Many mothers experience some or all of the following symptoms. If they do not get better or they worsen, please seek help:
- Anger or resentment towards those you love, including your baby
- Anxious thoughts
- Crying or weeping several times a day
- Exhaustion
- Feelings of guilt
- Feelings of shame
- Isolation
- Loneliness
- Sadness
You need to seek help as soon as possible, if you are experiencing these more serious symptoms:
- Appetite changes - have you loss your appetite or do you want to eat all of the time?Not feeling yourself
- Confusion
- Easily distracted and unable to concentrate
- Excessive crying - Every day, easily provoked, you don't feel better afterward.
- Feeling full of doubt
- Feeling totally drained - even your normal daily routines are more than you can manage.
- Feeling like you're 'just not yourself'
- Feeling overwhelmed - even picking up the phone to call a friend just seems too hard
- Feelings of shame - "everything is my fault!"
- Feelings of worthlessness
- Helplessness/Hopelessness - the feeling that nobody can help you, nobody cares what happens to you and/or there is no way out of this situation.
- Inability to laugh
- Loneliness
- Mood swings
- Neglecting to take care of your own basic hygiene and appearance.
- Panic attacks
- Physical symptoms - For example, heart beating fast, general achiness, headaches: Discuss physical symptoms with your midwife or doctor.
Call someone immediately to come and stay with you until you get more professional help, if you are experiencing any of the following:
- Frightening thoughts or fantasies
- Loss of control
- Thoughts of hurting yourself
- Thoughts of hurting your baby or someone else
- Visual or auditory hallucinations