7 Ways to Combat Postpartum Anxiety

I love the newborn phase of babyhood. I am happy tired. Having an infant in my home feels so special and is it's own kind of magic.

Imagine my confusion when instead of the exhausted contentment I have felt with my previous births, I began feeling an overwhelming sense of anxiety and intrusive thoughts after my third baby was born.

Postpartum anxiety is anxiety that occurs in a mother anytime after giving birth up to the first year.

When writing the title of this post I intentionally chose the word "combat". For me, managing postpartum anxiety feels like a daily battle.

Here are 7 things I'm doing right now to manage postpartum anxiety.

Work with a doctor:

• In addition to the 8 week postpartum follow-up with my OBGYN, I scheduled a physical with my primary care doctor at four months postpartum. I felt this would be helpful in order to do a complete lab work up, talk about my concerns and see what adjustments I could make. Communication has been ongoing.

Prioritize sleep:

• There is definitely a newborn sleep deprivation phase where you feel like a zombie. But after that subsides...I used to still stay up quite late because I loved having time in the evening to myself to reset. This continues to be a nightly goal but I have gotten so much better at getting ready for bed early in the evening and then hopping straight into bed at the first signs of head bobbing while reading/watching etc. I haven't tried setting a set bedtime for myself but this would be my next step!

Start seeing a therapist:

• Several months ago I started working with a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. This has been huge for me and is the first time I've seen a therapist consistently. Why did I wait so long!? It's been so helpful to work through thoughts and feelings and also find a trusted professional that can help me through this journey.

Be okay with Good Enough:

• I have a lot of perfectionist attributes by nature and I been working on reframing my thinking and being okay with good enough. I found that as I sought to make things "Better" I often ended up just not finishing/writing/posting etc whatever "it" was. Something is better than nothing. Just do the thing and move on!

Exercise Everyday:

• I know that physical movement is so important and yet I really let this area of my life take a nose dive for several months. Over the last 6 weeks or so, I've exercised nearly every day. This is not my season for high intensity workouts, but for me it looks like 15 minutes on my treadmill doing a combination of running and walking. Eventually this may look like more but for now this has been a game changer for my mood. Endorphins, I'm talking to you!

Eat Real Food:

• Every mama with a newborn knows that even though you might be so hungry, it's easy to get caught up in taking care of everyone else so you don't always prioritize your own food. That is not going to help anyone! I generally plan 3 cooked meals a week (we love leftovers so this works for us) and make sure to have a variety of easy real food snacks and lunch items readily available.

Give myself grace and not guilt:

• This is ongoing. Some days I am better at this than others but I try to talk to myself like I'm talking to my best friend. Would I say XYZ to my bestie? If not, then it doesn't belong in my internal dialogue!

Bonus but most important to me: Make time for God: I take a few minutes at the start of each day to pray and connect with God. I read a verse or two of scripture and sometimes more if I have time and it really helps calm my soul.

Am I still dealing with postpartum anxiety? Yes. But doing these things turns that internal volume way down. I feel hope, support and clarity I didn't feel when I wasn't prioritizing my health and well-being. By doing these things, I am better able to show up for my three girls and Nate. I feel more present enjoying our little life, instead of watching nervously from the sidelines.

Do you struggle with postpartum anxiety or depression? If so, what have you done to get the support you need?