Is this Baby Blues or Something Deeper? Understanding PMADs
It’s often said that having a baby changes everything—but few people talk about how it changes you.
The postpartum period is a time of deep emotional, physical, and identity transformation. It’s common to feel overwhelmed, teary, and tired in the first couple of weeks after birth. This is often referred to as the "baby blues" and affects up to 80% of new parents.
But when the sadness lingers, the anxiety sharpens, or the joy disappears completely—you may be experiencing something more serious.
What Are PMADs?
Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) include a spectrum of emotional disorders that occur during pregnancy or within the first year postpartum. They include:
Postpartum depression
Postpartum anxiety
Postpartum OCD
Postpartum PTSD
Postpartum psychosis
These are not character flaws or personal failures—they are treatable conditions that affect 1 in 5 birthing people. And they can also affect fathers and non-birthing partners.
Signs It Might Be More Than Baby Blues
Intense irritability, sadness, or numbness lasting beyond 2 weeks
Difficulty bonding with your baby
Constant worry, racing thoughts, or fear of harming yourself or your baby
Feeling overwhelmed by daily tasks or unable to sleep when the baby sleeps
Culturally Responsive Care Matters
If you're a BIPOC parent, you may be carrying additional layers of stigma, cultural pressure, or silence around emotional struggle. You may feel like you have to be strong, grateful, or perfect.
You don't. You deserve care, too.
A culturally responsive, trauma-informed therapist can hold space for your healing without judgment, and without asking you to explain your culture.
You Are Not Alone
PMADs are common. They are treatable. And seeking support is not weakness—it's love in action.
If you're unsure what you're feeling, therapy can help you sort through the noise and return to yourself. You're not a bad parent. You're a human being in transition.
You deserve support that honors your whole story.
🗓️ Support Is Available
If you’re a new or expecting parent in New York and this post resonates with you, I invite you to schedule a free 15-minute consultation. Together, we can explore what compassionate, culturally responsive care might look like for you. Email me at ashleyrodriguezphd@gmail.com to schedule.
