Third Trimester Hormones?

NDGOIRISH

Hi ladies,

I've been struggling pretty bad since 30 weeks with what I believe is hormone-induced anxiety and sleep problems. It's been awful! My doctor has given me Ambien, which helps, but my non-stop worrying/anxiety makes me feel like a bad mom already! She also offered Zoloft, but I just didn't feel right taking it yet. I've heard it can sometimes make anxiety worse and I didn't want to even go there with how it is now.

 The Ambien worked and I felt much better last week, then once again I could feel a growth spurt and sore boobs and BAM, anxiety is back. It's so, so frustrating. 

I'm so worried now about how I'm going to react when my twins come. I was totally fine up until 30 weeks. It literally makes me scared to death of postpartum depression and if I can even handle twins. Now instead of being excited about having these babies we tried so hard for, I'm just plain scared.

 If you're been there or have experience with this, can you tell me how it went?? I 

imoverit

Sorry you are feeling this way. I had anxiety all throughout my pregnancy but it hit hardest when I had DS. It took me 6 months before I finally went on Lexapro because I was so worried that it would effect LO while I was BFing. Best decision I ever made. I took it for a year and it made me feel much better. The next time though, I would take it sooner rather than later. Zoloft caused horrible side effects for me. GL with your decision.

mcgeeva

I haven't had experience with having that much anxiety over ds coming but I'm sure knowing there are two babies adds to the stress. Do you have family and friends near by? I only ask because I feel like if you do, that right there will be your help to lean on. People love to help and everyone loves babies. Try to enjoy the time you have left to yourself to get some sleep and relax. You will be overwhelmed in the beginning like all new moms are but those little babies will melt your heart and make it all worth it! If Ambien helps I would definitely keep taking it because the last thing you want is to be stressed and pop those babies out sooner. I only speak from experience.

Ruthie04

I'm so sorry you are struggling. While I did not have significant anxiety during pregnancy, I definitely struggled with PPA in post partum. I was convinced I'd have PPD (I had lots of risk factors: IF, multiples, family history of post partum psychosis, history of depression in my siblings), but didn't even experience baby blues. However, the anxiety really got to me and has only subsided since I weaned the boys. In my very expert medical opinion (I got my degree at Google University! ), I believe the low estrogen during BFing contributed to my anxiety. I was obsessed with DH's death and my own mortality. I had the same issue during my suppression phase of IVF. Once I stopped BFing, my hormones started to regulate and I began to feel better.

I think some degree of fear is totally normal. I'm not going to lie- having twins is really hard. Sleep deprivation is amplified with two babies and there were many times in those early weeks when I'd fall asleep in the middle of sentences. A lot of the frustration and anxiety (at least in my case) was about figuring out how to do things. For example, how do you put two babies to sleep at once? How do you bottle feed two at the same time? Once I got those tasks down (and you will!), I got much more confident and life got much better. Then, right around 3/4 months, this magical transition happened and EVERYTHING got much easier. And, around 7-9 months, things will get SO FUN! There were many days in those early months when I mourned not having a singleton newborn experience, but having 9 month old twins is seriously the best time of my life. I laugh all day long.

As I was so concerned about PPD/PPA, I did lots of research in advance and asked my mom and DH to read informational materials to help me recognize the signs in myself. I am a mental health professional and worked on a postpartum hospital unit and used Postpartum Support International as a great resource of information. The website has wonderful fact sheets and lists of local professionals with experience in PPD/PPA. They also have links to support groups and a hotline. It might be worth taking a look. I found it empowering to know I had resources for help, should I need them.

So sorry for the novel! I just remember being there and I wanted to offer some support .

NDGOIRISH

Ruthie04:

I'm so sorry you are struggling. While I did not have significant anxiety during pregnancy, I definitely struggled with PPA in post partum. I was convinced I'd have PPD (I had lots of risk factors: IF, multiples, family history of post partum psychosis, history of depression in my siblings), but didn't even experience baby blues. However, the anxiety really got to me and has only subsided since I weaned the boys. In my very expert medical opinion (I got my degree at Google University! ), I believe the low estrogen during BFing contributed to my anxiety. I was obsessed with DH's death and my own mortality. I had the same issue during my suppression phase of IVF. Once I stopped BFing, my hormones started to regulate and I began to feel better.

I think some degree of fear is totally normal. I'm not going to lie- having twins is really hard. Sleep deprivation is amplified with two babies and there were many times in those early weeks when I'd fall asleep in the middle of sentences. A lot of the frustration and anxiety (at least in my case) was about figuring out how to do things. For example, how do you put two babies to sleep at once? How do you bottle feed two at the same time? Once I got those tasks down (and you will!), I got much more confident and life got much better. Then, right around 3/4 months, this magical transition happened and EVERYTHING got much easier. And, around 7-9 months, things will get SO FUN! There were many days in those early months when I mourned not having a singleton newborn experience, but having 9 month old twins is seriously the best time of my life. I laugh all day long.

As I was so concerned about PPD/PPA, I did lots of research in advance and asked my mom and DH to read informational materials to help me recognize the signs in myself. I am a mental health professional and worked on a postpartum hospital unit and used Postpartum Support International as a great resource of information. The website has wonderful fact sheets and lists of local professionals with experience in PPD/PPA. They also have links to support groups and a hotline. It might be worth taking a look. I found it empowering to know I had resources for help, should I need them.

So sorry for the novel! I just remember being there and I wanted to offer some support .

 

THANK YOU! I've already been very open with my husband about my concerns after they're born, but I think including my parents (who know I'm struggling) in on warning signs is a great idea. I'm so glad to hear you survived and are enjoying them! That's all I want! I didn't have problems during my suppression phase, its been these past 3 1/2 weeks. Could be a combo of the hormones and the reality of this actually happening! Thank you so much for sharing! 

 If you don't mind me asking, did you have problems sleeping when you had the opportunity? I find right now I'm so wired/anxious it's very hard for me to wind down at nigh. I'm just wondering if you were able to sleep when you needed to once they came?

NDGOIRISH

imoverit:

Sorry you are feeling this way. I had anxiety all throughout my pregnancy but it hit hardest when I had DS. It took me 6 months before I finally went on Lexapro because I was so worried that it would effect LO while I was BFing. Best decision I ever made. I took it for a year and it made me feel much better. The next time though, I would take it sooner rather than later. Zoloft caused horrible side effects for me. GL with your decision.

 

Thank you for sharing! Did you wean before you took the anxiety meds or did you keep bf'ing through?  

Ruthie04

Honestly, I was so exhausted in those early months, I would fall asleep while having conversations with DH. It was horrible. The pedi had us waking them to eat until 4 mos, so I didn't have any trouble sleeping until that point. After that, I did have some trouble turning my mind off. It's rare for it to be a big issue, but there have been a few mornings when I've been dragging.