum Anxiety

Nearly all mothers experience some anxiety after having their baby. Post-partum anxiety can greatly impact a mother’s well-being and functioning for quite some time after having her baby. There are many factors that can contribute to a mother feeling anxious such as changes in hormone levels after birth, a difficult and painful birth and recovery, a lack of support, sleep-deprivation, feeling overwhelmed with the demands of caring for a baby, among others.

There are some common signs that a mother is experiencing postpartum anxiety. Among these signs are:

  1. Obsessive worry over your baby
  2. Constant worry that you’ll hurt your child or drop them and the need to constantly check on your baby
  3. Irritability and agitation
  4. Difficulty with sleeping and eating

Anxiety isn’t always a bad thing. Anxiety is that feeling that tells us something isn’t right and that we need to intervene. It’s only when the anxiety is constant and interferes with our daily functioning that we need to do something about it. The good news is that there are ways to cope with anxiety in an effort to reduce its impact on our lives and our well-being. It is possible to get your anxiety under control, dear mama. The anxiety you feel does not define you- it is something you experience that can be managed.

Talk to someone about it. It is so important that mothers talk to someone about their anxiety and reach out for help-although this may be very difficult. Many people are reluctant to disclose that they are struggling, especially new moms when they are expected to be enjoying every minute of their new chapter as mothers (news flash: you don’t have to enjoy every minute in order to be a good mother). Finding someone who is trustworthy and nonjudgmental to speak to can really help. Speaking to a mental health professional is very important as they can help find ways that are specific to the mother’s condition that can help her cope better in her everyday life.

Deep breathing. We sometimes underestimate the impact deep breathing can have on our well-being. I tell my patients that we can’t be relaxed and anxious at the same time. The more we strengthen the relaxation response, the less the anxiety will have power over us. Taking slow deep breaths (breathe in for four seconds, hold the breath for four seconds and breathe out while counting to 8 seconds) can be very therapeutic. It may take time to start seeing the effect but like anything, the more you practice something, the better it will be.  When you feel the anxiety is really affecting you, try to find a calm place and take some slow deep breaths and tell yourself while doing it “I’m okay.” Which brings me to my next point.

Cognitive reframing. A lot of the time, our anxiety spikes up because we’ve had a thought- a negative thought about something bad that is going to happen or something coming up that we’re worried about. Or our children do something that puts us on edge and makes our anxiety worse. We may look around the house and find it cluttered, or our children spill something, or our children are crying and having meltdowns in public-all of which many mothers say make their anxiety worse. One of the important things we can do for ourselves at that moment is to take a minute to be aware of our thoughts and what they’re telling us. Thoughts such as “everyone is going to think I’m a bad mother” or “I’ll never sleep well again” can really be a factor in our anxiety worsening. Try to become more self aware of the thoughts spiraling in your mind and try to challenge them or reframe them. When we tell ourselves a negative story and we believe it, our anxiety and our mood will worsen versus when we try to tell ourselves a different story. This isn’t to say we don’t think realistically- things may be very difficult for you and it’s important to validate that. What we want to avoid however is catastrophizing and cause our thoughts to go out of control in a spiral of negativity. This is very hard work to do and it helps to do it with a mental health professional who can walk you through it. The more we recognize the impact of our thoughts on our well-being, the more we’ll be able to control and reframe them.

Journaling. Journaling can really help us become more aware of our thoughts and how they impact us. Sometimes we don’t even know how to go about in starting to journal. However once we get into the habit of writing our thoughts out, it’ll start to flow more naturally and it can really help us reframe and cope with our anxious thoughts.

Mindfulness. There is so much research out there on the positive effects of mindfulness. Mindfulness helps connect us to the present moment which is important when we’re anxious as our anxiety is usually tied to things that are in the future. There are many apps nowadays that we can install on our phones that provide meditation programs that can really help calm our minds. Even taking 10-15 minutes a day to practice mindfulness can really help in several aspects of our lives. Mindfulness can help relieve stress, improve sleep, reduce chronic pain and improve our overall mental well-being.

