When Perinatal Anxiety Doesn’t Go Away After Delivery

Author:

Hayley Snelling

B.S. Psychology

Editor:

Emma Loker

B.S

Did you know that up to one in five people experience perinatal anxiety?¹ Postpartum depression often gets the spotlight, but perinatal anxiety after delivery is just as important to talk about. When those anxious feelings don’t fade after your baby arrives, it may not just be stress. It could be a sign of a deeper, underlying issue.

For some women, worries come and go. Yes, you’ll be worried that you’re taking good care of your baby, as all mothers do. But these feel manageable, and with the support and reassurance of others, these ease. But for other new moms, intense worries and racing thoughts can keep bothering you long after you give birth. They can interfere with your daily life and how much you enjoy being a mom. In this case, these may not be the typical worries that come with being a new mother: They could be a sign of postpartum mental health issues.

If you or someone you love is struggling with postpartum anxiety, you’re not alone. There is support and treatment available. Keep reading below to find out:

What is perinatal anxiety?
Recognizing the signs of perinatal anxiety
Importance of early intervention
Treatment options for perinatal anxiety
Coping strategies to help you manage
How to seek support

Understanding Perinatal Anxiety

Some anxiety or worry can be expected after the arrival of a new baby. But, if these worries become all-consuming, or you have what’s called “irrational” fears about things unlikely to happen, then you may be experiencing postpartum anxiety. Unfortunately, these fears can be difficult to detect when you’re in the midst of them – but that’s what this page is for!

Perinatal anxiety covers a range of anxiety disorders that you can experience during pregnancy or after giving birth. They can include generalized anxiety, panic, and social anxiety.

Perinatal anxiety can begin during pregnancy (also called prenatal anxiety), and most commonly starts between giving birth and six weeks after.² Postpartum anxiety is the name for when it begins after giving birth, and usually up to a year afterward.

How Common Is Postpartum Anxiety?

Sometimes, the anxiety you feel during pregnancy doesn’t go away once you’ve given birth. It can last weeks, even months, after delivery. It isn’t an uncommon condition, either.

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, around one in twelve women experience generalized anxiety in the first six months after giving birth. Social anxiety can be an issue for up to 7% of women soon after birth, and panic disorder occurs in up to three in every hundred new mothers within the first ten weeks after delivery.²

So, if you’re struggling with this right now, know that you’re one of many women, and there is help out there. More on this soon.

Risk Factors for Perinatal Anxiety

There are many risk factors for perinatal and postpartum anxiety. These factors can either put you at a higher likelihood of developing postpartum anxiety or contribute to chronic anxiety after childbirth. These include:^2-4

Having previously had an anxiety disorder or mental health condition
Family history of anxiety
Big life changes
Lack of support from partner or family
Sleep deprivation
Changes in hormones
Difficult or complex pregnancy
Childbirth complications
Health challenges for mom or baby
Prior pregnancy loss
History of abuse or domestic violence
An unplanned or unwanted pregnancy
Pregnancy loss
Preterm birth

If you are feeling completely overwhelmed right now, it’s understandable. Just remember that help is available. Perinatal anxiety can be treated very effectively once you get the right help. But to do that you need to know what signs to look out for.

Signs of Postpartum Anxiety

If you’ve had anxiety before, you may know the signs to look out for. But if it’s a new experience, you might not be sure what’s ‘normal’ anxiety compared to ‘problem’ anxiety.

Anxiety can affect you physically, emotionally, and behaviorally, and the symptoms can feel anything from mild to severe. Here are some of the main symptoms of perinatal and postpartum anxiety to keep watch for:^3,4

Physical Signs of Postpartum Anxiety

Problems sleeping or not wanting to sleep
Racing heart or palpitations
Feeling sick or stomach aches
Excessive sweating
Feeling shaky
Feeling like you can’t catch your breath
Appetite loss
Restlessness
Feeling tense

Emotional and Mental Signs of Postpartum Anxiety

Trouble relaxing
Difficulty staying calm
Racing thoughts or intrusive thoughts
Worrying excessively
Irrational fears
Hard to focus
Feeling irritable, on edge, or scared

Behavioral Symptoms of Postpartum Anxiety

You avoid certain activities, people, or places
You keep checking things
You become controlling
You’re overly cautious about situations that aren’t really dangerous
You seem to constantly ask for reassurance from other people

Is It Postpartum Anxiety or Normal Worry?

Everyone gets anxious from time to time. It’s a natural response to feeling stressed or threatened. It keeps us safe from danger, and it’s short-term, not something that lasts for weeks or months.

You might feel anxious preparing for a test, and that anxiety can fuel you to study more. You may also get anxious when you start a new job because of the change and uncertainty it brings, but that will slowly fade once you get used to the new role and workplace.

Anxiety in new mothers isn’t unusual because you’ve been through a life-changing experience: You’ve given birth to a baby. But there’s a difference between the temporary ‘normal’ anxiousness, and postpartum anxiety.

Anxiety becomes a problem if it’s persistent, it feels overwhelming, or it interferes with your life on a day-to-day basis. For instance, if you stay awake all night because you’re afraid your baby will stop breathing or die in their sleep. This could be a sign of postpartum anxiety. Similarly, if you are scared to leave the house with your baby because something or someone might hurt them, then it may be time to seek outside support.

If anxiety is a problem for you, rest assured that many new mothers experience it – and it can absolutely be treated. You don’t have to continue to feel this way.

