Struggling with Postpartum depression Looking for someone to

strohst
strohst Posts: 146 Member
edited September 29 in Introduce Yourself
Hi , my name is Stacy. I'm 26 and a mother of 2 wonderful kids... 4 yr old girl and almost 7 month old boy... 3 days after I had my little man I started to do nothing but cry no matter what it was... I just thought well it's another new thing I'm going throw b/c everything else was different compared to my daughter didn't really think much of it .... It wasn't until I took my little man in for his check up and lost it in the doctor's office after being asked "How's everything going" from there his doctor called mine and personally set me up an appointment .... To make a long story shorter I was started on depression meds and got even more time off work so the medicine could kick in... Felt wonderful! Well then I thought I didn't need them any more ... i stopped taking them !! BAD IDEA!! I have started taking them again been on them for 4 weeks now...

Now here we are to today... I had a rough weekend and it hasn't been good since...
Please if you are or have gone throw this can you help me??
I feel like I'm losing it! Don't know what more to do... my family doesn't understand any of it! Everyone seems to think I'm joking about how bad it is...

Thanks
Stacy

Replies

  • huizenm
    huizenm Posts: 74 Member
    You have my sympathy. PPD is nothing to joke around about. Please call and make another appt to discuss this with your doctor. PPD is very hard, especially when you do not have support from your family. Call your dr today!
  • bstamps12
    bstamps12 Posts: 1,184
    I can't give you any advice, but you and your family will be in my prayers!
  • leomom72
    leomom72 Posts: 1,797 Member
    mine wasn't that bad with my 1st, but i feel you..i cried at dang near everything after he was born..talk to a doctor, and figure out maybe something better than meds ? very best of luck to you:flowerforyou:
  • MissyHarb
    MissyHarb Posts: 19
    Hello,

    I have never struggled with postpartum depression but I have with depression. It was probably about 8 yrs ago or so. It will get better I promise. I know right now you don't think so, but it will. I was taking meds for it and it turned out I was allergic to the meds he had me on. I went back to the dr and told him about it and he slowly took me off the meds. Now, I haven't taken any meds for it in about 7 yrs, I do however have a relapse where I get depressed and want to cry over anything and everything but it does pass in a day or two. Anyway......It will get better, just work with you dr and let them know what is going on with you and your meds. Feel free to add me as a friend if you like. Hopefully you get better real soon!
  • sarah829522
    sarah829522 Posts: 139
    Yes, I had this with my 1st child. You think you've gone crazy and the world doesn't understand. This is something that is hardly talked about because you've had a baby you're supposed to be happy. But it's REAL and I'm sorry you're going through this. It does get better. I had to find new ways to laugh and purposely find the joy in each and every day. A book that is helpful and hilarious is "Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year" I would find myself up at all hours of the night with the baby and not able to go back to sleep I read this book and laughed out loud during parts.

    Here's what I would challenge you to do: start keeping a journal or if that's too taxing note cards or scraps of paper even and write down every day what you're grateful for, what brought joy to your life and what you appreciate about yourself.

    Secondly - get help. People will be willing to help you fold laundry, do dishes, bring over a dinner, or watch the kids so you can take a shower for 20 minutes if you ask and be specific. "I need you for an hour on Wednesday from 2-3" (for instance). Ask your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and even call your church see if they have people who are volunteers.

    Thirdly, remember this is a temporary situation. Each day may be challenging but making it every day when you have postpartum is an accomplishment. I applaud you for seeking the help you need before it gets any worse.
  • BifDiehl
    BifDiehl Posts: 474
    Stacy - I have BEEN THERE. Glad you didn't wait too long to get help - my daughter was 14 months old before I finally gave in and admitted I needed help. I, too, went on meds and got better, tried going off the meds (that soooo didn't work). Long story short, I tried going off meds 3 times before I was able to - WHEN MY DAUGHTER WAS 7 YEARS OLD. So don't be too anxious to get off the meds - some people just need longer being medicated. Some people need to stay on them indefinitely. I was actually prepared to stay medicated but my doc wanted to switch the meds I was on and I needed to be weaned off the old stuff and off of everything for two weeks before I started the new meds. During those two weeks I realized I felt okay, so I never started the new meds. That was 2.5 years ago.

    So give your meds a chance to work again... if the seem like they're not working like last time, go back to your doc to try something else. Just dont' give up. You will feel like a whole person again. :flowerforyou:
  • sambustem
    sambustem Posts: 83
    I had it after my 2nd daughter. I was put on meds. I knew my whole life HAD to change and mentally I was completely overwhelmed - having a new baby and an almost 16mth old already. I was miserable. It's a long story....but you can message me :) What really helped me and got me off of meds was working out - I hired a trainer and started there. I was off meds in about 3 months and truly did turn my life around.....but it WAS NOT EASY!!! Good luck to you.
  • janiebeth
    janiebeth Posts: 2,509 Member
    Hi Stacy, my name is Janie and I also had really bad postpartum depression. My girls are 14 and 11 now, so I have been out of the postpartum depression for a while.

