What You Need to Know About
Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
Motherhood changes everything—your body, your sleep, your relationships, and yes, your mental health too. For many moms, those changes feel overwhelming, scary, or just plain not like themselves. That’s where PMADs—Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders—come in.
What are Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders?
Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders are a group of mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and (rarely) psychosis. If you’ve heard the term postpartum depression, that’s part of it—but it’s not the whole story. PMADs can start in pregnancy, or show up months after birth.
Many people assume they’re just part of the “baby blues,” but PMADs are more intense, longer-lasting, and can seriously impact your ability to function and connect. They’re also very treatable once identified.
Most Common Maternal Mental Health Conditions
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Perinatal depression is clinical depression that happens during pregnancy or after birth.
It’s more than feeling tired or moody—it’s a deep, persistent sadness or emptiness that makes it hard to function and enjoy life. -
Perinatal anxiety is constant, overwhelming worry that takes over during pregnancy or after birth.
It’s the nonstop “what ifs” that make it hard to relax, sleep, or feel safe. -
Perinatal OCD is when unwanted, scary thoughts show up on repeat during pregnancy or postpartum.
To quiet the anxiety, moms may find themselves stuck in rituals like checking, cleaning, or counting. -
Postpartum PTSD can develop after a frightening or traumatic birth experience.
It often shows up as flashbacks, nightmares, or feeling on edge, even when you want to focus on your baby.
Treatment works — and you can find treatment that fits your life.
From My Mom Life
Notes from my own life as a working mom trying to make motherhood feel special.
Delaying smartphones isn’t about denying kids—it’s about giving them space to grow up without a screen in their pocket.