Evidence-Based Treatment for Postpartum Anxiety

Anxiety that persists after childbirth is challenging enough for you as a mom, but it can also affect your baby. Postpartum anxiety can negatively impact how you bond with your child, their feeding, infant mood, and their social-emotional development.⁵

So you see, treating anxiety is essential for not only you but your child’s development, too. Thankfully, there are a range of evidence-based treatment options available when looking at perinatal anxiety and treatment, with the most effective being medication and therapy. Let’s dive into each of them to find out more.

Postpartum Anxiety Therapy

Therapy is one of the first-line non-medication treatments for postpartum anxiety. Therapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), can be extremely effective in treating anxiety disorders. It helps to reduce symptoms both short- and long-term.^5,6

In CBT, you are given time and support during therapy sessions to process your emotions and learn new ways to cope with stress and worries. Homework is usually part of the deal so you can practice your new skills outside of sessions and discuss any challenges or achievements at your next appointment.

Medication

One of the most common treatments for anxiety is medication, and there are quite a few to choose from. The most frequently prescribed is a type of antidepressant called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). These work by leveling out the amount of serotonin in the brain, affecting your mood and how you feel. You may also be prescribed a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), tricyclic antidepressant (TCA), or benzodiazepine, as these can also reduce anxiety symptoms.⁷

If medication is a route you’d be interested in, it’s important to discuss it with your doctor, as some medications may be transferred through breastfeeding to your baby. You can find out more about the safety of antidepressant use in pregnancy and breastfeeding here.

Medication can take time to work, sometimes several weeks. It’s important to remember that they can level out your mood, but they don’t get to the root cause of the anxiety. That is why they are most effective when combined with therapy.⁸

Holistic Options for Postpartum Anxiety

Managing anxiety after pregnancy can feel like an uphill struggle. But some holistic lifestyle changes can really help, especially alongside therapy or medication. You can make these activities part of your daily routine to improve your overall well-being. Some ideas to start with are:

1. Sleep

Did you know that nearly half of people with anxiety have sleep problems and that insufficient sleep can make anxiety worse?⁹ You might wonder when you’ll get time to sleep with a new baby around, but you can try napping while your baby is sleeping. Or, if you have a partner or someone you trust, you could ask them to watch your baby while you nap. It may let you catch up on some much-needed rest.

2. Food

A healthy diet can improve your mental health and well-being.10 It can be tricky to find time to cook healthy meals as a new parent, so maybe you can lean on your support network for help, or find some nutritious take-away meals to give you a boost. But don’t feel guilty if you can’t. Sometimes, comfort food is exactly what you need at the end of a hard day.

3. Exercise

Exercise may be the last thing you want to do when you’ve just had a baby, but physical movement can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and boost your feel-good hormones.⁸ Things like taking your baby for a walk in their stroller, dancing with them in the kitchen, or going to a mother-baby yoga class absolutely count as exercise.

4. Mindfulness

Slowing down your mind and being present in the moment can reduce stress levels, and doesn’t have to take long. You could follow along with a one-minute breathing or mindfulness exercise online or take time to really savor every bite of a meal once your newborn is asleep.¹¹

Coping with anxiety after delivery can be a challenge. But with the right help, things will get easier, and possibly quicker than you realize.

Family and Community Support

Looking after your anxiety and mental health after delivery isn’t something you have to do alone. Your support network can help you. This may include people like:

Your Partner, Friends, or Family

Talk with your loved ones and let them know how you’re feeling and how they can help. Most people, especially your partner, are often happy to lend a hand, they just need to be told how to help. Whether it’s cooking a meal, running some errands, or looking after your bundle of joy for a couple of hours while you rest, see if they can help lighten your load.

Community Groups

Parenting can be a lonely time, especially if you’re struggling with your mental health. Fortunately, there are many support groups with new moms going through the exact same.

You could attend a local mommy and baby group to connect with other new moms. Groups can be a great source of emotional support, and you may pick up some good advice or tips from other mothers experiencing the same things as you. You could also reach out to mental health or perinatal groups to see if they offer support for mothers with postpartum anxiety.

Professional Help

You can talk with your doctor about how you are feeling and see how they can help. You could also speak to a mental health professional or make an appointment with a therapist. Mission Connection provides expert mental health services, including therapy and medication management, tailored to your needs.

Lessen Your Worries at Mission Connection

If you’re still feeling anxious weeks or months after giving birth, please know that you are not failing. Postpartum anxiety is a treatable condition that many mothers struggle with in silence. The good news is that you don’t have to do this alone.

Reaching out can feel scary, but it’s a powerful first step toward recovery. At Mission Connection, we are experts in treating mental health challenges such as postpartum anxiety. We work with you to create a completely individualized treatment plan based on your wants and needs, from therapy to medication management, support groups, residential treatment, and more.

Cost shouldn’t be a barrier to accessing the help you need, which is why we offer a variety of payment options. Click here for more details.

Whether you’re dealing with perinatal anxiety after delivery or ongoing anxiety that’s been hard to shake off, we will give you the care, compassion, and support that you deserve.

Reach out to us today by filling out our contact form, and begin your healing journey with Mission Connection.

References

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The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (n.d.) Summary of Perinatal Mental Health Conditions. ACOG. Retrieved June 12, 2025, from: https://www.acog.org/programs/perinatal-mental-health/summary-of-perinatal-mental-health-conditions
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