An estimated one in five pregnant and postpartum people struggle with their mental health, but mood and anxiety changes during and after a pregnancy can affect anyone, including mothers, fathers, birth parents and partners.
Symptoms range from mild to severe and can be different for everyone. Be sure to talk to your health care provider about your mental health and well-being during prenatal and postnatal visits.
The good news is help is available, and when you reach out for support, it gets better.
Take the First Step.
Also known as postpartum blues, the baby blues happen within a couple of days after birth, and usually go away on their own within two weeks. Four in five birth parents will have the baby blues. Partners can also experience emotional hardships.
Symptoms may include:
weepy periods and mood swings
irritability
fatigue
anxiety
confusion
appetite disturbances
Reach out to your partner, family and friends for support, and take care of yourself by resting and eating healthy foods.
If symptoms continue after two weeks, talk to your health care provider.
If you do not have health care provider, please visit a local walk-in clinic or access a virtual clinic.
The perinatal period includes pregnancy, post-loss, and 12 months postpartum (source: PSI, 2023).
There are many different forms of mental health disorders you might experience during pregnancy and after the birth of a child. They may be mild, moderate or severe.
Visit our Mental Health Services page or click the links provided above to find the support you need.
Perinatal depression may start during pregnancy or any time up to one year after the birth of a child. One person's experience with perinatal depression may look different from another's.
Symptoms may include:
constant worry
extreme worry and fears, often over the health and safety of your baby
feeling something bad is going to happen
racing thoughts
disturbances in sleep & appetite
panic attacks (shortness of breath, chest pain, a feeling of losing control)
inability to sit still
physical symptoms like dizziness, hot flashes and nausea
Perinatal Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
OCD is a type of anxiety disorder. Perinatal OCD is when you experience OCD during pregnancy or in the first year after giving birth.
Symptoms may include:
obsessions, also called intrusive thoughts, are repetitive, upsetting thoughts or images
compulsions, the need to avoid triggers to certain things over and over to reduce fears and obsessions (ie. needing to clean, check things many times, count or reorder things, etc.)
a sense of alarm about the obsessions
fear of being left alone with infant
hypervigilance in protecting infant
Postpartum Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is a type of anxiety disorder, often caused by a traumatic or frightening childbirth or past trauma.
Symptoms may include:
flashbacks or nightmares of the trauma with feelings of anxiety
avoidance of things related to the event
persistent increased arousal (irritability, difficulty sleeping, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response)
anxiety and panic attacks
The onset of postpartum psychosis is often sudden within the first two weeks after giving birth, but it can occur anytime in the first year.
Symptoms may include:
delusions or strange beliefs
hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there)
feeling very irritated
severe depression or flat affect
paranoia and suspiciousness
rapid mood swings
difficulty communicating at times
This condition is rare but dangerous, so it is important to get professional help right away.
New Dad Manual
Fathers and non-birthing parents can also experience mood changes during pregnancy and/or after the baby is born. Most symptoms of depression are similar across parents and partners, but they may show up differently for some people. Some common symptoms of depression in fathers and partners include:
Learn more about mental health changes for fathers and partners.
Don’t blame yourself
Take care of yourself
Take time for yourself
Get counselling
Consider medication
Be patient. It takes time for recovery.
Get started.
Take the first step toward feeling better by connecting with the care you deserve.
If you're having thought of suicide, or harm to self or others, call 911.
“I felt this wave of relief. Maybe I wasn’t overthinking this. Maybe I didn’t need to feel like this. I went to the doctor’s on Monday and was diagnosed with postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety.”
- Ellen’s story, Stories of Hope - Let's Talk About It
Best Start by Health Nexus. (2019). Pregnancy and life with a new baby is not always what you expect.
KFL&A Public Health. (n.d.) Partners can also experience perinatal mood disorder. https://www.kflaph.ca/en/health-topics/perinatal-mood-disorder.aspx
Perinatal Wellbeing Ontario. (n.d.) Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs). https://www.perinatalwellbeing.ca/_files/ugd/a41248_dc665c5e2d6d4636a48014
Postpartum Support International. (2023). We can help with perinatal mental health. https://www.postpartum.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023_04-PSI-FactSheet-Helpseeker-Margin.pdf9844c43dd6.pdf
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