34. Postpartum Anxiety and Growing Up With Fear-Based Parenting with Stephanie Feng

In this episode, host Lina Forrestal chats with mom of three, Stephanie Feng, about postpartum anxiety (PPA) and growing up with fear-based parenting style, “tiger parenting”. 

Both Stephanie Feng and Lina Forrestal suffered with postpartum anxiety and recount their experiences, specifically around not being able to leave their babies, scary thoughts, and feeling crippled by their anxiety.

They break down their experiences and start to unpack why they felt the way they did, which led them to explore their relationship with their parents and how they grew up with fear-based parents. 

Growing up with immigrant parents in America, both Stephanie and Lina grew up with fear-based parenting. They were often told that if they didn’t do something right, something bad would happen to them: for example, being told that if they didn’t finish their food the ‘bad man’ would take them away from their family. 

Symptoms of postpartum anxiety:

• Excessive worry
• Feelings of dread
• Racing thoughts
• Lack of concentration
• Changes in eating and sleeping patterns
• Dizziness
• Hot flashes
• Rapid heartbeat
• Nausea

While any new mom can develop postpartum anxiety, some factors can increase your risk:

• A personal or family history of anxiety
• Previous experience with depression
• Certain symptoms of PMS (such as feeling weepy or agitated)
• Eating disorders
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Tiger parenting is the term coined by Yale professor Amy Chua a few years ago, in her book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, to describe her fear-based and hard-driving parenting style. 

Connect with Stephanie on Instagram at @simplystephsfavs 

Connect with Lina:

• Personal Instagram: @linaforrestal
• Blog: www.linaforrestal.com
• Podcast Instagram: @newmamaspodcast
• Clubhouse Username: @newmamaspodcast

Artwork Credit: Gabi's Media