Since having my second child six months ago, I?ve been going through the motions of diaper changes, breastfeeding, tummy time and naps, but I feel far from OK. My heart is constantly racing, my skin tingles with fear and, when things are really bad, I feel completely paralyzed. Postpartum anxiety has crippled nearly every aspect of my life. I?m functioning but not fine.   
We?re becoming more familiar with postpartum depression, but studies show that postpartum anxiety is about three times more common, with anxiety affecting about 15 percent of women during pregnancy and 17 percent of women during the postpartum period. From physical recovery and financial adjustments to identity shifts and changes in personal relationships, the transitions that arrive with a baby are life altering, so it?s completely normal to feel anything but normal. In fact, some degree of anxiety is a perfectly appropriate response to wanting to provide the best possible care for your baby, notes Katy Kamkar, a clinical psychologist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and an assistant professor at the University of Toronto. ?It?s very common to have a lot of anxiety and worries when you?re pregnant and after you give birth,? says Kamkar. ?But if it starts to cause distress and/or interferes with your ability to take care of your baby or yourself or engage in your daily responsibilities, postpartum anxiety may be present.? For the past six months, ?increasing distress? has been my default.

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