Postpartum Anxiety: The Overlooked Sister to PPD

POSTPARTUM ANXIETY: THE OVERLOOKED ONE 😰

Why PPA is more common than PPD — and just as worth treating

Malama Clinical Team · Month 1 Postpartum · Post 44 of 265

We talk a lot about postpartum depression. We talk much less about postpartum anxiety — even though it is actually more common.

Postpartum anxiety affects up to 20% of new moms. It often goes unrecognized because it can look like a mom who is doing too much, caring too much, trying too hard. She does not look depressed. She looks like she is holding everything together.

But inside, she is not okay.

😨 What postpartum anxiety feels like

PPA can feel like your brain is running a constant danger-check on your baby. Is she breathing? Is that rash normal? What if something happens while I sleep?

It can feel like love that has been turned up to an unbearable frequency. Caring so much that the caring itself becomes exhausting.

📋 Signs of postpartum anxiety

• Constant worry that something bad will happen — to the baby, to you, to your family
• Racing thoughts you cannot slow down or stop
• Physical symptoms: heart racing, chest tight, trouble breathing, nausea
• Cannot sleep even when the baby is sleeping — your mind will not quiet
• Checking behaviors: checking the baby is breathing, the car seat is buckled, the stove is off
• Avoiding situations out of fear: not driving with the baby, not leaving the baby with anyone
• Irritability — feeling on edge, easily startled, snapping at people
• A deep sense that something terrible is about to happen

💚 What helps

PPA responds very well to treatment. Therapy — especially cognitive behavioral therapy — is highly effective. Medication is also an option, including while breastfeeding. The first step is naming it.

Tell your provider. You do not have to be "bad enough" to deserve help. Anxiety that is affecting your daily life is enough.

🩸 GD note: Anxiety and blood sugar are connected in both directions. Anxiety raises cortisol, which raises blood sugar. And blood sugar swings can trigger or worsen anxiety. If you are monitoring your glucose postpartum, tracking your anxiety alongside it can give you useful information about how your body responds.

Anxiety is not just worrying too much. It is a medical condition — and it is very treatable. You do not have to white-knuckle your way through motherhood. 🤍

Malama Clinical Team · Month 1 Postpartum · For education only, not medical advice.