Whether or not you’ve ever held a newborn baby in your arms, most of us know how fragile they are. They cannot hold their head up properly, so you have to make sure to support it. They also have a self-destruct button on the top of their heads, also known as a soft spot or fontanelle. In other words, one has to be extra careful when dealing with them. But can one not be too careful?
In the following story, the mother of a newborn girl is very protective of her child. Maybe a little too much so as it’s starting to worry her husband, who barely gets any one-on-one time with his daughter. Scroll down to read the story in full.
Having a baby is both extremely magical and extremely worrying
Image credits: Foto Phanatic (not the actual photo)
Unfortunately, in some cases, the worry might even overshadow the magic. This is exactly what happened in the following story
Image credits: Kelly Sikkema (not the actual photo)
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Courtney Kammers (not the actual photo)
Image credits: DangerousVegetableIg
This level of anxiety seems unhealthy
Just like many commentators pointed out, the author’s wife’s actions are not healthy. Her worry levels seem to be over the top, and many believe that she might be suffering from postpartum anxiety.
Postpartum anxiety is a common issue that many new moms face. That is around 10–15% of them. The symptoms include:
- Persistent sense of danger and racing thoughts
- Excessive worry of the baby’s safety, health, and development
- Trouble falling and staying asleep
- Constant agitated feeling, jitters, or even panic attacks
In the case of postpartum anxiety, the worry is usually unreasonable. Moms might feel like their child is not developing well, even though they are on track. They might be monitoring their baby’s heartbeat and breathing all the time because they are afraid of losing them. Every little cry induces fear as they believe the baby might be in pain.
Image credits: Sarah Chai (not the actual photo)
The mother might need professional help to overcome her worries
Postpartum anxiety is caused by a lot of factors that pile up on new mothers. That is stress, the lack of sleep, societal pressure, and relationship changes. This is all then emphasized by hormonal fluctuations that happen after birth. Managing it all can really be a lot.
One thing is for sure—a little bit of professional help can go a long way here. So, contacting a physician might be the best course of action. They might recommend talk therapy and mindfulness exercises. If the situation is more severe, they might also suggest to take anti-anxiety medications that work for breastfeeding mothers.
Either way, the couple has a lot to work through, but if they can be there for each other, things should work out.
Image credits: Juan Pablo Serrano Arenas (not the actual photo)
People in the comments showed a lot of support for the author
Some also advised on the next steps to take to remedy the situation
