Postpartum Anxiety: How to Educate and Support New Families

Most of us are familiar with postpartum depression, a severe form of depression that impacts 1 in 7 new moms. However, what's less widely recognized is that some new mothers experience significant anxiety after they have babies, a condition called postpartum anxiety. In fact, postpartum anxiety may actually be more common than postpartum depression.
 
If you work with new and expectant mothers, educating them about postpartum anxiety is important. Doing so helps parents recognize possible symptoms, and seek the care and treatment they need if postpartum anxiety symptoms develop after childbirth.
 
Here, we’ll cover what to know about postpartum anxiety, and how to teach your clients about it in a supportive, empowering way.

What to Know About Postpartum Anxiety

Postpartum depression used to be a topic that people didn’t discuss. But now, modern communication tools—like blogs, social media, and awareness campaigns—have made it widely understood. Today, most people are familiar with what it is, its potential signs, and the treatments available, as noted earlier with its impact on 1 in 7 new mothers.

In contrast, postpartum anxiety remains less recognized, despite being at least as common as postpartum depression, if not more so. This condition often goes unnoticed, yet research highlights its prevalence. Some studies suggest that as many as one in five new moms may experience postpartum anxiety, while others report that, compared to  4.8% of new parents experience postpartum depression, the incidence of postpartum anxiety is about 17.1%.

Postpartum Anxiety Symptoms, Causes and Treatments

It’s common to feel some anxiety when a new baby arrives. After all, caring for a baby is a huge responsibility, and stressors like being unsure of how to care for your baby, having to go back to work, and financial concerns, can all increase anxiety. Add in fluctuating hormones, and it’s common for your moods to be all over the place. Additionally, people who have a history of an anxiety disorder are more likely to experience postpartum anxiety.

Still, while some stress and anxiety is common after you have a baby, extreme levels of anxiety may indicate a chemical brain imbalance found in clinical postpartum anxiety. 

Symptoms of postpartum anxiety include:

• Racing thoughts
• Feeling like you can’t stop worrying
• Physical symptoms like shortness of breath, stomach issues, fast heartbeat, dizziness, trouble sleeping
• Feelings of “doom”
• Panic attacks
• Unwanted, intrusive thoughts
• Compulsions or unusual anxious behaviors
  

Thankfully, there are effective treatments for postpartum anxiety. Treatment may include talk therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, as well as medication, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Combining the two (therapy and medication) is often the most effective approach. The best course of treatment will vary depending on the individual's history and severity of symptoms.

How to Prepare Expectant and New Mothers

It’s vital that new and expectant parents understand postpartum anxiety, especially since it’s less well known than postpartum depression. New mothers have a 20% chance of developing postpartum anxiety. The sooner postpartum anxiety is diagnosed and treated, the sooner those affected can feel like themselves again and fully embrace their role as a mother, meeting their baby's needs with confidence. 
 
The key is adequately preparing new parents without scaring or overwhelming them. You want to make this an empowering lesson for your clients, emphasizing that awareness about postpartum anxiety means that they will be treated earlier and more effectively.
 
An important first step is to share the signs and symptoms of postpartum anxiety with your clients. Plumtree Baby parent resources provide essential information with multiple pages in both Preparing for Birth and Settling In with Baby dedicated to postpartum mental health. In addition, it may be helpful to share a resource like the one found at the National Child and Mental Health Education Program, which provides action plans for mothers dealing with potential postpartum mood disorders.

 
These action plans help mothers differentiate between normal postpartum mood fluctuations and conditions like postpartum anxiety. For example, feeling emotional and not like yourself temporarily is referred to as “the baby blues,” i.e., mood swings that happen in the first two weeks postpartum but then lessen or resolve soon after.
 
On the other hand, having continued intense anxiety, scary thoughts, and feeling very anxious about your baby might mean you have postpartum anxiety or another postpartum mood disorder. In this case, the National Child and Mental Health Education Program recommends:

• Reaching out to your healthcare provider, a licensed therapist, or a therapy clinic
• Calling Postpartum Support International at 1-800-944-4PPD (4773), a free hotline offering support and resources to people experiencing signs of postpartum mood disorders
• Reaching out to trusted family and friends to share how you are feeling and to seek care and support
  

Finally, one of the most important things you can do as a childbirth educator is to destigmatize postpartum anxiety and postpartum mental health in general. One powerful way to do this is to find videos or invite parents to class who can share their own stories with postpartum mood disorders. In addition, opening up classroom discussions and answering questions from your clients is also a great way to break stigmas and empower clients to seek support and treatment if they develop symptoms in the future.

Postpartum anxiety may not yet have the recognition it deserves, but its impact on new parents is undeniable. By raising awareness and encouraging early recognition, we can help those affected find support sooner, paving the way for healthier recoveries and stronger starts to parenthood.

Wendy Wisner, Freelance Writer and Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)

Sources

Carlson K, Mughal S, Azhar Y, et al. 2025. Perinatal Depression. StatPearls.
 
Moms' Mental Health Matters. National Child and Mental Health Education Program. 2022.
 
Postpartum anxiety is invisible, but common and treatable. Harvard Health. 2021.
 
Zappas, Michelle P. et al. 2021. Postpartum Anxiety. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, Volume 17, Issue 1, 60 – 64.

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