Rachel, thank you so much for submitting this question! I think there is this myth in our culture that early motherhood and having a newborn is supposed to be the most wonderful time of a woman’s life. And can we just agree that perception of motherhood is not a realistic experience?
While it is not in the mainstream women’s health literature, chronic sleep deprivation, as defined by over a week in duration of inadequate sleep, is associated with changes in the brain chemistry that mirror major depression. I believe that the sleep deprivation associated with being the parent of an infant and feeding that baby every 2-4 hours around the clock can absolutely trigger anxiety and depression and worsen symptoms for women who have those mental health tendencies at baseline. I would say the most practical approach is a prescription medication to help restore the serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain chemistry and in turn, elevate mood and calm the anxious thoughts– at least until the baby allows you to sleep for 5-7 hours at a time. The Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) class of medication has been around a long time and is safe in lactation and in pregnancy. But in addition medication, seeing a counselor or therapist can be really helpful. In an ideal world, I would recommend quality uninterrupted sleep, regular exercise, adequate water intake and healthy dietary intake (including limited caffeine and alcohol), and engaging with your support community—whether family or friends or you online support– to help with some of those mental health symptoms in the postpartum phase and in general.