PPD... Let's talk about it.

632Mama · May 2014

I'm a new mom.. My little one is 4 weeks and I have moments where I feel so ashamed by how terrible I feel that I feel very undeserving of everything.. I cry, feel like I've lost my identity, feel like a horrible mom, horrible wife... My husband is stressed and worried at times... Feel very disconnected and alone at times.. Having a hard time talking about it but I know it's normal, just trying to push through....I'm handeling it... Can't wait until I can start excercising again... I hope that it helps.

How are you doing with everything? Or how did you handle it? So many people don't want to talk about it,.. But let's talk.

Avion22 · May 2014

632Mama said:

I'm a new mom.. My little one is 4 weeks and I have moments where I feel so ashamed by how terrible I feel that I feel very undeserving of everything.. I cry, feel like I've lost my identity, feel like a horrible mom, horrible wife... My husband is stressed and worried at times... Feel very disconnected and alone at times.. Having a hard time talking about it but I know it's normal, just trying to push through....I'm handeling it... Can't wait until I can start excercising again... I hope that it helps. How are you doing with everything? Or how did you handle it? So many people don't want to talk about it,.. But let's talk.

Please don't think you should just "push through" it. PPD is a serious recognized medical illness, but it can be treated. You wouldn't hesitate to get medical treatment for any other illness, so you shouldn't hesitate to get help for PPD either. You don't have to feel the way you are feeling, this can (and should) be treated.

I really hope you start feeling better.

tlf830 · May 2014

Hi there, I know how you are feeling. I gave birth to twins 5 weeks ago and, about 5 days after getting home it hit. I would cry all day, feel helpless and alone, waking up in the morning I would be filled with dread. It was awful. I let my Dr. know (my sister had serious PPD with her first, so, I knew the symptoms) and she said we'd talk about it at my 2 week appointment. I went in there crying my eyes out and she prescribed Zoloft for me. I feel like a new person now, I am able to enjoy my children. Please talk to your Dr. about this, you don't have to feel this way!!

Try to focus on the right here, right now, don't even think about tomorrow. Get outside, go for a walk. PPD is more common than we think, and you're right, no one talks about it. I was stunned when I opened up to a few people about how I was feeling, and they said, oh, I had that too. You aren't alone!

sheyscorona · May 2014

Its the one thing that no one talks about. I HATED my life soon after my son was born, I cried and was so depressed. I hated being a mother, I wanted my old life back, the freedom. I felt like I had been handed an 18 year jail sentence. This is the stuff that if you say out loud to someone they look at you like you're a monster, but guess what? Other women feel the same way as you, and other women suffer in silence! Find someone else who can relate to you, find a good therapist and discuss treatment with your doctor as well. You will adapt to this new life, and it does get easier, but get help!

632Mama · May 2014

I'm talking to my midwife and my sister in law who went through it too... It's awful.... I wish more people would talk about it... People not talking about it makes it feel like something that we should be ashamed of.. When it really should be a time for support.

cnbean · May 2014

You should call your OB and talk with them about it. I wish I had realized that I was dealing with PPD not just the baby blues. I never got the help I needed, but I was lucky and it cleared up on its own fairly quickly. Even still I regret that I didn't tell someone how I really felt and get the help I needed.

poohbear033 · May 2014

DH made me call my OB at 8 days PP. I was hysterically crying in the bathroom. I just didn't want to do it. I was exhausted and her birth was very traumatic. I have been on meds and have been seeing a counselor for about 4 months.

LaNorte · May 2014

I still am not entirely sure if I am dealing with PPD or baby blues or normal hormone changes. Most of the time I feel good, or great. My husband is amazing and supportive. DS is generally an easy baby, and sleeps well. I feel like we are bonding well, and I love to sit and snuggle with him. But the dark times.... oh my god, are they dark. It used to be several times a day, now it's about once every other day. I feel the same way that you all described - I miss my old life & wish I never had a baby, I loathe breastfeeding & resent the baby for ruining my body and not letting me get it back yet, I feel guilty about needing a csection & angry at how long it's taking to recover, and I absolutely shut down at the sound of him crying. I will talk to my doctor about it at our next appointment, but I don't even know if it's that out of the ordinary, because I definitely don't feel that way all the time or even most of the time. It's getting more and more infrequent, but it is still way intense when it does happen.

flcl · May 2014

PPD is serious and a tough condition to have to deal with on top of being a mom to a newborn. You're right that not a lot of people talk about it, I think a lot of us feel like we shouldn't feel this way, we should be able to handle all of this. Like PPs have mentioned, there's a lot of shame in it and there shouldn't be. What a lot of new moms don't realize is that postpartum anxiety is even more common yet talked about even less. There are so many screenings for PPD and there's a lot of support out there for women struggling with it but PPA is still on the back burner. Maybe that's because depression and anxiety typically go hand-in-hand? Whatever it is we're feeling, we need to be honest with our support system.

@632mama, @poohbear033 and @lanorte: I hope you all feel better soon. If you haven't talked to your doctor yet, please do. It's hard enough taking care of your new LO, other people in your family and yourself when you're feeling great and healthy. Get the help and support... best of luck.

632Mama · May 2014

Had anyone encountered negative reactions from other people that are affecting how you handle this?

cpfanner · May 2014

Totally felt like that several days PP. For me i think it was just baby blues, i just cried cause i was by myself and a baby that was crying. There were times were i just completely shut down when he would cry. Sometimes i even thought "wow this is why new moms go crazy" ..i would never hurt my little man, but Jesus i could see how sleep deprivation and a crying baby can get to you

SweetTea420 · May 2014

I was diagnosed yesterday with PPD. Mine hits me hard as the sun is going down and at night. I've always been light sensitive. Unfortunately DH works nights so being alone is horrible. I am very anxious and every little noise DS makes puts me on edge to the point where I'm having jaw pain from the tension. I am having trouble eating and sleeping when the baby does. The thoughts are the worst though. I keep thinking about running away or giving my baby up because I was never meant to be a mother. Just feeling so trapped. Started meds today so hoping I will start to feel normal again.

If you start feeling off, go see your doctor. I feel like I waited too long and now I am not able to care for my son without major help from my family.

632Mama · June 2014

Sweettea - I totally get it Im seeking therapy to help me. Had a long talk with my midwife.. For me what hit also was this paralyzing fear that I'm failing and I won't ever be able to be a good mother.. Fears of repeating things that happened when I was growing up.. It's rather debilitating at times. But non of us are really alone.. Although it really feels that way sometimes.

norab2684 · June 2014

@SweetTea420‌ how are you feeling. My meds were upped today. Hoping to get some relief in the near future. Feeling so anxious!

yvanehtnioj · June 2014

I'm so sorry to hear that some of us are suffering this way. I have had some dark thoughts as well, like how I miss my old life and maybe having a baby was a mistake. I also get sad as the sun is setting each evening, for no particular reason. Mornings and early afternoons are good though. I am monitoring it and if it is still around at my 6 week appt, I will speak up. I have been clinically depressed in the past and I do not want to spend the first weeks of my son's life in that place. Best to all of us struggling, I really do believe it will get better.

PPD... Let's talk about it.

Re: PPD... Let's talk about it.

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