How do you know it's PPD vs. being completely overwhelmed?

Temp6313048411121614 · August 2010

I feel totally overwhelmed, to an extreme point. I'm a SAHM and by the end of the day I just can't take it, my nerves are totally fried. DH has been gone on work for 3 days (will be home tonight) and I honestly don't think I could take another day without snapping. Just spent a few minutes in our room sobbing uncontrollably because they just never let up. Seems like the twins always fussy, never happy. I don't even think we could afford for me to work and put 3 kids in daycare without losing money. So how do you know the difference? This isn't something I've felt over just the last few days, I've felt worn down for months.

tlmommy2b:) · August 2010

I think its different for everyone. However, I thought it must be baby blues, then it must be lack of sleep, then it must be adjusting to being a SAHM, then it must be adjusting my thyroid meds...then I realized it might just be more than that. I went to my gen. doc and just told her what was going on. She said its PPD and gave me meds. Its only been a week and its already better. Go to your doctor asap and talk to them. GL!

pam1005 · August 2010

Give you doc a call. I kept telling myself I needed more sleep, just had to get used to having a baby, and needed to get into a routine. My husband made me call and it was one of the best things I did. The nurse did not even have me come in once I told her how I was feeling. I was on meds for a week and felt like a different person. You are not the only one. It does not hurt to give your doc a call (or at least the nurses line). Good luck!

cerad5 · August 2010

So sorry you are feeling this way Momma! Take a look at this list from a website that helped me through my darkest days of PPD. Postpartumprogress.com.

You may have postpartum depression if you have had a baby within the last 12 months and are experiencing some of these symptoms:You feel overwhelmed. Not like "hey, this new mom thing is hard." More like "I can't do this and I'm never going to be able to do this." You feel like you just can't handle being a mother. In fact, you may be wondering whether you should have become a mother in the first place.You feel guilty because you believe you should be handling new motherhood better than this. You feel like your baby deserves better. You worry whether your baby can tell that you feel so bad, or that you are crying so much, or that you don't feel the happiness or connection that you thought you would. You may wonder whether your baby would be better off without you.You don't feel bonded to your baby. You're not having that mythical mommy bliss that you see on TV or read about in magazines. You can't understand why this is happening. You are very confused and scared.You feel irritated or angry. You have no patience. Everything annoys you. You feel resentment toward your baby, or your partner, or your friends who don't have babies. You feel out-of-control rage. You feel nothing. Emptiness. You are just going through the motions. You feel sadness to the depths of your soul. You can't stop crying, even when there's no real reason to be crying.You feel hopeless, like this situation will never ever get better. You feel weak and defective. You feel like a failure. You can't bring yourself to eat, or perhaps the only thing that makes you feel better is eating.You can't sleep when the baby sleeps, nor can you sleep at any other time. Or maybe you can fall asleep, but you wake up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep no matter how tired you are. Or maybe all you can do is sleep and you can't seem to stay awake to get the most basic things done. Whichever it is, your sleeping is completely screwed up, and it's not just because you have a newborn.You can't concentrate. You can't focus. You can't think of the words you want to say. You can't remember what you were supposed to do. You can't make a decision. You feel like you're in a fog.You feel disconnected. You feel strangely apart from everyone for some reason, like there's an invisible wall between you and the rest of the world.Maybe you're doing everything right. You are exercising. You are taking your vitamins. You have a healthy spirituality. You do yoga. You're thinking "Why can't I just get over this?" You feel like you should be able to snap out of it, but you can't.You might be having thoughts of running away and leaving your family behind. Or you've thought of driving off the road, or taking too many pills, or finding some other way to end this misery. Or you may have thoughts of harming others.You know something is wrong. You may not know you have a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder, but you know the way you are feeling is NOT right. You think you've "gone crazy".You are afraid that this is your new reality and that you've lost the "old you" forever.You are afraid that if you reach out for help people will judge you. Or that your baby will be taken away.

j_st.charles · August 2010

cerad5:
So sorry you are feeling this way Momma! Take a look at this list from a website that helped me through my darkest days of PPD. Postpartumprogress.com.
You may have postpartum depression if you have had a baby within the last 12 months and are experiencing some of these symptoms:You feel overwhelmed. Not like "hey, this new mom thing is hard." More like "I can't do this and I'm never going to be able to do this." You feel like you just can't handle being a mother. In fact, you may be wondering whether you should have become a mother in the first place.You feel guilty because you believe you should be handling new motherhood better than this. You feel like your baby deserves better. You worry whether your baby can tell that you feel so bad, or that you are crying so much, or that you don't feel the happiness or connection that you thought you would. You may wonder whether your baby would be better off without you.You don't feel bonded to your baby. You're not having that mythical mommy bliss that you see on TV or read about in magazines. You can't understand why this is happening. You are very confused and scared.You feel irritated or angry. You have no patience. Everything annoys you. You feel resentment toward your baby, or your partner, or your friends who don't have babies. You feel out-of-control rage. You feel nothing. Emptiness. You are just going through the motions. You feel sadness to the depths of your soul. You can't stop crying, even when there's no real reason to be crying.You feel hopeless, like this situation will never ever get better. You feel weak and defective. You feel like a failure. You can't bring yourself to eat, or perhaps the only thing that makes you feel better is eating.You can't sleep when the baby sleeps, nor can you sleep at any other time. Or maybe you can fall asleep, but you wake up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep no matter how tired you are. Or maybe all you can do is sleep and you can't seem to stay awake to get the most basic things done. Whichever it is, your sleeping is completely screwed up, and it's not just because you have a newborn.You can't concentrate. You can't focus. You can't think of the words you want to say. You can't remember what you were supposed to do. You can't make a decision. You feel like you're in a fog.You feel disconnected. You feel strangely apart from everyone for some reason, like there's an invisible wall between you and the rest of the world.Maybe you're doing everything right. You are exercising. You are taking your vitamins. You have a healthy spirituality. You do yoga. You're thinking "Why can't I just get over this?" You feel like you should be able to snap out of it, but you can't.You might be having thoughts of running away and leaving your family behind. Or you've thought of driving off the road, or taking too many pills, or finding some other way to end this misery. Or you may have thoughts of harming others.You know something is wrong. You may not know you have a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder, but you know the way you are feeling is NOT right. You think you've "gone crazy".You are afraid that this is your new reality and that you've lost the "old you" forever.You are afraid that if you reach out for help people will judge you. Or that your baby will be taken away.

Thank you for this!

How do you know it's PPD vs. being completely overwhelmed?

Re: How do you know it's PPD vs. being completely overwhelmed?

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