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While anxiety and depression appears differently for each expecting and new dad some of the common symptoms can be:
- Constant tiredness or exhaustion
- Ongoing headache. High physical stress levels e.g. muscle tension
- Loss of interest in things that were once enjoyed
- Changes in appetite
- Sleep problems (unrelated to baby’s sleep)
- Ongoing irritability, anger or moodiness
- Emotional withdrawal from your partner, baby, family, friends
- Fear of looking after your baby
- Not wanting to communicate with your partner, family and friends
- Feeling isolated
- Using alcohol or drugs to ‘escape’ or cope
- Suicide thoughts.
'I was getting gradually more angry and irritable, and more overwhelmed.'