Pregnancy, as we all know, can do a number on your body — frequent trips to the bathroom, unusual cravings, sore breasts, and morning sickness. But we're usually prepared for it all, due in part to the myriad resources available detailing pregnancy changes and symptoms, neatly laid out week by week.
What's often not talked about are those weird postpartum symptoms most new moms experience in the fourth trimester.
While this may be because these postpartum symptoms are deeply personal in nature, it also stands to reason that many new moms think that because what's going on is so unusual, they're the only ones experiencing it.
I recently posed this question to "been there, done that" moms: What are the strangest postpartum symptoms you experienced? Here's what they had to say:
Your postpartum body: Weird side effects you might not have expected
Postpartum emotional changes and how to know when to seek help
Feelings of sadness, resentment, exhaustion, anger, or any combination of these are common after giving birth.
"You wonder how you're suddenly an adult changing poopy diapers. You cry, questioning, 'How did my partner make me think this was a good idea?' You think that you don't know what you're doing. At all," Laura Lifshitz wrote for Mom.com.
What may be unusual is when these feelings continue and turn into intrusive thoughts, extreme anxiety, or depression.
"The deciphering factor between postpartum depression, PPD, and the baby blues is that the baby blues are transient in nature and last roughly two weeks," perinatal mental health professional Jodi Drake, MA, PMH-C, CReC, told Mom.com. "If symptoms persist beyond two weeks, women are advised to seek help immediately and should be screened by their healthcare providers."
Reach out to your doctor if the postpartum emotional changes you experience extend beyond two weeks, or immediately if you feel you may harm yourself or your baby.
