I’m a little over 4 weeks postpartum after an unplanned C-section, and I think I’m just looking for some reassurance from other moms who have been through something similar.

The actual mom part of postpartum has honestly been better than I ever expected. I feel calm, confident, and so in love with my baby. I love being a mom. I really want to soak up this newborn stage because it’s been such a beautiful experience.

But physically, postpartum has been a lot harder than I anticipated. Between recovering from my unplanned C-section, dealing with swelling, incision issues, and now postpartum high blood pressure that has me taking medication and monitoring my readings, it feels like there’s constantly something new to worry about. Just when I feel like I’m making progress with one thing, something else comes up.

All these physical issues have triggered my health anxiety. I find myself worrying about whether something is wrong, whether a new sensation is normal, or whether something I’m experiencing could cause a bigger problem. It’s hard not to spiral sometimes, especially when my body is still recovering and I don’t always know what to expect. I know C-section recovery takes time, and I know postpartum is a huge physical and hormonal adjustment.

The hardest part is that the anxiety and focus on my physical health sometimes pull me away from the part of postpartum that I’m actually loving. I want to be present with my baby and enjoy this time, rather than constantly thinking about my body, my recovery, and what might go wrong.

Did anyone else love motherhood right away but find the physical recovery and health anxiety side of postpartum really difficult? Did things eventually settle down, both physically and mentally? Did anyone who had postpartum high blood pressure alongside C-section recovery and felt like they could finally relax and enjoy motherhood more once their body started healing?

My baby is 10 months old, and I’m still struggling pretty badly with postpartum anxiety. I’ve been trying to manage it on my own, but lately I’m starting to feel like I need more help.

A huge source of my anxiety is my relationship with my MIL. She has a history of being intrusive and making plans for us without actually asking, telling us what we WILL be attending or doing as if we don’t have a choice. My partner has gotten better about setting boundaries with her, and things have improved in that sense. Most of the time, we just let her talk because we know we don’t actually have to follow through with the things she announces.

The problem is that it STILL gets to me. I know she probably isn’t going to change who she is, but I find myself constantly worrying about what she’ll try to insert herself into next. I spiral about how to keep her from overstepping and how to protect our space as a family. It’s like I can’t just enjoy making plans or looking forward to things because part of me is already anticipating her trying to make herself part of them.

My partner tells me to stop worrying about what anyone thinks and just live my life how I want to live it. And logically, I KNOW he’s right. I want to get to a place where I can genuinely say, “I’m the mom, I make the decisions, and I don’t care what anyone else thinks or wants.” I don’t want her to have this much power over my peace of mind, especially when we’re actually doing a better job of setting boundaries now.
Some days are better than others, but the anxiety and overthinking eat away at me. I haven’t felt truly happy in a long time, and it’s hard to get excited about things because I’m always anticipating a problem that might not even happen.

I’ve taken antidepressants in the past and really didn’t want to go back on medication, but I’m starting to wonder if that’s what I need to finally feel better. I’ve been considering talking to my doctor about Zoloft, specifically for the postpartum anxiety and the scary thoughts and spiraling that I can’t seem to shut off.
Has anyone here started Zoloft months postpartum and felt like it genuinely helped? Did it help with the constant worrying, intrusive thoughts, irritability, or feeling like your mind is always on high alert? How long did it take to notice a difference, and did you experience any difficult side effects when starting?

I’m just mentally exhausted. I want to enjoy my baby, my relationship, and my life without constantly feeling anxious about what someone else might do or say. I want my peace back, and I’m finally admitting that I might need some help getting there.

I would really appreciate hearing other moms’ experiences. ❤️

I’m 7 weeks postpartum with so much to be joyous for with all the help I have from grandparents and supportive friends, yet I’ve never felt so unhappy, panicked and needy in my life. I used to be an incredibly fun-loving, easy-going person that was so rational and have never experienced anything like this. No preconditions or risk factors, and can’t help but feel so unlucky and desperate to get back to my old self.

