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postpartum depression
How many of you ladies have/had postpartum depression and did you take medication for it or try and "ride-it-out"? What were your symptoms and how long did they last?
Ive definitely been having bouts of depression and feelings of being overwhelmed - yesterday I was in Walmart and called hubby to ask about an item and he asked me to get something else and I suddenly felt overwhelmed and like I was going to cry! LOL. Anyway, I dont feel this way ALL the time and things are worse on the days when I dont get a lot of sleep. I suspect I may have PPD and my doctor said she would call me in a prescription if I needed it when I saw her a few months ago but I am a little reluctant to take anything since I am BF'ing exclusively and am worried about the LONG term effects of antidepressants. I have had depressive episodes before which have lasted anywhere from a week to a few months and usually "ride them out" - not sure if that applies to PPD.
Ive definitely been having bouts of depression and feelings of being overwhelmed - yesterday I was in Walmart and called hubby to ask about an item and he asked me to get something else and I suddenly felt overwhelmed and like I was going to cry! LOL. Anyway, I dont feel this way ALL the time and things are worse on the days when I dont get a lot of sleep. I suspect I may have PPD and my doctor said she would call me in a prescription if I needed it when I saw her a few months ago but I am a little reluctant to take anything since I am BF'ing exclusively and am worried about the LONG term effects of antidepressants. I have had depressive episodes before which have lasted anywhere from a week to a few months and usually "ride them out" - not sure if that applies to PPD.
I have a history of depression myself and at one point wonderred if what I had was indeed PPD. I was crying at the drop of a hat, VERY emotional...
However, I also wondered if it was circumstancial. I had ALOT going on at one time. My dog ran away from home, my baby was in the NICU for a month, and needs heart surgery, he also has down syndrome and may be deaf. and we were in the process of moving.
but over the last couple weeks (weeks 6-8) it seems to have gone away on its own mostly. I still have sad days, but they're few and far between now. (like 1 a week whereas I was having them every other day)
However, I also wondered if it was circumstancial. I had ALOT going on at one time. My dog ran away from home, my baby was in the NICU for a month, and needs heart surgery, he also has down syndrome and may be deaf. and we were in the process of moving.
but over the last couple weeks (weeks 6-8) it seems to have gone away on its own mostly. I still have sad days, but they're few and far between now. (like 1 a week whereas I was having them every other day)
I had to take meds after my baby died. Without out it I don't think I would had made it through it. I felt like I was in a fog. Dazed even. Nothing mattered. I felt like curling up in bed an sleeping through life. I took them for about 4 months. Then to make matters worse... I had 2 friends that were pregnant the same time as me. So every time I saw their babies I was crushed! One night I was praying, I'm pentacolstal, and the holy ghost moved on me. God spoke to me an said, " PEACE BE STILL". I know there are plenty of folks that don't believe in that so please keep your ugly comments to your self. I had no clue what it ment. So I called my mother-in-law an asked her. There is a place in the bible that talks about the seas raging an this guy ( I don't remember who it was right now) yelled PEACE BE STILL an the seas came to a calming point. That story in the bible is about having faith an putting thing that are out of controle in Gods hands. I stopped taking the pills that night. I think some times they help. But some times we just need to put things in God's hands an have faith. I'm going to be praying for you. God Blessm, Anita
I get PPD after I give birth each time. Now I leave the hospital with a Zoloft prescription in hand. It does help and I too exclusively BF when they are that age. It has always been fine for my kids. I would get it. You may not even have to take it for very long but I'd go ahead and get it for now.
As Hope2OneDay said, it takes some time for it to get in your system, so it won't be an overnight cure, but it will help given some time.
As Hope2OneDay said, it takes some time for it to get in your system, so it won't be an overnight cure, but it will help given some time.
I have a history of depression, so my doctor prescribed me Zoloft BEFORE I gave birth so that I'd have it on hand if I needed it after the baby was born...which of course, I did.
I'm always pretty honest about my PPD and probably one of the only people I know who will admit to having mixed feelings about my baby when it was first born. I mean, it's not that I didn't love him, but I didn't really "feel" the love at first. I loved him b/c he was mine, and I'd carried him around for nine months, but I didn't feel an instant connection. I remember one day (after not having much sleep in the days before) where I called my husband at work and told said "I hate him!!"
I was so desperate for some normalcy that I even started crying once when my husband wouldn't turn the channel to a show we had regularly watched before the baby was born. I asked him to turn the channel twice and he didn't. He wanted to watch something else, and even though the show I wanted to watch was a repeat (we'd probably seen it 10 times already), I broke down and started crying because I NEEDED something in my routine to be normal. Does that make sense? He felt bad and of course changed the channel. It was harder for him to understand my feelings b/c his routine hadn't changed that much. He still slept at night and went to work during the days, whereas my whole world was nothing but "baby, baby, baby".
I was soooo overwhelmed with learning how to take care of a baby, adjusting to life on 4 hours of sleep each night, and being up in the middle of the night taking care of a crying infant while the rest of the world was sound asleep (which I called "the loneliest hours"....1 AM to 6 AM)
Not to mention all the hormonal ups and downs and that come with giving birth. I would never harm my child, and of course I didn't hate him at all, but there were days when I felt so hopeless that I felt I could just get in my car and never come back.
