Anxiety experienced by first-time mothers peaks around five months and one week after they give birth, according to new research

Anxiety experienced by first-time mothers peaks around five months and one week after they give birth, according to new research.

The study for the Department of Health found this period was when new mothers had the most questions about their developing baby.

It also found that mothers risked feeling more isolated because the initial flurry of visits from family and friends had subsided.

Four out of five first-time mothers (81%) said their baby's needs changed quickly between the age of five and eight months, leaving them concerned about whether they were doing a good job.

During the same period, three in five (60%) said regular visits from friends and family dropped and more than half (54%) said their partner was less able to get home to help out.

A third (32%) said after five months they had no time for themselves and a fifth (20%) admitted they felt baby care was "repetitive and mundane".

Kayleigh Pillington, from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, had her first baby, son Logan-Rhys, six months ago.

"Everyone is so excited about the baby at first, but five months in when you've got more questions than ever because they're doing all these new things, interest in you and the baby really dies down," she said.

"That's when I started to feel anxious - it was all on my shoulders and I just wasn't sure if I was doing it right."

The study was undertaken to help with the development of NHS Baby LifeCheck, a free online questionnaire to help new mums and dads.