Moms Are Suffering: 3 Ways the Pandemic Aggravates Postpartum Anxiety
Tags: Moms, Health, Mental Health, Baby, Postpartum

Moms Are Suffering: 3 Ways the Pandemic Aggravates Postpartum Anxiety lleTTonna Jul 23·10 min read

Let’s be honest: Welcoming a new baby into the world can be a daunting time for moms. After pregnancy, it’s completely normal to worry about whether your baby is eating well, getting enough rest, and if you’ll ever be able to recover from that hectic sleep schedule. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, pregnant women and new moms may experience heightened levels of anxiety and depression as they prepare their newborns for a world of strict social distancing and lockdown procedures.

It is clear that the pandemic is taking a turn for the better now, with the introduction of novel vaccines and the end of lockdown procedures. But it may be too late, as the long-lasting effects of the pandemic are already taking a heavy toll on moms dealing with postpartum anxiety. These are new challenges for today’s mothers that most moms in previous years did not have to face. These challenges will have serious consequences for mothers and their newborns in the long run.

Lack of Emotional Support

For starters, studies have shown that mothers with children at home are more likely to have a lack of emotional support during the pandemic. As the virus rapidly spreads across the world, it has led to a great deal of fear and worry for everyone. New moms have already got their hands full with the duties and responsibilities of caring for a new baby, and the pandemic is not making it any easier for them.

Therapists have also made major adjustments to their careers during the course of the pandemic to accommodate for the increased reports of mental health issues. Most of these therapists feel pressured to take on far more than they can handle due to the increased demand for mental health care workers. Many people tend to overlook the fact that these therapists are also adjusting to a new normal.

After all, therapists are human too; they can only take so much. Many face anxiety and stress during the pandemic and are unable to meet the increased demands without straining their own mental health. As a result, moms may not be getting access to or reaching out for emotional support during the pandemic. There are not enough therapists available to meet the needs of the general population, causing moms with postpartum anxiety to further suffer from their mental health issues.

Strict social distancing policies prevent moms from gathering in social settings and getting out of the house as often as they used to. Due to this, they are unable to seek the help they desperately need. Most of their social interactions have been limited to virtual calls and conversations with close family members. Emotional support groups are available but can be costly and time-consuming. After all, it can be hard for a new mom to find someone who is able to watch her baby for the evening, let alone finding some time for her personal life or a weekly support group.

Although immediate family members are still available to discuss mental health concerns, many moms live on their own or would much rather discuss their concerns with a therapist upfront. Even if they arrange to meet with a therapist or virtually interact with members outside of their family, many moms do not experience the same sentimental feeling that comes with discussing mental health matters face-to-face.

Having some concern and worry as a new parent can be healthy as it shows that you have genuine love and care for your bundle of joy. However, too much of something is never a good sign. Anxiety is how the body naturally responds to stressful events. It can usually be identified by feeling fear and nervousness, which can interfere with day-to-day activities. These feelings may be difficult to deal with or avoid during the pandemic. They can even lead to post-partum depression if they manifest into feelings of extreme sadness. In extreme cases, this could even lead to a lack of interest in your newborn baby.

These feelings of anxiety are worsened when moms feel restricted and unable to access sources for help due to the nature of strict lockdown and self-isolation procedures that have been implemented. Symptoms of postpartum anxiety can start during pregnancy and worsen over time, making the process of childbirth even more nerve-racking than it already is.

Without emotional support, moms battling postpartum anxiety may experience intense feelings of loneliness and isolation. It is critical for moms to have access to resources in order to discuss these feelings of isolation, otherwise the feelings could get worse and cause the mother to have unpleasant attitudes about their baby. Unresolved symptoms could lead to serious short-term and long-term consequences for a mother’s relationship with her newborn.

Contracting the Virus

COVID-19 poses substantial risks and challenges for new moms during the pandemic, even if they have not been directly infected by the virus. Social distancing and lockdown policies have increased the prevalence of postpartum anxiety in new moms. The pandemic has increased feelings of loneliness, isolation, and anxiety for moms.

Studies have shown that contracting the COVID-19 virus has been linked with anxiety. The Lancet Psychiatry journal published a study where patients with COVID-19 recorded whether they experienced symptoms of mental health disorders after testing positive. They found that within 3 months of testing positive for the coronavirus, about 20% of the patients suffered from one or more mental health disorders, including anxiety, depression or insomnia. About a quarter of these people had never been diagnosed with a mental health disorder before.

It’s also important to realize that this is only a small sample of the population and it’s more than likely that a greater percentage of the population has suffered from mental health issues during this period of time. Studies from NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre and the University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry have shown that patients with pre-existing mental health issues were 65% more likely to be tested positive for COVID-19 than those without any mental health-related issues.

So, what does this mean for us? Well, it’s safe to say that mothers who are diagnosed with COVID-19 are at a greater risk of suffering from postpartum anxiety or depression, especially those who have experienced postpartum anxiety in the past.

To make matters even worse, a common long-term symptom after having COVID-19 is known as post-viral fatigue. It manifests as symptoms of muscle pain, shortness of breath, and excessive fatigue or tiredness. Recovery can take a long time and varies for each person, but it most definitely does not help to be dealing with these symptoms alongside postpartum anxiety. Excessive feelings of fatigue can lead to mental and physical exhaustion, especially when caring for a baby. With gyms and parks being closed-off during the pandemic, physical exercise is not as easily accessible as it used to be, making it harder to recover from post-covid fatigue and postpartum anxiety.

