52 HAWAII PARENT November/December 2024 to balance your mood and will allow you to experience the sweet moments of motherhood by lifting any curtain of worry and pain. Reach out to friends and family for verbal encouragement and assistance with your new baby. Hearing that you’re doing the right things as a mom can be both uplifting and reassuring. Support Systems: Lean on Family, Friends, and Your Partner What helped me the most when I was feeling alone and overwhelmed was to talk with other mom friends on the phone, and to have family and friends come to my home for spending time and chatting. Explain your emotions and what you’re thinking/feeling to your partner so they will be aware of how to support you during this difficult time. I also joined a mommyand-me group that I could look forward to each week–a forum for sharing struggles and health concerns. answers on social media and the Internet. This may actually intensify your symptoms. Coming across tragic stories will simply make your situation worse. Rely on a physician instead of Google. Recognizing the Symptoms: When to Seek Help Among the symptoms are trouble bonding with your baby, inability to get out of bed, excessive worrying, anger/irritability, gripping fear, panic attacks, extreme loneliness and hopelessness, questioning if you should have actually become a mother, or thoughts of harming yourself or your baby. Medication and Therapy: Lifting the Curtain of Worry If this seems somewhat familiar, request a screening by your OB or pediatrician. Make an appointment with a psychologist to discuss how you’re feeling. Don’t be afraid to ask about medication. It may help “Maybe you’re thinking, is this normal or something more?” It’s hard to know what’s normal if you’re a new mom.
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