The New Mom’s Guide to Stress: From Sleepless Nights to Deep Breaths

Let’s get one thing out of the way: if you're feeling overwhelmed, overstimulated, and more than a little exhausted after having a baby—you’re not broken. You’re human. And more specifically, you’re a new mom navigating one of the most physically and emotionally intense transitions of your life.

Welcome to motherhood. It's magical, yes—but also messy, mind-bending, and full of moments where you wonder: Is it normal to feel stressed?

Short answer? Yes. Long answer? Let's talk about it.

Stress doesn't just show up in your mind—it shows up in your hormones, your body, and your brain. And in the postpartum period? Those systems are in full-on recalibration mode.

Here’s why stress hits hard in early motherhood:

• Hormonal upheaval: After birth, estrogen and progesterone levels drop sharply, which can contribute to mood swings, anxiety, and sleep disturbances.
  
  

• Sleep deprivation: Night wakings aren’t just tiring—they impact cognitive function, increase cortisol (your stress hormone), and reduce your ability to regulate emotions (1).
  
  

• Maternal insomnia: Even when baby does sleep, many new moms find they can’t. Racing thoughts, hypervigilance, or anxiety can interfere with sleep (2).
  
  

• The pressure to breastfeed “perfectly”: Difficulty latching, low milk supply, and conflicting advice can create a mental minefield (3).
  
  

• Feeling “not like yourself”: Whether you’re navigating “mom brain,” returning to work, or adjusting to your new identity—there’s a lot of change happening at once.
  
  

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. The truth is, up to 18% of new moms experience postpartum anxiety (4), and 1 in 5 struggle with a perinatal mental health condition (5). 

As women, we’re often conditioned to “power through.” But here’s your official permission slip to not do that.

You’re allowed to say this is hard. You’re allowed to ask for help. You’re allowed to feel everything.

Stress is your body’s way of signaling that you need support. It’s not weakness—it’s communication. And when you listen to it, you can start to feel more like you again.

Sometimes stress doesn’t look like a meltdown. It might look like:

1. You’re snapping at your partner over the laundry.
   
   

2. You cry in the shower (because it’s the only alone time you get).
   
   

3. Your shoulders are always tense.
   
   

4. You can’t fall asleep—even when the baby finally does.
   
   

5. You’re skipping meals or reaching for sugar to “keep going.”
   
   

6. You feel disconnected, like you’re watching your life from outside yourself.
   
   

7. You’re second-guessing every decision (and blaming yourself for all of them).
   
   

Sound familiar? Keep reading.

You don’t need a 30-minute meditation or a silent retreat (though those sound amazing). You need real tools you can use between feedings and diaper changes.

Here are 7 small but mighty ways to calm your nervous system:

Place one hand on your chest, one on your belly. Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 6. Repeat three times. Simple, science-backed, and effective.

On your face or wrists—this activates your parasympathetic nervous system (the “calm down” part).

Walk to the mailbox. Stretch your arms overhead. Wiggle. Movement = mood shift.

Text one trusted friend and say, “Today is hard.” That’s it. You don’t have to carry this alone.

Herbal tea, warm lemon water, bone broth—anything that makes you feel held. Bonus: use both hands on the mug and focus on the sensation.

“This feeling will pass. I am doing enough. I am enough.”

Hard-boiled egg, a spoonful of nut butter, Greek yogurt—protein can help stabilize blood sugar and mood swings.

When deep breaths aren’t cutting it, and you’re craving a little extra support, meet your new postpartum sidekick: Miss Bliss™ .

Miss Bliss is a breastfeeding-friendly blend of:

• Affron® Saffron: A clinically studied botanical shown to support mood balance—even in postpartum women(6).
  
  

• Magnesium: Traditionally used to ease muscle tension and promote calm.
  
  

• L-Theanine: An amino acid that may help promote relaxation without drowsiness.
  
  

Studies have shown that 28mg of saffron daily may help with the lulls that can come from the “baby blues” (7).

Because mama, you deserve to feel good again. For you. For your baby. For your whole damn life.

If your stress is starting to feel like more than just an “off day”—if you’re crying often, struggling to bond with your baby, having trouble sleeping even when you’re exhausted, or feeling constantly on edge or numb—it’s time to talk to a healthcare provider. This could be your OB-GYN, midwife, primary care doc, or a perinatal mental health specialist.

Postpartum anxiety and depression are common, treatable, and nothing to be ashamed of. Asking for help doesn’t mean you’re failing—it means you’re taking care of yourself, and by extension, your baby. Whether it’s therapy, medication, support groups, or holistic options, there are so many pathways to feeling like you again. You’re not alone in this, and you deserve to feel supported and seen. 💛

Being a new mom is a crash course in vulnerability, love, and letting go of control. You’re not meant to do it all without support. You don’t have to be “chill” all the time. You just have to be you—messy, magnificent, and doing your best.

So take the nap. Send the text. Pop the Miss Bliss. Let someone else hold the baby and your worries for a minute.

You’ve got this. And we’ve got you.

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1087079222001320

2. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1266390/full

3. https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2393-12-36

4. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10447-023-09534-z

5. https://www.aamc.org/news/toll-maternal-mental-illness-america

6. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320363977_A_double-blind_randomized_placebo-controlled_trial_of_saffron_stigma_Crocus_sativus_L_in_mothers_suffering_from_mild-to-moderate_postpartum_depression

7. https://brieflands.com/articles/mcj-134533