Postpartum anxiety is a common condition that affects women immediately after giving birth or adopting a child. This condition goes beyond regular anxiety whereby an individual might feel fear, worry, and difficulty focusing and extends to obsessive fears over things that are not very likely to take place, complete irritability and difficulty focusing, as well as the risk of panic attacks.
This is different from postpartum depression, which manifests as extreme hopelessness. However, it is not uncommon for new mothers who experience postpartum anxiety to also experience postpartum depression. So, how long can you have postpartum anxiety? Recognizing the duration and the symptoms is essential for a timely intervention.
Postpartum Anxiety
Postpartum anxiety is something that can start at any time, from the moment you give birth until the first birthday of your child. For most mothers, it starts within the first six weeks after giving birth.
The length of the symptoms can vary from one person to the next but might start to get less intense after several months. Nonetheless, recognizing the signs and symptoms is important so that you can figure out whether you have additional risk factors or you are showing signs that you need to reach out for professional help.
Signs and Symptoms of Postpartum Anxiety
How long does postpartum anxiety last? The symptoms can last for varying lengths of time, depending on the individual. Signs and symptoms can include the following:
- Obsessions over irrational and fearful things that are not likely to take place
- Problems stay focused
- Getting distracted easily
- Being forgetful
- Feeling tense, restless, or irritable
- Avoiding certain things, people, or places because of anxiety and fear
- Panic attacks
Typical Duration of Postpartum Anxiety
How long can postpartum anxiety last? For many women, postpartum depression will start with hormonal changes and be exacerbated by sleep deprivation, but the intensity will go away after several months. That said, you shouldn’t have to wait several months to get treatment. If your feelings of irritability or obsessions and fearful behavioral symptoms last longer than two weeks, you can reach out for help getting treatment from professionals.
Factors That Influence How Long Postpartum Anxiety Lasts
So, how long does postpartum anxiety last? Are there things that affect how long postpartum anxiety last?
Sleep
Sleep is one of the most influential factors for how long postpartum anxiety lasts. Combined with a dramatic drop in progesterone and estrogen, women are more likely to be sensitive to stress, and sleep deprivation is one of the biggest forms of stress that affects new mothers. This is particularly true for first-time mothers.
Consider Linda:
Linda just had her first baby and she is very excited to be a mother. However, Linda wants to prove to her family that she is independent, responsible, and old enough to be starting a family so she won’t accept help from anyone else.
When her mother or sisters come to visit, she doesn’t like them to hold the baby for too long. She only trusts her husband to help with the baby but Linda also feels responsible for keeping the house clean and preparing meals.
She refused to accept help from her church in the form of meals when she first had the baby to prove that she was different from the other women and could do it on her own. Deep down, Linda is anxious and terrified about being a new mother and remaining independent and responsible. This has left her avoiding help from others, obsessed about things like her sister holding the new baby and then getting distracted and dropping the baby.
However, Linda barely gets a few hours of sleep per day, and she doesn’t have a schedule yet. without letting anyone help her, she is more likely to struggle with long-lasting postpartum anxiety.
Stress
Stress plays a big role in whether or not you have long-lasting postpartum anxiety. several types of stressors will factor into the development of an anxiety disorder.
Take Nancy:
Nancy just had her third baby. The first two were delivered without issue, but the third baby required a C-section. There were significant health complications for the newborn with some time in the NICU. Since bringing their new baby home, Nancy and her husband have dealt with increased stress related to the health of their new baby.
Now take Sarah:
Sarah just had her first baby. She and her husband are recent college graduates, and her husband started a new job a few months into her pregnancy. Sarah had started a new job prior to getting pregnant, but she only worked at the company for a few months, so she didn’t have any vacation time or extra time off that she could use during her pregnancy or after giving birth.
Sarah and her husband are continually worried about money and how many days off they can each take to be with the baby.
Pregnancy Complications
How long can postpartum anxiety last? For some women, it lasts much longer if there is a history of pregnancy complications or pregnancy loss.
Take Clara:
Clara and her husband were expecting a baby two years ago, but she miscarried. Clara later learned that she had a genetic condition that made it difficult, but she did not learn this until she was already pregnant again.
This time, Clara and her husband knew that the pregnancy would be difficult, and they sought additional medical care to try and avoid a second miscarriage. However, the pregnancy and the labor were both very difficult for Clara, and as a result, she was at a much higher risk of developing postpartum anxiety.
Mental Health
Finally, mental health can play a big role in how long postpartum anxiety can last. Mothers, new and old, who have a history of mental health issues, particularly anxiety disorders, are more likely to develop postpartum anxiety, and these symptoms can last much longer in someone with a history of anxiety disorders.
The Role of Early Intervention in Recovery
Early intervention is the most important thing when it comes to recovery. The sooner you reach out for help after recognizing symptoms, the less likely your symptoms are to get worse or last a long time and interfere with your ability to care for your new baby.
When to Seek Help for Postpartum Anxiety
You should seek help for postpartum anxiety if your excessive worry significantly interferes with your daily life, if you have regular panic attacks, or if you have physical symptoms that feel like chest pain combined with a racing heart and dizziness.
The Road to Recovery: What to Expect
When you reach out for help, you can expect to find a supportive environment that’s designed to help you create a safe and loving space for your family. You will likely participate in therapy, where you might be encouraged to adopt different lifestyle changes that support things like a regular sleep routine or getting help from those around you. In some cases, you might also be prescribed things like anti-anxiety medications or antidepressants.
Summing up
Overall, maternal anxiety will spike right after giving birth or adopting a new baby. It can appear at any time during the first year after giving birth. But how long does postpartum anxiety last? Postpartum anxiety for some women diminishes in terms of severity after two or three months, but it can last longer if you have a history of anxiety disorders or acute stress, as well as problems with sleep. Recognizing these signs and understanding the recovery process can help you seek professional help when necessary so you can manage your postpartum anxiety effectively.