Take care of yourself. The more burnt out we are, the easier it’ll be for our anxiety and our moods to worsen and impact us. I know this is easier said than done, believe me, I know. I realized however along my motherhood journey that the more I put my needs last, the less I’d be able to care for those around me. When I make my health and well-being high up on my priority list, everyone wins. And the same goes for you, mama. Maybe it’ll take a conversation with your partner to figure out how he can support you so you can have more time to care for yourself whether that’s time to yourself each day, or an opportunity to go to some wellness appointments (i.e. massage, physiotherapy) to look after yourself, etc. You’re worthy of being cared for too, mama and no one will force you to take care of yourself-you need to advocate for yourself. If you’re struggling with anxiety, this becomes even more important.

Medications. Medications can be helpful to manage anxiety, in addition to incorporating all the strategies listed above. Talk to your doctor to find what will work best for you.

You don’t need to continue to struggle like this, mama. Anxiety is treatable, don’t lose hope. Things can get better for you.

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Let’s Talk About the Postpartum Experience

baby laying on bed

There’s so much emphasis on pregnancy, labour, and childbirth but I’ve noticed that the postpartum experience of a mother isn’t given as much attention as it deserves. Regardless of how many times you’ve already experienced it, each postpartum experience can be different and comes with unique struggles and joys. After enduring labour pains, childbirth and then experiencing all the emotional highs of meeting your precious baby, the postpartum period can be quite challenging on so many levels.

I recently took a training course on postpartum recoveries and practices in different cultures and I was astounded to learn how mothers are treated in different parts of the world. In Morocco for example, the mother is held in such high stature and is tended to for at least 40 days by family and friends. There are beautiful traditions that take place in this culture and in many others where the mother is enveloped in support by those around her and all that is required of her is to rest, take care of herself, and her child. According to studies done, the incidences of postpartum mood and anxiety disorders in these cultures is noticeably less. 

I find here in North America the postpartum experience is generally quite different. Mothers may be living away from family or they may be living near family but their families are unable to support them as much as is needed. Mothers may end up feeling alone, isolated, burnt out, and ultimately, depressive symptoms start to arise along with heightened anxiety, among other mental health challenges.

The supportive village that is so essential to mothers’ emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing is unfortunately not the norm.   Mothers are having to juggle housework, school/daycare drop-offs and pick-ups (for those with multiple children) as well as keeping up with so many other demands. This is all being done while the mother is simultaneously trying to take care of a newborn baby with needs around the clock, as well as trying to heal herself and recover from such a remarkable experience.  She may find that hours have gone by without a sip of water or a bite to eat as she’s trying to manage the demands of her new life and trying to adjust and find some semblance of a functional routine.  

The postpartum experience can be even more challenging when a mother receives negative comments or unsolicited advice that may leave her feeling less confident, more guilty, and less equipped to care for her baby. We need to encourage and empower mothers to seek help when they need it, and to also trust their intuition. When offering a mother advice, it should be done with kindness, compassion, and letting her know that she should decide what is best for her baby.

Many mothers I’ve spoken to discuss how lonely they feel and that they struggle along their motherhood journeys and these feelings are further perpetuated by society’s expectations to bounce back and manage everything all on their own. This isn’t even mentioning the difficulties some mothers experience with returning to work so soon after the birth of their baby (in some countries, maternity leaves are only 45 days- I’ll be dedicating an entire post to this so stay tuned).

There’s a lot of emphasis on baby’s health and how baby is doing which is of course essential, however do we look as closely to the mother’s health and well-being? Many women are not screened for mental health challenges at their 6-week check-ups and they are sometimes too afraid or embarrassed to open up about how they are feeling to others. What could we be doing better as a society to help support, empower, and encourage mothers during such a pivotal time of their lives?

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To the mom who’s doing it mostly on her own:

mom holding child on her back

I see you dear mama- you wake up after a not-so-restful night to the sounds of your precious little ones waking up with full energy to start the day. You close your eyes for one second and take a deep breath and pray that you’ll have enough energy to get through the day. You feel the weight of your body on your bed and how comfortable it feels to keep laying down and closing your eyes, but you know that there are people waiting for you and depending on you.