This tapered off after a few months as I began to adjust to life with baby, but Zoloft really helped me get through it. I definitely wouldn't "ride it out", and not only because it could let things escalate, but simply because every minutes counts...minutes that you COULD be spending in a much healthier state of mind. It takes a week or two for Zoloft to kick in and for you to notice the effects. So the sooner you take it, the sooner it can start working.
Good luck, and if you'd like to talk feel free to pm me.
I'm always pretty honest about my PPD and probably one of the only people I know who will admit to having mixed feelings about my baby when it was first born. I mean, it's not that I didn't love him, but I didn't really "feel" the love at first. I loved him b/c he was mine, and I'd carried him around for nine months, but I didn't feel an instant connection. I remember one day (after not having much sleep in the days before) where I called my husband at work and told said "I hate him!!"
I was so desperate for some normalcy that I even started crying once when my husband wouldn't turn the channel to a show we had regularly watched before the baby was born. I asked him to turn the channel twice and he didn't. He wanted to watch something else, and even though the show I wanted to watch was a repeat (we'd probably seen it 10 times already), I broke down and started crying because I NEEDED something in my routine to be normal. Does that make sense? He felt bad and of course changed the channel. It was harder for him to understand my feelings b/c his routine hadn't changed that much. He still slept at night and went to work during the days, whereas my whole world was nothing but "baby, baby, baby".
I was soooo overwhelmed with learning how to take care of a baby, adjusting to life on 4 hours of sleep each night, and being up in the middle of the night taking care of a crying infant while the rest of the world was sound asleep (which I called "the loneliest hours"....1 AM to 6 AM)
Not to mention all the hormonal ups and downs and that come with giving birth. I would never harm my child, and of course I didn't hate him at all, but there were days when I felt so hopeless that I felt I could just get in my car and never come back.
This tapered off after a few months as I began to adjust to life with baby, but Zoloft really helped me get through it. I definitely wouldn't "ride it out", and not only because it could let things escalate, but simply because every minutes counts...minutes that you COULD be spending in a much healthier state of mind. It takes a week or two for Zoloft to kick in and for you to notice the effects. So the sooner you take it, the sooner it can start working.
Good luck, and if you'd like to talk feel free to pm me.
I am just starting to think I might have this I first thought it was just my hormones lining out still but it's not stopping and I'm so sad all the time....I feel like everyone is against me and no one cares..I mean I know having 2 babies is going to be stessful but I even feel at times that my babies don't love me and I know better....i don't know if I'm going to ride it out or call my Dr yet but I know I'm going to have to make a choice on how to deal with what I feel
I have a history of depression/mood swings and was on meds prior to getting pregnant. I stopped those meds when i got pregnant and the problem got a little worse...after giving birth i got to a point where all i wanted to do was cry, i felt worthless, overwhelemed etc. I asked my doc to give me something. I am currently taking Zoloft..I chose that becuase I am breastfeeding and Zoloft has the best reputation for having minimal amounts in the breastmilk ..especially if you time taking it right. I dont' suggest trying to "ride it out". I did that with my depression for too many years and it just snowballed. i will warn you that depending on YOUR particular body chemistry some antidepressants can cause you to either gain weight or lose weight...in my case its gaining. BUT I would rather be fat and happy and a good mom to my kids than to be skinny, miserable and a lousy mom.
I had PND with my first baby and did go on medication 0 most of my feelings were anxiety and feelings of not wanting to be left alone incase something went wrong. I went on Zoloft and was on it from the time my baby was 3weeks until she was 8months old. It was great for me because it hlped me to manage the extream high and lows and also to but my anxieties into persective. The drug i was on did not effect breastfeeding and is not known to have any short or long term effects on the baby. I am actually about to start it again with my second pregnancy 2 weeks before the baby is born incase things happen again. It will already be in my system when the baby is born so that if there is a drop in hormones it will not be as bad as i am already fighting the drop with meds. My doc will then monitor me and see if i need to continue them for a while after the birth. The dose i am on will not effect my unborm baby or breastfeeding when he comes out as it is a very low dose and considered safe and noninvasive.
trying to ride it out can sometimes prelong the sysmptoms and make things worse, plus if not properly treated the first time can cause a reacurrance with other pregnancies and births. If you are not wanting to take the medications i know there are many natural alternatives that can also help (i have been to a natrapath sp and also discussed these but felt as the real medication worked for me and is not harmful i wil go with it again). Sleep deprivation is a huge trigger and can contribute to a lot of women feeling low, depressed and overwhelmed try as much as you can to limit your activites, sleep or rest when possible and accept any help when offered.
Good luck and feel free to ask any more questions.
trying to ride it out can sometimes prelong the sysmptoms and make things worse, plus if not properly treated the first time can cause a reacurrance with other pregnancies and births. If you are not wanting to take the medications i know there are many natural alternatives that can also help (i have been to a natrapath sp and also discussed these but felt as the real medication worked for me and is not harmful i wil go with it again). Sleep deprivation is a huge trigger and can contribute to a lot of women feeling low, depressed and overwhelmed try as much as you can to limit your activites, sleep or rest when possible and accept any help when offered.
Good luck and feel free to ask any more questions.
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