Postnatal anxiety

Postnatal anxiety is a mental health condition that causes intense worry, nervousness or fear in the year after giving birth. It is different from the usual worries you may have as a new parent. Postnatal anxiety is when your worry is constant and affects your everyday life. It can impact your sleep (Opens in new tab) and ability to care for yourself and your baby.

Postnatal anxiety is the most common mental health challenge in a baby's first year.

What is the difference between postnatal anxiety and postnatal depression?

Some people experience postnatal anxiety together with postnatal depression. Postnatal depression involves having a low mood (or 'feeling down') for more than 2 weeks.

You might also:

• lose interest in usual activities
• feel sad or hopeless
• struggle to concentrate
• be unable to eat or sleep normally

You are more likely to experience both anxiety (Opens in new tab) and depression (Opens in new tab) after having a baby. Sometimes, challenges such as lack of sleep and feeling overwhelmed as a new parent might leave you feeling unable to cope. It is important to seek help as quickly as possible so you can get back to enjoying your new baby.

Read more about common worries and fears for parents.

Postnatal anxiety can affect your ability to do regular everyday activities, including parenting, working and socialising. You might notice one or more of the following:

• Physical symptoms, such as sleep problems, body aches, fatigue (Opens in new tab) or numbness.
• Feeling disconnected, overwhelmed (Opens in new tab) or like no one understands you.
• Finding it hard to make decisions or concentrate.
• Constant worry that something bad will happen to your baby.
• Fear of leaving the house or going outside (agoraphobia (Opens in new tab)).
• Blaming yourself when things go wrong, even when it's not your fault.

Pregnancy (Opens in new tab) and childbirth bring big changes that can make you more likely to face mental health challenges, such as postnatal anxiety.

You may be more likely to develop postnatal anxiety if:

• you have experienced anxiety, depression or low self-esteem (Opens in new tab) before or during your pregnancy
• you do not feel supported by your family, partner or friends after giving birth
• you experience stressful life events such as family conflict, financial stress (Opens in new tab) or stress with your partner
• you were previously physically (Opens in new tab), emotionally (Opens in new tab) or sexually abused (Opens in new tab)
• you are living with some physical health problems, have sleeping (Opens in new tab) difficulties, smoke cigarettes (Opens in new tab) or vape
• your baby was born early (prematurely)
• your baby is difficult to settle or cries a lot

You should see your doctor, midwife or child health care nurse if:

• you or people around you are noticing that you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety (Opens in new tab) or depression (Opens in new tab)
• you are getting treatment for postnatal anxiety and you are worried it is not helping enough

To find a doctor or maternal, child and family health service near you, use the Pregnancy Birth and Baby Service Finder tool.

For advice and to get connected to local mental health services, call Medicare Mental Health (Opens in new tab) on 1800 595 212. Check the operating times (Opens in new tab).

Your doctor can diagnose postnatal anxiety by:

• screening for symptoms as part of your regular postnatal care — they might ask you to fill out a questionnaire and answer questions about different anxiety symptoms. This helps show if you need support or more checks for postnatal anxiety.
• asking you questions about your symptoms and medical history
• ruling out other conditions — thyroid (Opens in new tab) problems, lack of sleep or postnatal depression

Try to be as honest as you can. This will make it easier for your health team to give you the treatment and support you need. Remember, postnatal anxiety and depression are common and there are ways to help. You do not need to feel ashamed.

Sometimes it can take a while to be diagnosed with postnatal anxiety. This may be because you or your healthcare team mistake the symptoms for other reasons to feel anxious in the first weeks or months after your baby is born.

If you are living with postnatal anxiety, your treatment may include:

• medicines
• psychological support such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) (Opens in new tab) and other types of psychotherapies (Opens in new tab)
• practical support, such as advice on parenting and caring for your unsettled baby

As part of shared decision making, together with your doctor, you will decide which treatments you need based on how severe your symptoms are. Your doctor will talk with you about how the treatment might affect your baby and which medicines are safe to take while breastfeeding (if this applies to you).

Read more about medicines and breastfeeding (Opens in new tab).

With your consent (Opens in new tab), your doctor or midwife may refer (Opens in new tab) you to other healthcare professionals, including psychologists, psychiatrists (Opens in new tab) or social workers (Opens in new tab) for treatment, depending on your situation.

Your healthcare team will try to support you in a way that is appropriate for your culture and background.

Living with postnatal anxiety can affect your ability to be the best parent you can be. Professional treatment will help you get the support you need so you can get back to enjoying your new baby.

Your access to specialist health services may be different if you live in a rural or remote area.

Read more on health services for rural families.

If you are living with postnatal anxiety, you may find it helpful to speak with other people who have gone through or are going through similar challenges. Talking to others can help you feel less alone. It can be comforting to meet someone who understands what you are going through.

Self care

Here are some general tips to help you cope with postnatal anxiety:

• Accept help from those around you.
• Try to do some physical activity (Opens in new tab) when you can, such as walking, swimming and yoga.
• Rest and sleep when you can.
• Cuddle your baby as much as you can. Cuddling can cause healthy chemicals to be released in your body to help reduce your anxiety levels.

If you live with postnatal anxiety, it may affect how you bond with your baby. It can also impact your relationships with other people. Seek support from your health team, or call a helpline (Opens in new tab).

You can try to prevent postnatal anxiety by:

• learning about postnatal anxiety during your pregnancy, so you can be aware of symptoms
• seeking support when you need it
• creating a treatment plan before or during your pregnancy to manage postnatal anxiety if you are living with a mental illness (Opens in new tab)
• taking medicine during your pregnancy or beforehand if you need it (your doctor will talk with you about the risks and benefits of taking medicines in pregnancy and while breastfeeding)
• setting up social and practical support to help you cope after having a baby

If you or someone you know is showing signs of postnatal depression, anxiety or both, see your doctor. It's important to seek help early. Help is available.