Anyone that can relate? Would love to chat about your experience.

Hi there, before I start my story, I just wanted to say that if you are in the thick of this it will get better, it's slow and gradual but it does get better. I remember constantly going through this page and plenty others like this, reading success stories, half wondering if I would ever get to place where I felt I could write one. Well here I am. It wasn't easy, but I'm here ❤️

So this postpartum period was my second one, I had my first baby 2 and a half years prior. I did not have any postpartum mental health struggles with my first baby, even though we had a rough start! (born at 34 weeks with Gastroschisis)

It was a very low risk pregnancy, and my mental health was pretty good whilst pregnant.
baby was born on the day that was booked via c section, and had no problems with baby or me during recovery. we came home the next day.
i did a little pumping in the first few days but decided for personal reasons to stop.
i'm not sure if that helped me out as i wasn't told that when you dry up your milk it can trigger a big hormone crash. on top of the hormone crash that follows given birth, probably triggered one of the worst mental health blips i have ever experienced. i also have diagnosed OCD and though i have managed to cope well with it without medication since i developed it, this postpartum experience rocked my boat.

it started slowly, i started feeling anxious, a bit sad, my appetite started going away, and i started to sleep less and less. this was all in the first week postpartum. my partner was doing all the night feedings and was sleeping in a different room with the baby so i could sleep, but i couldn't. i would toss and turn all night. then i started being sick because of the anxiety i was getting, especially in the morning. running on practically no sleep then being sick as soon as i did wake up from what little sleep i got was torture. i remember starting at the toilet after being sick wondering if this would ever end.

because it had been a few nights of no sleep and these depression blips, my midwife's were informed. i do have to say, they massively helped me out, as well as my health visitor and i don't think i would be as well off as i am now if it weren't for them. they instantly referred me to the perinatal mental health team.
my partner decided to take me to A&E after a few days of the no sleep, the sickness, etc. I got prescribed promethazine to sleep and propranolol for the anxiety.

i took a propranolol before i went to sleep that night and i managed to sleep 6 hours. which was great, but then the next night i couldn't sleep again. running on no sleep. so then we tried a promethazine, which got me to sleep again for 6 hours, then again we tried the next night and i got no sleep. i was losing it at this point, i thought my body was broken and was not accepting any type of medication to sleep.

the next night, i got no sleep so my partner took me to A&E again. they prescribed me diazepam (a benzodiazepine). i had a small mg tablet, maybe like 2mg?? it only got me 3 hours of sleep, so then i really thought i was broken. i remember my OCD got so bad at this point, i was spending hours, and i mean hours of searching of things related to my experience, on reddit, facebook, google.
my health visitor visited that day and heard all the medications i tried and said i really needed to try an antidepressant of some kind, so referred me to my GP for a same day appointment.

i went, with my partner, and the GP said mirtazapine would be the best medication for me to try. sertraline was the second, but since it can make things worse before it can make things better, it was best to try mirtazapine first.
i do have to say i was extremely lucky because mirtazapine was the perfect medication for me. i know some women have to navigate trying different medications until they find the one that fits them best, which is a lot of trial and error, and very hard.
but yes, i was lucky with mirtazapine. i got prescribed 15mg. and the first night i took it, i slept for 11 hours. i did wake up groggy but it wore off eventually during the day. and the next night, another 11 hours. i was so happy, though i was also dealing with mood blips still. the grogginess went away within the first week for me.
across those weeks i ate a lot better, slept very well, and i looked into supplements to support my body and mental health. i started reassurance seeking/symptom searching less and less. i was still dealing with anxiety in the morning with being sick, so i started taking magnesium glycinate in the evening and that got rid of the anxiety and morning sickness.