Speaking with a doctor can help you manage the symptoms and figure out how to reduce feelings of tiredness. Most physicians will tell you to get enough rest (not too much or too little) and to let time do the healing. It’s also been suggested that symptoms do not always improve with rest. For mothers that are already dealing with altered sleep schedules and consistent feelings of tiredness, dealing with the long-term effects of COVID-19 can make postpartum anxiety more intense than it already is.

In more extreme cases of COVID-19, patients are placed in intensive care units where they require mechanical ventilators and other machines to aid their breathing. Surviving this is enough to make mothers more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression during the postpartum period. In addition to concerns about their own health, they need to make sure that they are feeding their baby on time, attending to their child’s needs, and keeping the baby company during the first few months of development. Even if they leave the baby with a caretaker or family member, it is stressful for a new mother to be separated from her newborn.

As we have seen, testing positive for COVID-19 can increase the intensity of postpartum anxiety, making it harder to recover and return to a balanced and normal lifestyle. As well, testing negative for the virus can also lead to feelings of intense anxiety during the postpartum period. Moms are silently suffering in more ways than we can imagine and the pandemic is only making it worse for them.

Dealing with Sudden Loss

Lockdown procedures prevent moms from going out and staying active in the community as they once were able to. Moms are now forced to stay in and spend more time scrolling through social media and watching the news. They are constantly being exposed to tragic events, stories of death and illness during the pandemic which makes it harder for moms to stay optimistic about their child’s future. Expecting moms may question whether they want to bring a child into a world of isolation and social distancing practices, as these restrictions can have a huge impact on their child’s development during the first few months of life.

The loss of loved ones is also making it harder to deal with postpartum anxiety. Being exposed to high suicide rates on the news can further lead to feelings of grief and sorrow. New mothers should express their feelings of sorrow following the death of a loved one. This grief is a natural response to loss, and it can help to reach out to family and friends for a shoulder to cry on. However, it may not be easy to find a shoulder when strict social distancing policies prevent you from seeing your friends and family.

Grief plays a role in hormone production during pregnancy and can lead to imbalances for both the mother and the child. We know that pregnancy causes drastic changes to hormone levels, and if these changes happen during the same time as grief, then you may experience unpleasant symptoms. The hormones affected by grief during pregnancy include serotonin (mood hormone) and cortisol (stress hormone). The fetus is also affected by these hormone changes which may cause long-lasting effects on the developing child.

Aside from the internal changes that occur when you grieve during pregnancy, physical symptoms may become worse if loss and pregnancy are occurring at the same time. Symptoms include, difficulty sleeping, digestive issues, as well as aching pain. These symptoms, along with a sudden loss, can increase the risk and severity of postpartum anxiety or depression.

If the grief is severe and has the potential to delay child development, a mother may be overwhelmed and feel responsible for the abnormal development for her child. These emotions could enhance postpartum anxiety, lead to greater stress and worsen the feelings of grief. Studies have shown that mothers dealing with the loss of a loved one during pregnancy delivered babies that were smaller in weight or had to deliver by C-section.

As mentioned earlier, the environment of the womb affects the developing fetus, and poor living conditions may contribute to long-term issues for the child. Intense feelings of grief felt by mom increase the child’s risk of developing anxiety, ADHD, and other cognitive defects. There is also a greater risk of stillbirth when moms are dealing with grief during pregnancy. When mothers provide an unsuitable environment for their child, they may feel like a burden which can further worsen symptoms of postpartum anxiety.

Mothers should be expressing their feelings if they are dealing with a sudden loss. Although they are not intentionally harming their child, they cannot help but feel responsible for any defects their baby may develop. It is extremely important for mothers to realize that it is not their fault, and that unexpected events happen, and are out of their control. All that matters is how you deal with these feelings and that you have chosen to tackle them moving forward.

Staying on the internet and seeing others go out and have fun during the pandemic makes it harder to deal with grief during the postpartum stage. It can be hard to avoid seeing people enjoy their lives online, and it is not always easy to turn off your phone or close your laptop when you are constantly inside the house. Feelings of missing out and sudden grief indicate that postpartum anxiety is waiting just around the corner for new moms.

As we have seen, moms are suffering due to a lack of emotional support during the pandemic, which prevents them from getting the help they need. Studies have shown that contracting the virus can worsen symptoms of depression and anxiety for moms. It is also unfortunate that many new moms have to deal with a sudden loss of family or friends during the pandemic. Taking all these factors into account, it is obvious that the pandemic is only aggravating symptoms of postpartum anxiety for new moms.

With the pandemic keeping moms at home, it’s been difficult to connect with others and get help during times of distress. We must work together because this is not just a problem for the moms in our communities; these moms will raise children who will lead our communities and shape our future.

Author

Malaika Matin, Radha Sharma, Mateusz Faltyn

lleTTonna

lleTTonna is a Canadian organization whose mission is to help mothers and their families thrive throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period via the development of innovative and personalized mental healthcare technologies.

Designed in consultation with physicians, psychologists, nurses, social workers, and women who have recovered from postpartum depression and anxiety, MomsOverMatter is a free web application that delivers information regarding personalized treatment options for postpartum depression and related disorders based on user-generated responses to validated questionnaires.

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*Disclaimer: The content in this article is for informational purposes only and does not represent any form of formal diagnosis or medical recommendation. Only a trained healthcare professional can make diagnoses or recommendations. If you are concerned, please consult your healthcare professional.