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Canberra Health Services
Health Information Sheet | Canberra Health Services

Your Feelings Matter

How you feel matters, for you, your baby, and your relationships

Having a baby can be one of the most exciting and challenging things you will ever do. Some days you may feel joy, happiness, and delight. Other days you may feel anxious, overwhelmed, and confused. This can be completely normal. If these feelings do not go away and get in the way of your day-to-day life, it is important to seek help. This information can help you understand what you may be feeling and where you can get help.

Baby blues

After birth, usually between the third and fifth day, you might experience ‘the baby blues.’ You may feel tearful, emotional, distressed, or irritable. This is normal and is likely due to the changes in your hormone levels. If these feelings do not pass, it is important to seek help. It may be a sign of other postnatal mental health conditions. These include postnatal depression and/or anxiety. This can happen in the first year after having a baby.

Postnatal depression

Postnatal depression is a common, but draining condition that affects one in seven women following the birth of their baby. Unlike the baby blues which passes on its own, postnatal depression can be long-lasting, and affect your ability to cope with a new baby.

Some symptoms to look for:

  • sad, teary and in a low mood
  • unable to enjoy anything
  • difficulty bonding or connecting with your baby
  • numb and empty
  • exhausted
  • anxious, tense, or angry
  • lack of interest in caring for yourself or your baby
  • like you might harm yourself or your baby
  • like you do not want to be alive.

If you are experiencing a number of these symptoms, and they last for two weeks or more in the first year after having your baby. You may be experiencing postnatal depression.

Postnatal anxiety

Feelings and thoughts of uncertainty are normal while you are getting used to being a parent. If your feelings and thoughts are getting in the way of doing things. Making life tasks difficult. You may be experiencing postnatal anxiety. Postnatal anxiety is often described as experiencing racing thoughts that keep coming back. Causing a range of physical and emotional symptoms.

Some symptoms to look for:

  • feelings of fear and worry which begin to ‘take over’ your thinking
  • feeling irritable, restless, tense or constantly ‘on edge’
  • racing heart/strong palpitations–sometimes panic attacks
  • reoccurring worrying thoughts–you think that you are not doing things right
  • fearing something terrible will happen
  • unable to sleep, even when you have the opportunity
  • avoiding situations for fear that something bad will happen.

Postnatal psychosis

Postnatal psychosis is a rare but serious mental health illness. It can happen within hours to weeks after the birth of your baby. It needs urgent attention and treatment. Women with a prior diagnosis of bipolar illness are at greater risk. Yet, it can happen to people with no prior mental health illness. It may be partly caused by the sudden hormonal changes after birth. Also due to decreased sleep for new mothers.

Some postnatal psychosis symptoms to look for:

  • scattered or confused thinking
  • mood swings and behaviour changes
  • feeling disorientated or losing touch with reality
  • seeing or hearing things that are not there, also called hallucinations
  • feeling that everyone is against you, or that something very wrong is going on with you, your baby, or the world.
  • It is essential to get urgent medical help if you think your experiencing symptoms of postnatal psychosis. If you have any symptoms of postnatal psychosis, please get help immediately by calling 000.
    Or Access Mental Health on 1800 629 354 if you live in the ACT.
    Or Mental Health Access Line on 1800 011 511 if you live in NSW.

Support available for postnatal depression and anxiety–you are not alone!

It is important to seek help so you can reduce the impacts of postnatal depression and anxiety on you, your life, and your family.

You can seek help by:

  • talking with family, and friends
  • talking with your Maternal, Child, and Family Health (MACH) Nurse and/or midwife at your appointments
  • calling the Early Parenting Support Line (02) 5124 1775 to talk with a MACH nurse and/or midwife
  • talking to your GP/doctor
  • self-refer to Tresillian QE11 Centre 1300 272 736 (a residential centre where you can go and stay with your baby).
  • Contact the Child and Family Centres

Further resources

canberrahealthservices.act.gov.au