The Difference Between Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Anxiety

When comparing postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety, what's the difference? We explain what each is in this guide for new mothers.

Did you know that as many as 1 out of 7 women will experience postpartum depression? You might be familiar with this type of depression, but you might not be familiar with postpartum anxiety. Many women may not know the difference between these two conditions, and some may be wrongly diagnosed with postpartum depression even if they might be suffering from anxiety instead.

But what is the difference between these two conditions? How similar are they and is one more serious than the other? Keep reading and learn more about the difference between these two conditions below.

What You Need to Know About Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression has to do with experiencing depression to some degree after giving birth. This may seem counterintuitive.

Isn't giving birth supposed to be one of the happiest moments in a woman's life? This is exactly why postpartum depression can be so confusing and hard to deal with for so many women. It isn't exactly known why this type of depression may affect some women and not others.

Many believe that it has to do with all the high levels of hormones in a woman's body during pregnancy and after giving birth. These hormones can easily affect a woman's mood and make her feel not like herself. This type of depression is also known as baby blues.

Fortunately, this type of depression goes away on its own after a few weeks or months. For that reason, treatment may not be necessary. However, there are some cases in which this depression may last for a much longer period and treatment may be necessary.

This type of depression can also manifest itself in different ways. Some of the symptoms include mood swings, feeling overwhelmed, appetite issues, trouble sleeping, and so on. A woman may also feel that she is not a good mother or that she won't be able to have a healthy bond with her baby.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Some women may even have trouble focusing on certain tasks, be unable to complete tasks, or feel agitated most or all of the time. Again, most of these symptoms have to do with the hormones in a woman's body. After giving birth, those hormones will start to calm down and return to their normal levels.

At that point, the woman will start to feel more like herself again and she should find it much easier to bond with her baby. Breastfeeding is a good way for a mother to bond with her child. However, some women may have trouble breastfeeding.

In this case, a breast pump can be a perfect alternative. A good breast pump will extract milk from the breasts so that the baby can benefit from the unique nutrients that breast milk has to offer.

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a great way to screen for both postpartum anxiety and depression. If the woman has a very low score, she may not have either condition. If the score is somewhat low, she may only have postpartum anxiety.

On the other hand, if the score is high, she may have postpartum anxiety and depression. Interpersonal therapy and antidepressant medications are some of the best treatments. The benefit of interpersonal therapy is that the woman will have someone to talk to about her problems and feelings.

The benefit of the medication is that it can change the way the brain functions so that the woman will feel less depressed or anxious.

What You Need to Know About Postpartum Anxiety

What is postpartum anxiety and how does it compare with postpartum depression? As the name suggests, this condition is more of an anxious problem than a depression problem. However, the two conditions do share many similarities, which is why those who have anxiety may often be grouped in with those who have postpartum depression.

However, this type of anxiety does have a few unique characteristics. This condition mainly has to do with the new mother feeling very anxious after giving birth. She may not even know what she feels anxious about, but she still may feel a strong sense of worry and nervousness.

On the other hand, some women may know exactly what they're feeling anxious about. They may worry that they are not a good mother, or they may fear that something terrible will happen to their baby if they leave the baby alone for even a minute.

A woman with postpartum anxiety may even be afraid of leaving the baby with trusted individuals such as close relatives out of fear that something bad might happen to the baby.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Often, postpartum anxiety involves irrational fears that are hard for a woman to put aside. This anxiety may also manifest physical symptoms such as a racing heart, shortness of breath, difficulty sleeping, appetite problems, and so on.

This condition may also cause the new mother to act in an excessively controlling fashion or it may cause her to avoid certain situations, especially new situations involving her child.

She may even be reluctant to introduce her baby to other children of the same age. She may want to keep the baby away from close relatives and friends as well. Depending on the severity of this condition, treatment may or may not be necessary.

Interpersonal therapy, as mentioned before, is often a good option as it will allow the woman to talk about her fears and worries and put them into perspective. Doing this can make her fears feel far less intrusive and, over time, this condition should fade and no longer be a problem.

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale can determine whether the woman suffers from postpartum anxiety, depression, or both. Medication seems to be more helpful in treating postpartum anxiety than therapy alone. For the best results, it is recommended that the woman do therapy and take medication together.

Postpartum Anxiety and Postpartum Depression

Postpartum anxiety and depression are two serious issues that may occur after a woman has given birth. Instead of feeling happy about her new baby, a woman may feel sad, fearful, or extremely anxious. Fortunately, these conditions usually go away on their own or with a bit of treatment.

Breastfeeding or using a breast pump to feed the new baby is often a good idea since it allows the mother and child to bond. Set up an account today to order a breast pump through your insurance. Once you Set up an account today to order a breast pump through your insurance. Once you setup your account you will be able to take the EPDS test as well. You can also give us a call at (888) 977-2229 to talk to one of our experts about our women’s mental health services.

About the Author

Cindy Puppos is 1 Natural Way's Customer Service Manager, so she has a good idea of all the different and wonderful questions that moms have for her team. Thankfully, as the mother of two boys (who are now grown!) and a veteran of the company and breastfeeding, Cindy is always knowledgeable about breastfeeding, pumping and all the latest and greatest pumps!