For moms who suffered with PPD before. Did you fully recover and how long did it take?

deanna1313

I'm a FTM and my son just turned 7 mths. Although I'm doing great (best since he has been born) I still feel like something is missing. Not sure what. I get down a lot easier when something bothers me than I ever would have before and I think I have pms during my period which I've never had before. Wish I could remember more examples of what's different.
Sometimes I wonder if I'm different or it's just still the PPD wearing off slowly.
I am thankful for where I am though. Any thoughts are appreciated!

princess1686

My son is also 7 months, and I was diagnosed with ppd after he was born. I was just discharged from therapy, so, clinically speaking, I no longer have ppd. I will tell you that I will never feel like the same person I was before--I'm a Mom now. My transition to that new identity was a huge part of what affected me so much. That and I was taking on the weight of the world and not asking for any help or support. Even though I'll never feel like I did before, I know how to cope and that's what matters. The other thing I learned is that therapy only goes so far, if there's something in my life that's giving me grief, I have to deal with it, and if there's something I need, I have to go get it. When I feel like something's missing, it's about the things around me that were burning me out and exascerbating my ppd in the first place. Does that make sense? So at least in my case there were/ are a lot of things in my life that needed to change for me to kick my ppd.

deanna1313

Thank you and yes I agree that being a Mother makes you change, but this is different than that. I was released from therapy a couple months ago as the the psychologist could no longer do anything for me. I'm sure changing problems in your life can really help. I'm not really sure what the problem is for me. It's really just time and letting it run it's course mostly this late in the game. I wonder if I still have PPD or if this is the new me. Thanks

princess1686

Did your psychologist tell you you still meet criteria for ppd? I would trust their opinion. If it makes you feel any better, I'm still trying to fill the void, too. I guess I'm saying that, at least in my opinion, that feeling is something different from ppd.

deanna1313

Not in so many words, but she told me I didn't need to be there anymore. I understood, but I thought is feel 100% before stopping. I know she really can't do anything for me anymore. Maybe I'm still getting used to my new life. I don't know.

kettlekitten

@princess1686 I felt like the clouds lifted at around 15 months when my daughter started walking. It was almost sudden, in fact, though it had been getting a little easier month by month before that. I don't know exactly why that milestone helped, but I guess she was generally easier to manage and perhaps I was just never much of a 'baby person.' It was at that point I stopped crying almost daily and getting so anxious about everything. I think at that 15 month point I began to feel like my old self again... Before that I too was feeling that things were not right but I wondered whether that this was just the 'new me,' that I would eventually get used to. Hopefully you are feeling better since you posted and that things continue to improve