What is perinatal anxiety?
Perinatal anxiety refers to anxiety experienced either before or after giving birth.
What is perinatal anxiety?
If it occurs during pregnancy, it is known as antenatal or prenatal anxiety. If it happens in the year following childbirth, it is called postnatal or postpartum anxiety. Some individuals may experience both forms.
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If you experience anxiety specifically about childbirth, this is called ‘tokophobia’. The charity Tommy’s has information about tokophobia and what support is available.
Signs and symptoms of perinatal anxiety
You might be concerned about how you’ll manage as a new parent, or you may have anxieties about your baby’s health and whether you’re doing the right things. However, if these worries begin to impact your daily life, it’s important to seek help.
If you're experiencing perinatal anxiety, you might notice these physical symptoms:
- A churning sensation in your stomach
- Feeling light-headed or dizzy
- Experiencing pins and needles
- Feeling restless or unable to stay still
- Suffering from headaches, backaches, or other aches and pains
- Breathing faster
- A fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat
- Sweating or experiencing hot flushes
- Struggling to sleep, even when you have the opportunity
- Grinding your teeth, particularly at night
- Feeling nauseous
- Needing to use the toilet more or less frequently
- Changes in your sex drive
- Experiencing panic attacks
Perinatal anxiety might also cause you to:
- Feel tense, nervous, or unable to relax
- Experience a sense of dread, or fear the worst
- Feel as though the world is speeding up or slowing down
- Worry that others can see your anxiety and are watching you
- Feel that you can’t stop worrying, or fear that something bad will happen if you do stop
- Become anxious about anxiety itself, such as worrying about when panic attacks may occur
- Seek excessive reassurance from others or worry that people are angry or upset with you
- Fear that you are losing touch with reality
- Worry excessively about potential future events, for example, concerns about yours or your baby’s safety
- Ruminate – frequently think about negative experiences or obsessively reflect on a situation (this may occur if you’ve had a traumatic birth experience)
- Depersonalise – feel disconnected from your mind or body, or as if you are observing yourself from outside (this is a form of dissociation)
- Derealisation – feel detached from the world around you, or as if the world is unreal (this is another form of dissociation)
Anxiety and depression
Many people know that it’s possible to become depressed after having a baby. However, it’s also common for parents to experience anxiety during pregnancy and after childbirth. Often, depression and anxiety occur together.
Treatments for perinatal anxiety
If you’re concerned that you might be suffering from perinatal anxiety, it’s important to speak to your GP or health visitor. Your doctor will discuss treatment options with you, allowing you to jointly decide on the best approach for your needs.
Talking therapy
Your doctor is most likely to offer you a therapy called cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
Your local mental health services may also run specific counselling or group programmes for anxiety. You can speak to your GP to find out what’s available.
If there are long waiting lists for talking therapies in your area, your doctor may recommend that you try an alternative to therapy. These can help you manage your mental health while you’re on the waiting list.
Self-help resources
Your doctor might provide you with access to online CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) programmes that you can try on your own. Alternatively, they may recommend self-help books to help you learn how to manage your anxiety.
Medication
If you were already taking medication for an anxiety disorder before pregnancy, your doctor may talk to you about your options. This might be to continue with your medication. Or to stop and change to a talking therapy, such as CBT.
If you have any concerns about taking medication, you can talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
A combination of talking therapy and medication
Your doctor might suggest a mix of counselling and medication. Some individuals discover that combining medication with counselling enhances their therapy experience. However, some find either medication or counselling alone more beneficial.
If you were already on medication for anxiety before becoming pregnant, your doctor might recommend adding counselling, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). If your symptoms haven’t improved with just counselling or medication, your doctor may advise using both.
Get support
Talk with a trained professional about your thoughts and feelings with out free counselling and private counselling service for people over the age of 18.