Prenatal & Postpartum Mental Health

Find support from the knowledgeable team at UNC Health Wayne if you experience depression, anxiety, or other symptoms of a mental health condition during and after pregnancy.

What Are Perinatal Mood Disorders?

During pregnancy and after your baby is born, it’s normal to experience a wide range of emotions. Pregnancy can be joyful and stressful, and so can caring for a newborn while recovering from birth. But If you have symptoms that are severe, worsening, or last longer than two weeks, it could be signs of a perinatal mood disorder. Perinatal mood disorders are treatable mental health conditions that can happen during pregnancy and up to a year after delivery.

Causes & Risk Factors

Anyone can develop a perinatal mood disorder, and you aren’t to blame if you have symptoms. There’s no single cause or reason they happen, but you may have a higher risk if you have:

• Experienced mental health conditions like depression or anxiety in the past, especially during or after a previous pregnancy
• Family history of mood disorders
• Lack of support from family members or friends
• Personal history of severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)
• Personal history of trauma

Prenatal & Postpartum Mental Health Conditions

Learn the signs of perinatal mood disorders, and reach out to UNC Health Wayne’s specialists if you need help.

Anxiety

Anxiety can interfere with your daily tasks and affect your quality of life. Talk to a doctor if you experience:

• Constant or severe worrying, which may include feelings of fear about your health or the safety of your baby
• Panic attacks, which can cause physical symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, feelings of losing control, and numbness or tingling

Bipolar Disorder

Many women are diagnosed for the first time with bipolar disorder during or after pregnancy. This condition has two mood phases: lows (depression) and highs (mania or hypomania). There are different types of bipolar disorder, and talking to your doctor and loved ones about any patterns or phases of your symptoms can help identify if you have a specific type.

Depression

Prenatal or postpartum depression (PPD) may cause symptoms like:

• Anger or irritability
• Changes in sleeping or eating habits
• Sadness
• Feelings of guilt, shame, or hopelessness
• Lack of interest in your baby or activities you usually enjoy
• Trouble concentrating
• Thoughts of hurting yourself

What are the Baby Blues?

After giving birth, many women experience the “baby blues” due to hormone changes, stress, lack of sleep, and exhaustion. The baby blues can come and go and cause you to feel sad or overwhelmed. Usually, the baby blues start in the first few days after delivery, then peak for about a week, and go away within two weeks. Symptoms that are severe or last longer could be due to postpartum depression.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

OCD that happens during or after pregnancy can cause you to have repetitive, scary, and unwanted thoughts. You may feel the need to do certain behaviors over and over to reduce the anxiety caused by those thoughts.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Past trauma or a traumatic or frightening childbirth can trigger PTSD. Symptoms include:

• Anxiety or depression
• Flashbacks (disturbing memories of the event)
• Avoidance of things related to the event

Postpartum Psychosis

Seek help right away if you or someone else has signs of postpartum psychosis:

• Confusion
• Feeling distrustful of others or paranoid
• Hallucinations (seeing things or hearing things that others can’t)
• Memory loss
• Mania, which means extreme energy, intense moods, over-activity, or delusions

When & How to Get Help

Help is available, and you deserve nonjudgmental support. If you have symptoms of a perinatal mood disorder:

• Contact your primary care doctor or obstetrician (OB)
• Search online for a mental health professional
• Call Wayne UNC’s maternity team at 919-731-6200

Plan to share:

• Symptoms you’re experiencing and how often
• How long you’ve been feeling this way
• How your symptoms affect your life and ability to do daily tasks

You can stay near your home in the Goldsboro area while accessing high-quality mental and behavioral health services from UNC Health Wayne. Rely on your care provider to evaluate symptoms, diagnose your condition, and recommend treatment options tailored to your needs and goals.

Treatment Services

You and your physician will work together to create a personalized plan to improve your mood and manage symptoms. Count on your doctor to listen and answer any questions you have.

Depending on your diagnosis, your plan may include:

• Counseling – Talk therapy with a compassionate, mental health professional who specializes in perinatal mood disorders
• Medications – Antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs, some of which are safer to take during pregnancy or while breastfeeding
• Getting help from loved ones so you can take time to rest and practice self-care

Support Groups & Resources

Take advantage of community resources, including many free options, offering services, tools, and social connections to boost your mental and emotional wellness.

Add additional page content here

UNC Health Wayne Resources

Explore parenting resources from UNC Health Wayne.