the perinatal mental health team saw me and referred me to health in mind for CBT.
the mirtazapine i'd say mood wise took around 8 weeks to fully kick in, and i was back to myself. i still take an occasional propranolol if i feel like i need it but its not often.
i'm now 16 weeks postpartum so 4 months, and it has gotten so much better. i sleep well, i eat well, my mind feels like me again. I am almost fully back to myself, though i'd definitely say this whole experience traumatised me and my ocd has definitely latched onto it, but i'm starting therapy & CBT soon.
i'm back to being the mum i want to be for both my children, and i don't think i'd be here without medication. i'm not sure how long i'll need to be on mirtazapine for, but im forever grateful for it.
thank you for listening, and i wish you the best :')

I’m 20 days post-c section and my OCD has come back with a vengeance. I thought maybe I’d be OK since I’m still on 200 of sertraline (Zoloft) and I was OK before pregnancy, but I guess I was wrong…

At first, I was having obsessive thoughts worrying she would die (NICU baby and a premie). Now that she is healthy and thriving, I’m having P OCD and worried about the same for my partner. I’m going crazy.

Any tips? Anyone else dealing with this? I don’t want to increase my dosage.

Hi all this might be along one but .. I guess here we go.

June 25 - I gave birth to a beautiful amazing now big baby boy. 3-4 weeks after I gave birth I was hospitalised for massive infection from mastitis. I kinda broke me cause I wasn’t with Bub. But after that it was back with my little family.

I felt off and on , more baby blues than anything.
About end of July/ August.. I needed to get some form of contraceptive we started on Slinda but it make me feel so sick and just not right so I stopped it , then I went on the nexplanon implant … few weeks later ( from memory) anxiety, depression scary thoughts all started … off to the doctors I went Lexpro script handed over … my health anxiety got worse my mind was everywhere.

We ended up moving .. on to property and get out of the city but all I could think of was if something goes wrong how long to emergency services get here how far is the local ( rural hospital) can they look after me …. Finally the meds kinda kicked in a stopped worrying and things started to look better. Fast forward till now

Had the worst pain off to hospital - Gallbladder stones and I need surgery.
Few weeks later changed medication my sex drive was gone and also I felt blunt .. went on a new one 2 days in massive panic attack ( thought I was having a heart attack and was trying to tell my husband that he needs to raise our son and don’t let anyone step in ) I don’t even remember the drive to the hospital , after being looked at and some medication I was having a panic attack and went in to tachycardia. After being fixed up I was told get off the meds , but my GP wanted me to push through.

Ended up with same issues high heart ( which had now upped my health anxiety) I went on the rabbit hole of WTF I’d happening to me I’ve never had this before I’ve had anxiety but never on this level , never.

Is it the contraceptive
Is the tablets
Is it everything …

I’m scared to drive, my health anxiety is beyond bullshit , I’m watching my relationship is falling because of it all

I’m tired and want my life back if you come this far I appreciate you and thank you 💕

I’m six months PP with my second child and my anxiety is out of control.

I can’t stop finding things to obsess over and it keeps bouncing between like 5 things. First I was convinced I had a blood clot in my legs, then I obsessed over my baby’s health because they thought something was seriously wrong (she is okay), my firstborn’s health, and that somehow there is secretly a bat in my house that bit me and I’m about to die a painful death.

I have always had anxiety and some obsessive thoughts but it feels like for the past 6 months my mind is on hyperdrive. It’s affecting me physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s affecting my relationships and ability to be happy in the moments.

I feel like I’m losing my mind. I know everything I’m thinking is irrational but I can’t stop. I feel trapped in a spiral.

I have a therapist but am looking to be evaluated for possible medication.

Just looking for similar experiences and if people feel better.