You get up and get everyone changed and fed and answer 153 questions about why chairs have four legs, amongst other things that make you scratch your head. Your husband may be traveling for work, he might work long hours, or maybe he’s unable to keep up with all the work that needs to be done due to health difficulties he’s facing. You’re bearing most of the parenting and day-to-day tasks on your shoulders and it’s hard.

People ask me quite often how I do it. How I take care of two little children who are so young and dependent on me for everything while my husband is away. To be completely honest, it’s hard. You can’t expect your husband to walk through the door at 5:30pm and help out. You have no one to share “this is so crazy” looks and chuckles with. No one to look after one of the children while you tend to the other. No one else to take care of the kids while you go to the bathroom, take a much-needed shower, or step outside for some fresh air. No one else is around to do the dishes, vacuum, or take one kid to the potty while the other needs their diaper changed. No one else to look at that “super cool” lego structure that was built and no one else to comfort the crying baby. No one to share the joy of your baby saying their first word.  It’s just you mama. And it’s hard and lonely. Lonely even though you don’t have a minute to yourself.

But I have to say, after doing it for some time, it does get somewhat easier. The loneliness still gets to me but the ability to manage the chaos gets somewhat easier with time. You become stronger, more capable, and know what to expect. You figure things out. You realize that you’re able to do things you never thought you’d be able to. I know there are many other moms in the same boat as me. I know it’s hard, but I’ve realized that there are some things I can do to take care of myself and survive this phase. Here are some of the things that have helped me and may help you as well:

Find a way to have time for yourself. Whether it’s on the weekend, or when your partner comes home from his trip, or if you can hire a babysitter a couple hours during the day/evening just so you can do something to rejuvenate you, please do it. It shouldn’t be seen as a luxury-it really is a necessity.  When things are really going out of control around here while I’m alone with the kids, I find some peace in knowing that I have some time to myself to look forward to even if it’s going out with a friend or going out shopping by myself later that week. It really helps to have some time alone and clear your head and not have to be responsible for anyone even if it’s for a short period of time.

Find something to look forward to everyday. This can really help make the days seem a bit less difficult and maybe even enjoyable. For me, it’s enjoying my cup of coffee and reading a book while my daughter naps and my son is watching Paw Patrol. Yes I allow some screen time so I can start my morning off with some peace and quiet. I’ve let go of the momguilt associated with screen time because it only gets used for short intervals of the day and it makes everyone feel better so win-win situation.

Have realistic expectations. This is my final and maybe my most important tip. I realized during the first time I was on my own with the kids that I wasn’t going to be able to keep up with everything that needed to be done. I also realized that working myself into a mental and physical breakdown would not benefit anyone. That is why we sometimes order take-out instead of cooking. It’s also why after putting my kids to bed I sometimes crash right afterwards instead of folding laundry or doing the dishes. It took me a long time to get to this point, but once I did, life became much simpler and I’ve become kinder to myself.

I know that no matter what, there will still be challenging days while you’re navigating this motherhood journey and doing so much on your own.  You will figure it out, mama. And when the kids are all in bed and you breathe in the silence and peace of your once-chaos-ridden home, you feel like you can conquer anything. I see you, and I know it’s hard. But you can do it- maybe not everyone can do what you do, but you dear, strong mama, can.

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Why Taking Care of Mothers is so Important

The whole premise behind my page is the importance of mothers being taken care of. Mothers are constantly giving of themselves, their time, and their energy to the point that neglecting her own self-care needs becomes the norm. As a society, we need to look at how to better support mothers as they embark on this incredible journey of raising and caring for another human being, while not forgoing her own needs and health. Many mothers struggle with postpartum mood and anxiety disorders in addition to physical health issues which become exacerbated in the absence of support. Mothers are being loaded with so many responsibilities in this day and age and it can truly become overwhelming to meet all the expectations placed on us. I’m hoping we can continue the conversation of mothers’ health and well-being being just as important as everyone else’s and find ways to support one another as we tread along our individual motherhood journeys. I’m looking forward to sharing my journey with all of you and for us all to realize that despite our unique journeys, we experience much of the same things and that we’re never alone.