Perinatal Depression, including postpartum depression, is a common mood disorder experienced by women during the perinatal period.

Symptoms:

• Feelings of anger, irritability and/or rage

• Lack of interest in the baby

• Disturbances of sleep and appetite

• Crying and sadness

• Feelings of guilt, shame or hopelessness

• Loss of interest, joy or pleasure in things you used to enjoy

• Possible thoughts of harming the baby or yourself

Perinatal anxiety can be experienced independently but is often combined with perinatal depression.

Symptoms:

• Constant worry

• Feeling that something bad might happen

• Racing thoughts

• Disturbances of sleep and appetite

• Inability to sit still

• Physical symptoms could include dizziness, hot flashes diarrhea and nausea

• Feelings of anger, irritability and/or rage

• Nervousness/on edge/anxious, trouble relaxing

Postpartum OCD is characterized by repetitive, unwanted, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and irrational, excessive urges to do certain actions (compulsions). These obsessions and compulsions often center around the health and safety of the pregnancy and/or baby.

Symptoms:

• Obsessions, also called intrusive thoughts, which are persistent, repetitive thoughts or mental images that are often related to the baby. These thoughts are very upsetting.

• Compulsions, where you may do certain things over and over again to reduce your fears and obsessions. This may include things like needing to clean constantly, checking things many times, counting, or reordering things and/or avoiding triggers.

• A sense of horror about these thoughts

• Fear of being left alone with the infant

• Hypervigilance in protecting the infant

Perinatal PTSD is caused by a traumatic or disappointing experience during pregnancy, delivery or postpartum. These traumas could include pregnancy complications, prolapsed cord, unplanned C-sections, use of vacuum extractor or forceps to deliver the baby, baby going to NICU, feelings of powerlessness and/or lack of support and reassurance during the delivery, severe physical complication or injury related to pregnancy or childbirth.

Symptoms:

• Flashback of a past traumatic event (which in this case may have been the childbirth itself)

• Nightmares

• Avoidance of reminders associated with the event, including thoughts, feelings, people, places and details of the event

• Persistent increased arousal (irritability, difficulty sleeping, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response)

• Anxiety and panic attacks

• Feeling a sense of unreality and detachment

• Avoidance of aftercare following a birth trauma