How do you know?

New Mommy 2B

 never imagined that I would be writing or even thinking abou this.  For about the past 2 months I have just felt horrible.  I'm the type to talk about and deal with my feelings.  Lately I have felt so overwhelmed and like I either want to scream or cry. Whether it is about bills, my new job, time spent away from my daughter and my husband, housework, etc.  My question is, how do you know if youre depressed?  I keep telling myself that I am perfectly fine and tons of women and new moms go through this.  That I don't need to see a doctor and I should just get over it.  I talk about EVERTHING with my husband but this subject just makes me uncomfortable.  My mother suffers from severe depression and I just don't want to be like that.  I find myself getting frustrated with my daughter after I get home from work at 5 because I have to cook supper, feed her and get her ready for bed, while guilty at the same time for only seeing her 3 hours a day.  If you have any thoughts, advice, or know how to deal with this..I'll take anything I can get. I want my last resort to be antidepressants.  Thanks for the help!

AlisonLynn

It sounds like you have a lot going on between working and taking care of your family. It gets tough to juggle everything. It is normal to feel overwhelmed but it sounds like it is really taking a toll on you. I wouldn't be afraid to talk to your doctor. It sounds like talking to someone would be good for you. I have suffered from depression in the past then it started severely after DS was born. I don't enjoy things that I normally would enjoy and cry constantly pretty much. After DS was born, you would think I would want to show him off and have friends over, etc, but it took a few weeks to get to that point. The night I got home from the hospital I thought I was literally going to die. I've never cried that hard in my life. I had no motivation. I loved DS sooo much right from the start but the depression definitely took its toll. I got on meds right away and they helped pretty quickly. There is no shame in taking meds. There is a reason they are made! Plus, depression is a chemical imbalance so meds help with that. I worried about taking the meds at first b/c I am breastfeeding but found out that it does not affect the baby. I needed to take care of myself in order to take care of DS. I would make an appointment with your doctor and discuss all of this. They hopefully will have some good advice. Hope things get better soon! Feel free to PM me too!

sarigirl17

I am bipolar, which has symptoms of depression, and I have an opinion about being depressed. I think that if you think you might be, you should definitely talk to someone (a friend, a doctor, a therapist) about it. Don't think of it as something that makes you "like that" or anything else negative. The fact that you have depression is not in your control. However, what you do to get help it IS in your control. There are lots of resources to help you (counseling, medication, etc) and you might need to consider them. It's fine to use medication as a last resort, just don't rule it out completely. Never underestimate the positive effect of a good counselor or therapist. Also, it can take time to find one you like, so don't be afraid to try a few. If it's scary to ask for help, just think about how much better you could feel if you GOT help. Good luck!