I'm new here - Possible PPA - Looking for support
My LO will be two weeks old on Thursday - and I really thought things were getting slightly better the last two days ( cried less, seemed to have it more together ) so I thought what I had must have been baby blues. I decided this morning I need help so I called my OB. She is going to refer me to a therapist and possibly put me on something until I see the therapist.
I guess what I have must be PPA - I'm so unbelievably anxious I pace at night and cannot sleep. Last night I maybe got 1 hour of sleep total. When I do get to sleep I wake up shortly thereafter and basically leap from the bed to get up and moving. I feel like I need to be running constantly. I worry and fret over nonsense - and can never relax.
I guess I just wanted to introduce myself and see if there are others out there with the crazy anxiety raging through them. I just feel like talking with others would make me feel better about it all. Thanks!
Re: I'm new here - Possible PPA - Looking for support
I totally get how you feel. I am an anxious mess, myself. I am seeing a psychologist for the first time, today.
That is wonderful that you are being so proactive and getting yourself in to see someone right away! Good for you. I hope that they will be able to get you on treatment that brings you some relief.
Keep us updated on your progress, and good luck to you!
i had that too. i could not sleep because i would be busy anticipating when the baby would be waking up next. are you BFing?
my therapist had my try some breathing exercises when i felt anxiety coming on. you might try googling that, to see about different techniques. She'd have me relax and think about each part of my body while breathing in and out really deeply, and imagined feeling myself lighter when i breathed out.
yes. I have/had PPA. I actually heard it's more common that PPD, but doctors don't screen for it as much, so it can go undetected in many cases. For me there was a strong correlation with my hormone levels and the levels of my anxiety.
There was an amazing article by Kate Rope in Cookie magazine last Nov 2009. I tried to look for it online, but didn't find it. Maybe you could do a search. It chronicles her experience through PPA and it made me feel so much more normal about myself.
Good luck. Seeing a therapist and (if you need them) meds will change this for you. Stay strong.