Today we are talking about a postpartum symptom that no one warns you about, and that is rage.

And I'm not talking about just being irritable, I'm not talking about frustration.

I'm talking about full body, white, hot, explosive anger that scares you and maybe the people around you.

So if you've ever felt like you're going to lose it over something small, this episode is for you.

Hey mama, it is Trish or labor nurse, mama, labor nurse for over 16 years and a mom of seven, and I'm gonna say something that might make you feel less alone.

Postpartum rage is real and it's actually common, and it does not make you a bad mama if you've snapped at your partner over nothing.

If you slammed doors, if you felt anger, so intense.

That it scares you, girl.

You're not broken.

You're experiencing a symptom of a perinatal mood disorder.

And by the end of this episode, we're gonna talk about some of the things that might cause it, how to manage it, and how to get help.

So what is postpartum rage?

Postpartum rage is sudden intense anger that feels disproportionate to what's actually happening, and it looks like you are snapping at everyone over small things.

Maybe your toddler, maybe your partner, you're feeling like.

Furious inside when the baby cries, you're slamming cabinets, throwing things, yelling intensely, like having irritation that builds and explodes.

You feel out of control.

And the thing that makes most moms feel shame is as it's usually directed at the people you love most postpartum rage can be caused by hormonal crashes.

So your estrogen and your progesterone plummet like crash down sleep deprivation.

Girl, you are not getting enough sleep.

Overstimulation.

You're constantly being touched and needed, maybe even a lack of support and feeling alone and overwhelmed, or you are giving everything and no one's meeting your own needs.

There can also be underlying.

Anxiety or depression.

, Your nervous system is maxed out right now.

Your body is in survival mode and anger in its own little beastly way is trying to protect you.

So some things that you can do in the moment is when you feel the rage building, like call it out, say out loud.

Oh my God, I am feeling.

Rage.

I'm feeling outta control.

This is a symptom.

This is not who I am.

Remove yourself safely.

Like you can lay your baby in a safe place, like a crib or a bassinet and walk away.

It's okay.

It's okay to let your baby cry.

Regulate your body.

So some of the things you can do is you can drink a really cold glass of ice water, like chug it.

Chug a glass of ice water.

You can splash cold water on your face.

Do 10 jumping jacks.

Well, depending on where you are in your postmortem recovery, scream into a pillow, but move the energy out of you.

You can also breathe.

So one of the breathing that I taught you if you were in our birth courses is in for four, hold for four out for six.

So in for four, hold for four out for six.

Repeat it until you feel your heart rate slowing down.

The most important thing you can do is ask for help.

Like text someone.

I need help.

Can you come over and get help?

Like find help.

Some long-term strategies would be getting screened for perinatal mood disorder.

Call your ob, tell them you're feeling a lot of rage and you need help.

Say, I need help.

Like, say those words, girl.

I know this one is so hard to prioritize sleep.

Even like a two to three hour stretch can help regulate your emotions.

That's not always possible.

So when I say that, I understand that

i'm a mom of seven, so I know I'm saying some of these things that are near impossible for some of us during this journey, reduce as many overstimulations as you can.

Limit your visitors, turn off notifications and create a quiet space, you know?

In the best way possible.

Meet your basic needs.

Make sure you're eating regular meals, you're drinking water, and you're moving your body.

The best thing you can do is talk to a therapist and it needs to be a perinatal mental health specialist.

If possible, they can help you process and regulate.

Anyone is better than no one.

You can also consider medications, and I know there's so many stigmatisms against that.

Is that right?

Stigmatism, stigmas.

Oh, don't know.

Am I saying that wrong?

I, I think that's right.

But medication is not wrong or bad, and sometimes it's needed.

You can also speak to those around you.

Say, Hey, I am feeling like intense rage and it's a symptom of a mood disorder.

I need help.

Here's what I need from you.

And be very specific if you can be specific.

So here are some little scripts that you can use.

Be specific.

I need you to take the baby for 30 minutes.

I need you to handle night.

Wake up twice a week or every night.

I need you to listen without trying to fix it.

Here's the thing, you are not a bad mom, and this rage does not mean that you're bad.

That just means you need more resources, you need help.

This is a medical condition, so if you're experiencing postpartum rage, please get screened.

Talk to your ob, your midwife, find a therapist.

You don't have to like white knuckle through it.

And if this episode resonated, share it and talk about it.

You deserve the help.

And so do the other moms who are struggling.

I know this was just a little shorty.

Uh, I'm not an expert on perinatal mood disorders.

I just wanna bring light to it because we've had over 3000.

Members in our membership and over 15,000 students, and because I spend time with them on Zoom for our pregnancy and our postpartum hangouts, I've been able to hear from a lot of moms, and this is so common and so isolating, and it really brings so much shame on your mom journey.

So I. Really hope this resonated with you.

As always, hit subscribe and leave us a review.

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But we wanna hear from you guys.

We wanna hear what you wanna hear more of.

Pretty soon, we're gonna be bringing the postpartum unpacked series to a close.

So make sure you subscribe to the podcast so you can get our Friday episodes.

We adore each and every one of you, and as always, I'll see you again next Friday.

Bye for now.