What is postnatal anxiety?

Postnatal anxiety is persistent, hard-to-control worry, panic, or tension after birth. COPE estimates it affects around 1 in 5 Australian women and often overlaps with postnatal depression. Baby blues are short-lived; postnatal anxiety lasts and can include racing thoughts about the baby's safety, feeding, or whether you will cope.

Money page for clinical hypnotherapy. Hub: Parenting. Related: postnatal depression.

Signs

Worry most days about the infant's safety or your ability to parent; panic or restlessness; sleep difficulty even when the baby sleeps; checking or avoiding leaving the house; physical tension. Intrusive thoughts should be assessed by a GP.

How hypnotherapy helps

Clinical hypnotherapy targets automatic fear loops and body arousal. Rebecca Smith leads perinatal hypnotherapy at Norwest Wellbeing. It sits beside GP and PANDA care, not instead of it.

Treatment and fees

Initial up to 90 minutes ($300). Returning up to 60 minutes ($300). Norwest or Zoom Australia-wide. Typical 2 to 5 returning sessions after intake.

Help in Australia

GP or maternal child health nurse first. PANDA 1300 726 306. Lifeline 13 11 14. 000 in emergency. Norwest Wellbeing is not a crisis service and does not diagnose.