Leaving the house

Agoraphobia isis really hard. I had it before the birth of my kids and it has really been limiting to my life. But if it's related to postpartum hopefully it will go away. Definitely tell your doctor about it because they treat it like other kinds of anxiety.

I didn't go out until 2 weeks postpartum. And then only short infrequent outings. It wasn't until 6 weeks postpartum that I felt confident enough to go out more often and longer. Give yourself grace and time your body is going through a lot right now. Getting easy sun light was super helpful for me. I would take baby and just sit on the porch every day just to get us both some sunlight.

I didn’t go out with my baby except for doctors appointments the first two months. Don’t feel bad take your time.

Keep in mind some cultures do not leave the house for 40 days! You and your baby need time to recover/rest from the birth! In the western world there is this rush for a woman to bounce back straight back! Listen to your body - there is nothing wrong in staying at home recovering!

I wanted to stay in my house for 40 days with my baby recovering- I managed to do only for 1 month, because my body was telling me “you both are ready!”

I remember feeling like this for quite some time. I was terrified of being alone with my baby to start with so I went to my mums! As time went on my confidence started to come but it took a good 12 months for me to fully feel confident. One step at a time and don’t pressure yourself you’re going through a lot right now x

12 days postpartum is not very long at all! It took me a long time to feel comfortable going out. The first few weeks I felt panicky and anxious the whole time. It does get easier ❤️

Honestly maybe contact your midwife to see if she can do a home visit and explain what’s going on. I suffered from postpartum depression and a bit of pp anxiety as well. It would be worthwhile talking to someone about it, even if it isn’t specifically pp anxiety. I know it wasn’t until months later that I spoke about it to someone and wish I had of reached out sooner. Because by the time I asked for help, I was a homebody and lost my friend support network I worked hard to make after relocating because I didn’t want to talk to anyone.

For the first two months pp I had so many attempts to go outside. Some days I made it to the entrance of the house, others a five or ten minute walk near home, and the first time shopping I felt so anxious that I left, just like you. But when my baby turned three we already had a routine, it was easier to plan our visits to the outside world! You'll be ok, also newborns don't really need to go out, they just need you ❤️

Oh wow mama. I had the opposite, I couldn’t stay home. We went for a road trip at 10 weeks postpartum (for a family funeral) and stayed at a hotel for my husband’s work at like 3 weeks PP. I found being at home boring. Waiting for the next feed, the next nap, etc. They don’t do anything as newborns.

But as people mentioned, you need to rest and recover. You need to learn your new normal. I’d definitely bring it up to your midwife. But before giving birth I read about the 5-5-5 rule. Some women stay in bed for five days. Then around the bed for five days. And in the house for five days. I feel like staying home is common.

My best friend struggled in the beginning. Her son is about to turn 1. It has gotten better for her. I think it still takes a lot out of her but she knows it’s better for her and her son when she does.

If you can just try short walks from home with zero pressure or expectations. Everyone is different. I went out every day once home from hospital. Short walks, coffee shop trips, a scenic drive. Lots of easy things to start with until your confidence grows which it will x

That’s not a long period, stay in bed and relax with the baby. I think I stayed in my room for 2 weeks before finally feeling comfortable enough to migrate to the couch with the baby. (I ended up having to have a c section so recovery was different than what I thought it would be)

But even then I only left the house with my spouse for doctors/pediatric appointments for maybe 2 months. I didn’t even go on a walk either the baby for like 2 months.

My postpartum anxiety/depression hit hard though so I was referred to a virtual IOP (Charlie health) Would virtually meet with a group of moms also going through PPD a couple times a week and a solo session with a therapist once a week and it helped so much. Just having another group of moms to talk to consistently was instrumental in my anxiety recovery. I went back to work when he was almost weeks 12 weeks old and have been doing pretty well now (aside from sleep deprivation)