Dr. Nicole Martin Opens Up About Postpartum Anxiety as She Reveals She's ‘Stepping Back’ from RHOM (Exclusive)

It's been a tough few months for Real Housewives of Miami star Dr. Nicole Martin, but leave it to a doctor to prescribe the best medicine for healing.

In a candid conversation with PEOPLE, the board-certified anesthesiologist and mother of two reveals that she's been experiencing severe postpartum anxiety in the wake of the birth of her 5-month-old daughter Genevieve — so much so that she's often found herself in a constant sense of dread that she's struggled to escape from.

"This is way more than just the normal new mom worries," says Martin, who shares Genevieve and 5-year-old son Grayson with fiancé, Anthony Lopez. "It's an intense, overwhelming sense of worry and fear that comes out of nowhere and just consumes me."

Though she's been making improvements over the last several weeks, the condition has put Martin on "a much harder postpartum course" than she expected.

"I love being a mom. Of all the hats that I wear, and I wear many, being a mom is by far my favorite and most important role," Martin says. "But I'd be lying if I said dealing with this [anxiety] has been easy."

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It's gotten so bad that the reality star, after careful consideration, has ultimately chosen to "step back" from a full-time role on The Real Housewives of Miami's upcoming seventh season.

"I just don’t think that I am in the headspace to film a full season of reality TV," the 40-year-old explains. "I love a lot of the girls that I film with, but we’ve got some strong characters and there can be a lot of tense drama, not to mention the long hours. It’s a lot to juggle and I'm shifting my priorities.

"That's not what’s best for me at this time. I need to put myself and my family first right now."

PEOPLE can confirm that Martin, who joined the RHOM series when it was revived back in season 4, was offered a full-time contract for season 7.

Cameras on the show picked up this week, with Alexia Nepola, Larsa Pippen, Lisa Hochstein, Julia Lemigova, Guerdy Abraira, Marysol Patton, Adriana de Moura and Kiki Barth all filming.

Martin missed the action, but won't be disappearing entirely from RHOM. She'll still make occasional appearances, she says, and has maintained friendships with many of her costars.

“It’s not goodbye forever, I’ll pop-up here and there, just not in a full-time capacity,” she says. “I just need to shift my focus on other things right now.” 

Postpartum anxiety is not uncommon in women after they've given birth, affecting upwards of 20% of moms. According to the Cleveland Clinic, symptoms of postpartum anxiety present themselves in physical, emotional and behavioral ways.

Commonly, signs include an increased heart rate, lack of appetite, nausea, stomach aches, shortness of breath, difficulty focusing, forgetfulness. racing thoughts, irrational fears, irritability, an inability to relax, self-isolation and being overly cautious about situations that aren't dangerous.

The condition can be caused by a number of factors like hormonal changes, sleep deprivation and stressors around motherhood such as a difficult delivery or troubles with breastfeeding.

When speaking with PEOPLE, Martin did not speculate about what triggered the condition, but shared that her pregnancy with Genevieve greatly differed from her pregnancy with Grayson.

"Genevieve blessed us with her presence on March 23, five weeks earlier than they expected," Martin says. "I had to have an emergency cesarean section, and she was in the NICU [neonatal intensive care unit] for almost two weeks. So this pregnancy was not like my first pregnancy, where everything went smooth sailing."

To help her during her time of need, Martin has leaned on the people in her life closest to her. "I am very blessed to have an incredible support system. Anthony's great, I’ve got amazing friends and my mom is my rock — she helps me a ton with the kids," Martin says. "So I couldn't do it without them."

She's also been taking the steps to treat her anxiety, maintaining regular therapy treatments, spending time with her kids and focusing on her overall mental health wellness.

Among the other changes Martin has made has been a decision to stop breastfeeding.

"I breastfed for almost a year with Grayson, but I really felt like that was contributing to a lot of my stress and lot of my anxiety so I stopped a couple of weeks ago, a little earlier than I expected," Martin notes. "I wanted to get back to my normal hormone baseline."

"So far, I have already felt the difference," she adds. "It's helped me be more present with Anthony and the kids. I feel more and more like myself."

While Martin is ultimately confident in her choice to take a pause from RHOM, she tells PEOPLE she worries about letting down the audience, who she insists have been "wonderful" over the years.

"They are so incredibly supportive and invested in my story, and a part of me feels very guilty for stepping back and not being able to share that fully with them," Martin says. "Last season, we bought this house that we've been remodeling, and I know the viewers wanted to see that. I know they wanted to see the new baby ... And I realize, even, that my story about postpartum anxiety could help a lot of women, because it's often something that's not talked about or brushed off. So I feel bad!"

The Miami native pauses. "But look, as difficult of a decision as it was, I just felt like I wasn’t going to be the best version of myself for them, or for my kids or for my family," she says of the audience, after the introspective moment. "So I had no other choice, really. I have to focus on my health."

"I hope they'll understand," she adds.

Previous seasons of The Real Housewives of Miami can be streamed on Peacock.