I’m (23F) 6 days postpartum with my 3rd baby. I have a 5 year old boy and 3 year old girl and 6 day old boy. First few days were rough because this is my first time breastfeeding and the babies are upset they aren’t getting my full attention but everything is falling into place and going pretty good now. I feel okay, still sore but physically okay but since yesterday I can’t stop crying. Suddenly it feels like my kids will be 20 tomorrow and I’ll miss it and todays the second day they’ve ever stayed the night somewhere, with grandma and Im a stay at home mom since my first was born.. I’m just not handling the sadness as well this time around. I feel like I’m losing so much time with them or they’ll resent me for not constantly being there like I was. Even when they’re home, I feel like I miss them. I’m still playing with them when baby sleeps and giving them baths and talking but I can’t stop crying feeling like I’m missing so much time with them. I absolutely am inlove with my new addition and he’s finally sleeping more so I have more time with my older two. I don’t think it’s postpartum depression, maybe just the blues or whatever it’s call but can someone please tell me when it goes away or how to make it stop… I just keep getting upset and don’t want to end up crying in front of the babies.

Hey. I’m 9 days PP. I developed PP Preeclampsia and was back in the hospital shortly after. Today I had a f/u with my doctor and I was under the impression it was only a BP check and a referral to a cardiologist. Did the BP check but he also did an internal exam. I freaked out crying. I made the nurse verify that an internal was necessary. I’m still bleeding and so sore. I thought internals were done at the 6 week mark. I don’t want to get an infection or pop a stitch or anything. This stress obviously isn’t helpful for my BP. Can someone reassure me this is normal? Then of course I went bathroom and saw a stitch in the toilet. I’m scared.

Ever since I gave birth, I’ve become ridiculously sensitive to sounds. I can hear the tiniest, most unnecessary things like my phone dinging, the fridge vibrating, a door squeaking, and somehow, they give me so much anxiety.

The hardest part is that even my baby crying can trigger something that feels like a panic attack. I try to keep it to myself, but sometimes the feeling is so overwhelming.

What’s interesting is that this already happened to me before pregnancy, but it got SO much worse after giving birth. It even happened when we first got home from the hospital. Now, it comes and goes.

My OB told me to consider seeing a psychiatrist if it persisted, but I’m curious if other moms have experienced this too.

Is there a name for this? Is it postpartum anxiety, sensory overload, hypervigilance, or something else?

Has anyone experienced something similar, and did it eventually get better?

Hi everyone!

I'm a final-year Psychology student at the University of Liverpool, and I'm currently recruiting participants for my dissertation research exploring women's experiences of anxiety during the postnatal period.

I'm looking for women who:

• Are aged 18 or over.
• Currently live in the UK.
• Have a baby aged 0–12 months.
• Have experienced anxiety during the postnatal period, with or without a formal diagnosis.
• Have access to a computer and Microsoft Teams.

If you're interested in taking part, please see the attached recruitment advert for further information.

You can contact me at [hljmorg6@liverpool.ac.uk](mailto:hljmorg6@liverpool.ac.uk) if you're interested or want to know more information.

Thank you so much for reading!

PPA back at it again today..

I felt better for a while and of course something else has come along! My husband and I bumped heads last night and I didn’t think anything of it. It’s a little sore and I woke up in the middle of the night super nauseous which is unusual for me. Didn’t throw up but now worried about concussion or something even worse (it is always worst case scenario). I feel like the nausea was related to what I had for dinner. How do you moms deal with this? I know it’s only a matter of time before my daughter bumps her head too.. it stresses me out so bad thinking something bad could happen like a brain bleed.

7months postpartum and pure bf wala pa din akong period kinakabahan ako baka buntis na naman ako! Ayaw ko mag pt dahil baka mag positive feeling ko ma sstress ako

Today I felt better about fatherhood

Hi all,

Around a month ago I posted about me
being extremely miserable due to an unwanted pregnancy. Today is the first day, where I didn’t feel non-stop dread and anxiety, I even laughed a little.

To give some context, im 24 in a 1 year old relationship with a beautiful, smart, loving, successful and overall good girl. We have many differences but we manage to communicate well and tackle them quite effectively. The relationship is objectively good.

