[Postpartum Stories] When Anxiety And Panic Come Out Of Nowhere

Having had two flawless postpartum periods under her belt, Kayla (Sanmiguel) Jay didn’t know how to cope when postpartum anxiety and severe panic disorder came out of nowhere after her third birth. Listen to what she learned from her experiences, and how she’s approaching the birth of her fourth baby very differently, armed with new tools and wisdom. Check it out!
 

What we talked about:

• Her first two seamless postpartum experiences
• Enduring weeks of prodromal labor for her third
• Where’s my “just-had-a-baby high”?
• Panic attacks are no joke!
• Dealing with Postpartum Panic Disorder
• The impact of intense tragic losses before birth #2 and birth #3
• “I didn’t feel like myself”
• Getting help
• Coping mechanisms that helped
• Taking ownership of her body and the process
• The humbling awakening of postpartum mood disorders
• The need for preparing anew for each birth
• Her postpartum preparation plan for #4
• Finding comfort in knowledge
• You are not alone!

Related resources*:

• Postpartum Support International
• Postpartum onset of panic disorder, Image: The Journal of Nursing Scholarship
• Postpartum onset of panic disorder: A metaphor analysis, Archives of Psychiatric Nursing
• Postpartum anxiety is invisible, but common and treatable, Harvard Medical School

Related Birthful episodes:

• Helping Your Mammalian Body (And Baby!) Have An Easier And More Connected Birth
• How Your Nervous System Impacts Your Pregnancy And Birth
• What Actually Happens After Giving Birth, Physically And Emotionally
• Let’s Tackle Postpartum Mood And Anxiety Disorders
• [Postpartum] Let’s Talk About Depression
• Childbirth PTSD
• How to Organize Truly Helpful Postpartum Support From Your Friends and Family

Image description: Kayla, a white-presenting person with dark hair, is looking at and holding her newborn baby on her chest, while she reclines in a hospital bed, draped in a blanket and with a blood pressure cuff around her arm

About Kayla (Sanmiguel) Jay

Kayla Jay lives in Saint Paul, MN with her husband and their six rambunctious children. Widow and now wife again, she navigates the ripple effects of unexpected change both personally and professionally as an organizational development consultant.