'Xanax makes me a better mother'

More and more women are turning to anti-anxiety drugs to deal with the stress of a new baby. One in five new mothers suffers from heightened anxiety after giving birth, according to a study that will be published by Pediatrics next month. One such mother, Anne-Marie Lindsey, told Good Morning America that her daily pill regime has helped cure the panic attacks she suffered after her son was born. “If I weren't on the meds, my mind would race,” said the mother, who hails from New Haven, Connecticut. “I might need to be in a bathroom with the door locked, hyperventilating, [thinking] ‘what if he gets sick?’” Different from post-natal depression, anxiety consists of “acute emotions in response to a perceived stressful, dangerous or threatening situation”, notes ABC News. While normal stress should be expected after childbirth, anxiety can result in crippling panic attacks and mental collapse. New mother Melissa Sanchez says she had trouble functioning for weeks after her son was born. At her lowest point, the New York native recalls she could not get out of bed for a whole weekend. Ms Sanchez reluctantly began taking Celexa, an anti-anxiety drug recommended to her by a therapist, and “after about six weeks, I was back to myself,” she says. Doctors currently monitor new mothers for postpartum depression, but Health Day has reported that anxiety is actually a more common phenomenon after childbirth. But while women like Ms Sanchez and Ms Lindsey claim that the calming pills “absolutely” make them better mothers, others disagree. Parenting magazine sparked a heated debate in February after publishing an article entitled Xanax Makes Me a Better Mom. One critic commented: “It's one thing if you suffer from anxiety and depression... It's a totally different thing if you are just taking medicine to deal with normal reactions to your kid's behavior.” Indeed, therapist Michelle Canarick stipulates that anti-anxiety medications should be resorted to only temporarily and under a doctor's supervision. “It shouldn't be a forever idea,” she said on the news show. Ann McWilliams, author of the blog Mommy Needs a Xanax, went on the drug to rid herself of the “high-pressure feeling” she had developed from full-time parenting. The Petal, Mississippi mother has since weaned herself off of Xanax, but she still maintains that mothers who turn to medication should not be judged negatively. After all, she says, “how can you be a good mom if you don't take care of yourself?” She continues: “You wouldn't tell a diabetic not to take a medication just because they're a mom. I don't know why anyone would tell anyone who needs a medication not to take a medication just because she's a mother.” ABC News health expert Dr Jennifer Ashton recommends that mothers who are having a difficult time join a support group rather than turn to medications as a first course of action.