I still don’t know if she is my soulmate as I am
not typically the one to “fall madly in love” with people, but even being separated for a day or two makes me
miss her. This was never the case with previous relationships as I remember that I was genuinely happy when my ex would leave town.

I still have doubts about my current girl but I do
acknowledge the fact that I have undiagnosed anxiety and my brain tends to lean on the negatives of every situation (my relationship included). I have decided to start working on that and attend therapy.

I always wanted to be a dad but not at 25, I wanted it to be after 30 so I would have the time to grow professionally and to explore my life in terms of art, sports and traveling. When I first found out that I will be becoming a dad, my first thought was that my life is over due to losing my freedom to pursue my interests. Now I think that I can still do these things but I would need better time management and would need to put off traveling for a while (but thats okay).

The past month I was losing my shit, each day became
harder and I was going mad. Non-stop anxiety, non-stop stress, sadness, depression, hopelessness, absolute hell on earth. I started to hate myself, my life and even my girl a little because she said we are keeping it. I felt trapped, forced into a life I didn’t want, forced to grow up and to give up on myself. I felt I wasn’t ready, that I would fuck up, that my kid would be damaged because of me, that I would completely lose my mind before they are even born.

I wanted it later, I wanted it with someone with whom I had spent more time with, I wanted it when I was a better human being. I wanted it when life was perfect, which I realize it would never have happened. I would never have been ready, nor the best version of myself, or fully confident in me, my relationship and life trajectory. I would have went under that stress regardless (maybe to a lesser extent but still).

Yesterday I had a break down. And although this happened every 3 days, yesterday I had a pretty important conversation with myself. I said to myself that I will use this situation to grow. I will give this kid and my girl my all. I will be present, loving, affectionate. I will provide and be a responsible father. I will find meaning in being a great dad, boyfriend, and human being in general.
I will continue with art and will be able to share my works with my kid in the future. I will continue with sports events and will be able to share those results and memories with my kid. I will start that business and will make my future kid proud of his dad.

My life is not over, only my egotistical way of thinking is.

My life has new meaning and it is exciting. I will adapt, overcome and find happiness even in a not so optimal situation.

I made this post because I wanted to share it with somebody. Maybe some of you are going through something similar, and I want to say that it does get better, just give yourself some time to fully comprehend the situation and go through all of the emotions. Once everything is let out, only then can you move on. And you have to, because it’s not about you anymore.

On its own or when you were no longer needing meds if you went that route. I know as people and mothers anxiety will come up at times but when did you no longer have an issue with it and feel back to yourself?

Hello, FTM to a beautiful 11 week baby boy.

I feel like my anxiety has been set to 100% and it’s absolutely consuming me. I can’t rest, my head is spinning all day, everyday and I’m creating the worst scenarios in my head.

I feel like it was always there but the last couple weeks it’s ramped up to a new level. I find myself just laying in a dark room beside him listening to him breathing, waking at every little noise. Creating scenarios that would never happen but convincing myself they will. I am TERRIFIED of SIDS. I’m terrified I’m dressing baby too hot/too cold. I’m scared he will stop breathing and I won’t notice.

My partner and I alternate night shifts but even on my nights off I can’t relax even though I am exhausted. My anxiety is even worse on the nights I’m sleeping in a separate room because what if something happens and I’m not there? I have no control and something goes wrong?

Deep down I know most of my fears are irrational and won’t happen but I can’t stop myself thinking “what if they do?”

Please give me any hope this will pass as I’m driving myself insane. The only option to keep myself in control would be to do every night shift but my partner works long hours and I’m with baby all day so i know I need my rest on my nights off or I will make things even worse for myself.

I feel like there’s no solution and it’s just a case of getting through it one day at a time but I get crippling headaches from overthinking. I can create 20 different scenarios in a few minutes and it’s like this all the time. Mainly at bedtimes.

Does anyone else feel like this? Or have any advice that will calm my mind?

TIA x