pregnancy. Celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Adele and Serena Williams have been raising awareness on their personal experiences with postpartum mood disorders, normalizing them and helping to remove stigma. Is It Normal Worry or a Postpartum Mood Disorder? You may not even realize you have it. Maybe you’re thinking, “Is this normal motherhood worry or something more?” Postpartum mood disorders can feel most drastic to a firsttime mom who has no benchmark on how she should be feeling and who questions every little parenting decision she makes. She may be feeling pressure to do everything right. Avoid the Internet Trap: Seek Professional Help Instead Try to refrain from searching for some sort of Postpartum Mood Disorder beyond the expected emotional fluctuations referred to as “baby blues” (lasting around two weeks). Among these disorders are postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, postpartum OCD, postpartum PTSD and even postpartum psychosis. The Role of Hormonal Changes in Postpartum Mood Disorders These mood fluctuations result from the drastic neurobiological changes and hormones from giving birth and breastfeeding as your brain adjusts to help meet your new baby’s needs. Celebrities Bringing Awareness to Postpartum Mental Health Postpartum mood disorders are slowly coming to light as larger media platforms have helped to make this a hot topic for 50 HAWAII PARENT November/December 2024 Postpartum mood disorders can feel most drastic to first-time moms. “Postpartum anxiety is only one of several mood disorders that can happen after giving birth.”
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