Postpartum Depression

[Stephylynn01]

How likely is it to get PPD again after you're second pregnancy?  I got PPD my last pregnancy bad and I'm afraid I will experience this again.  

[mum2b260216]

I heard it depends also on how you feel during the pregnancy. Those who are high on their pregnancy hormones are more likely to suffer after because of the hormones dropping after birth. But those who have a hard time during pregnancy feel better once the birth has passed.
Its not based on personnal experience, but what a gynecologist friend of my husband told us.

[Renae7585]

I'm a mental health nurse. Good news- you cannot become dependent of antidepressants. Other types of meds you can but not antidepressants. Talk to a mental health professional not just a primary care doctor. Look for community mental health in your local area/county to be pointed in the right direction. Sometimes counseling and support groups are enough but sometimes not. Best of luck! Nothing to be ashamed of.

[nutz19]

I had PND after first and didn't after 2nd, so it's not written in concrete. For some reason I've been worried about it this time round. But we'll see, I'm a depressive anyways, so I just try and keep a look out for my signs and seek help straight away x

[Stephylynn01]

Thanks Cmac21, I am definitely going to keep my options open as far as seeking some sort of help just the whold medication part I'm afraid that I will become dependent on them. I know im definitely going through some sort of depression with this pregnancy because just yesterday I was having a hard time dealing with my emotions and today I'm extremely happy. I go to my doctornext week so I'm going to mention this to him and see what he says. Thanks again for the advice!

[cmac21]

and the medication does not have to be permanent. It can be simply a tool that assists you to get into the right fraqme of mind to find other tools that can help you get through the rough patches. I'm not a doctor, but I don't think you would have to start on a high dose, just enough to help you smile :)

[cmac21]

Don't be afraid to get help! A lot of women deal with it. Plus it would be more beneficial for you and your family if you did seek some sort of help for it. Perhaps there is a mom's group in your area that meets even once a week that you can attend to be in a more positive environment. Maybe your doctor knows of some support groups for women dealing with PPD. You can check out meetups.com I am sure you can find something in your area.

Also, I come back to the medication. I don't like to advocate medication, but having personally been in the position of not being able to cope, medication really helped me get back to a good place so that I could deal with my emotions and everything that was going on.

[Stephylynn01]

I'm so afraid to go through it again.  I have been looking it up online just to prepare myself because my last pregnancy I did not seek any type of help because I was scared.  During this pregnancy I have been feeling depressed and down and crying alot, I know some of it goes back to my hormones but the way I'm feeling is a lot different then just hormones. I mentioned it to my OB but he really didn't help so I'm currently looking into switching doctors, but I really hate having to switch for the third time.

[cmac21]

I think I read somewhere that you are more likely to get it again if you had it the first time around. Just amke sure you have some sort of support system in place to help you deal with it should it arise again. Don't be afraid to get temporary relief from an antidepressant. That  would not be my first choice, but sometimes we have exausted all other avenues and it would be beneficial to use medicine.