    A couple of things that worked for me and might help you (with the caveat that I am not a doctor, or psychologist):

    1. Stay on the depression meds.. what you are going through is real, and serious. The medicine will help and it does not imply that you are weak. Some women get this worse than others - sort of like labor pain, some women can do natural childbirth, some really need that epi...

    2. Talk to someone frequently. If your friends or family do not get it, seek help from the hospital where you gave birth, or a support group in the area. You need to talk face to face with someone who has been there - someone who will understand what it means when you tell them that you just can't cope some days.

    3. Take care of yourself. See note #1, but also eat healthy and exercise regularly. Put the youngest in a stroller and you and your 4 year old can go for a walk. It is critically important that you take care of yourself.

    4. Talk to your doctor - it may be that the med you are on is not working as well as it should. There are many different types and each one works differently for different people.

    Hang in there Stacy, it really will get better. Janie
  • mussmom
    mussmom Posts: 362 Member
    @Sarah--well said! I now believe I also had a light case after my second and grocery shopping without the hubby or boys saved me. Stupid I know, but thank God I have a wonderfully patient husband who still hangs with the boys when I need alone time to work out or go shopping:) Good luck-this too will pass. Everyone had really good suggestions-just don't feel guilty, PPD is real and everyone goes through some sort of struggle.
  • tdmcmains
    tdmcmains Posts: 227 Member
    Hi Stacy. I don't know if I really had PPD but when I had my first child I was just so stunned, it wasn't really what I expected and I was getting NO sleep and was trying to breastfeed and it was goign horribly and my baby was losing weight and jaundiced and I felt like all the doctors were accusing me of basically starving him and felt like a failure as a mother because i couldn't feed my baby, he would never sleep, he cried all the time, i was exhausted and felt like... i had this little person who did nothing wrong (well, nothing he could control) and I just couldn't stand being around him. i wanted to enjoy my baby and just couldn't. I say I don't know if it was PPD, not because I wasn't depressed, MAN was i depressed, but it seemed like... who WOULDN'T be depressed dealing with all that?
    What you said about losing it at the doctors office... I did the exact same thing. I didn't even know I was going to but it was like... when I stopped to think about it, it all came out. Ugh!
    With baby #2, I think I knew better what I was getting into and I had my husband help out a lot more from the beginning which, i think, helped me a lot. I didn't get so exhausted right away. i think with #1, I was up for like... a week or two straight, sleeping only an hour or so at a time. It was awful. It amazes me sometimes that people still have babies with all we have to go through!
    I hope it gets better for you soon. The medication sounded like it helped a lot. For me, I think, it was time passing that helped the most. They get bigger, they need a little less of that constant attention. Time will pass. The first year for us was always the hardest. Now my guys are 3 1/2 and 18 months and starting to play together and they sleep at night and it's a whole new world. Hang in there.
  • ksutte
    ksutte Posts: 76 Member
    Me too. I had it with my first, but hid it and didn't say anything, thinking it was just the hormones and they would work themselves out of my system. Then with my second, 14 mos after my first, before I left the hospital, I talked to the nurse and dr. I couldn't keep hiding it and I thought I was going to lose it. My kids are 4 and 5 now and I'm still taking them. I've been on a couple different ones, you need to work with your dr to find out which ones work best for you. If what you are doing isn't working then see if they have an alternative. Also, check your thyroid. Mine quit on me when I was pregnant with my 2nd one. That also takes some adjusting with the meds.

    Dr. Ridha Arem, in his book, “The Thyroid Solution: A Mind Body Program for Beating Depression and Regaining Your Emotional and Physical Health”, states: Scientists now consider thyroid hormone one of the major “players” in brain chemistry disorders. And as with any brain chemical disorder, until treated correctly, thyroid hormone imbalance has serious effects on the patient’s emotions and behavior.

    Hope this helps!
    Kelly
  • jpriebe317
    jpriebe317 Posts: 8
    Hey girl. I had PPD after I had my daughter. It lasted for about a year and it is rough but it does get better. I would recommend calling your dr back and making another appointment. If the meds are working for you then stay with them. They is no reason to go off the medication if it is helping. Things will get better over time. Just stick with it and if you need to cry then cry. It's good to let it out. You body is trying to get back into a normal cycle (if that's possible) and that takes time too. I know it is not fun to be patient but it will get better as along as you are doing the things you need to do. I will be praying for you!
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