Postpartum and new motherhood

Postpartum Mental Health When Everyone Asks About the Baby

In the months after birth, people may ask whether the baby is sleeping or feeding well before they ask how you’re doing. You might be recovering physically, replaying a difficult birth, and wondering where your old routines went. You can love your baby and still miss the ease of being able to take a shower, call a friend, or leave the house on your own.

Ask for the kind of help you actually need

Support can be practical. A friend can bring dinner, your partner can handle a household task from start to finish, or someone you trust can sit with you while you make an appointment. If you’re returning to work, it may help to name what feels hardest about the transition before trying to solve the entire schedule.

If you’re experiencing persistent low mood, intense anxiety, distressing intrusive thoughts, or other symptoms that interfere with daily life, tell your OB/GYN, primary care clinician, or a mental health professional. You can say, “I’m having a harder time than people realize, and I’d like help figuring out what’s going on.”

Femme Health makes room for conversations about feeding pressure, loneliness, irritability, identity, intimacy, and the emotional adjustment to motherhood.

Further reading: National Institute of Mental Health on perinatal depression

Femme Health offers virtual therapy and online support groups for women only, including support for postpartum depression support group, therapist for new moms, postpartum anxiety, new mom support group.