Episode 10: What even is postpartum anxiety?

In this episode of the Nourishing Birth and Beyond podcast I talk with my guest Amy about  the often-overlooked topic of postpartum anxiety. We both share our personal experiences, highlighting the unexpected nature of anxiety following childbirth and the lack of awareness compared to postpartum depression. We also discuss the physical and emotional challenges faced during this period, the importance of support systems, and the societal pressures that can exacerbate anxiety. Our conversation also touches on the broader journey of parenthood, emphasizing the need for compassion, understanding, and surrendering to the new realities of life with a newborn. We offer practical advice for managing anxiety during the postpartum period.

In this episode of the podcast we talk about:

• Understanding the differences between postpartum anxiety and postpartum depression
• Our personal experiences of living with postpartum anxiety
• The importance of having a supportive network, including partners and family, to help manage anxiety and the challenges of early parenthood.
• Practical strategies for managing anxiety during the postpartum period
• The broader journey of parenthood, including the need for compassion, understanding, and adjusting expectations to cope with new responsibilities.

Sound bites from this episode:

“So lots of people do suffer with, or live with, or survive with anxiety and depression. And for some people, post natal anxiety probably shows some underlying stuff that’s always been there and actually some people might need to address that. Other people it’s hormonal related and the breastfeeding journey or it’s the sleep deprivation journey or something else.”

“In India the first 40 days you just stay in bed and just bond with your baby and feed your baby and your relatives care for older children, they care for the house, all of those things and it’s so important like you have a dinner plate sized wound internally. And it takes six weeks for that to fully heal and the uterus to shrink back down to the size of a pear. No wonder where things like too much trying to get back to normal stuff causes anxiety is a contributor towards anxiety as well like it’s this ingrained expectation.”

“I think for me personally, my biggest factor was my expectations didn’t meet the reality. And also I didn’t know how to nap in the day because I had this idea that I had to keep the house clean and cook and whereas actually I should have just been sleeping around the clock.”