PPD

Re: PPD

• nano1 member

  October 2015

  Although I don't have a history of depression, my sister is bipolar and had an awful time after the birth of her children. For both of my pregnancies I have let my midwives know about my concerns for ppd and gave my husband a packet of normal/abnormal recovery symptoms (because holy cow there are some normal hormonal moments post partum) I also made sure my husband had the phone number of my midwife in case he wanted to ask about my behavior pp. I didn't have depression after my first pregnancy, but I ended up feeling some anxiety. Because of that I decided to set up an apt with a therapist at 3 months pp. I met with her a few months ago and explained my concerns about ppd. I wanted her to get to know me so that if I came in pp and was acting off that she'd be able to pick up on it easier.
  
  I feel reassured with my little set up in place for post partum, and I think it's a great idea for anyone especially if you've had a history of depression. Those first few months pp can feel really lonely at times because you may feel a little cabin fevered while you get baby's eating/sleeping schedule going. I had moments of crying because I was so happy, crying because I was so tired, and crying because I felt so sentimental over birth announcements.
  
  My sister was a stable person with a very good job before having children, but ended up losing custody of her children after what she went through post partum which saddens and scares me. The reality is, ppd could hit home for any of us and being prepared will never hurt!!!

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• TacoSarah member

  October 2015

  I was diagnosed with cyclothymia / very mild bipolar II about 10 years ago and stayed on a lowed dosage of medication the whole pregnancy. As soon as baby is born I'll be increasing to my normal therapeutic dosage. I know what to look out for and so do my parents and friends so the plan is if I start to show signs of PPD I'll increase the dosage again to what I would normally take during a depressive episode and add in an anti D which I already have the RX for.
  
  My consultant has also said that I must get a full nights sleep every 3rd or 4th night to avoid mania.
  
  I'm a planner, I like being prepared. I'm also fiercely independent and I've really had to let that go and create a big support network which I'm relieved I've done. It's taken the worry about what if away from me because I know that I'll be taken care of whatever happens.

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• PetitNightingale member

  October 2015

  I have really bad anxiety/depression as well as a mild case of borderline personality disorder. I'm functional (to a fairly high degree) both academically and in the work force but socially, I'm pretty much a failure. Pretty wallpaper would be an accurate description. I've been seeing a therapist who is very worried about PPD and PPS for me. I've been known to disassociate--I have zero emotional connection to anyone in my family and I'm worried I'll do the same emotional bailing with my son. 

  
  

  I think the best thing to do is have a support system already in place. Therapy, a spiritual advisor etc.  I get much crap for things like buying sno cone machines and whatnot but I know myself and I know that certain ritual behaviors are much more calming than any drug for me at least. As long as they aren't too expensive or harmful, I think we all need to make sure that we take some time to do "us" things.

  
  

  I despise depending on other people because I am very, very Type A but I have acknowledged that it isn't about me, it's about my son. I can be  flaming train wreck all I want but my baby needs a healthy mom. So I have to do what I have to do.  

  Do unto others. 

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• dramaphile member

  October 2015

  My midwife suggested giving my husband permission to talk to them if he thinks I am showing signs of PPD that I am not seeing or admitting to. I had a good conversation with him about it, and I feel like we've been good with communicating so far, and having a bit of a safety net makes me less nervous about the possibility.

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• cupcakesforbreakfast member

  October 2015

  I was medicated for bipolar II for nearly ten years.  I weaned myself off before getting pregnant, and have managed this pregnancy surprisingly well. I'm not preparing myself for "what if" PPD. I'm preparing myself for absolutely getting PPD, because I'll be shocked if I don't get it! Basically, I'm seeing a therapist no matter what, and my first post-natal midwife appointment is set for two weeks after delivery.  That way I know people will be keeping an eye on me. I'd love to stay off of meds since I want to EBF, but I'm more than willing to go back on them if it makes me a better mom.

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• threatlevelmidnight member

  October 2015

  I know this isn't for everyone, but I would research placenta encapsulation. I'm planning on doing this with mine and it's supposed to be amazing for PPD, breast feeding, etc. I would never think about eating my own placenta, but putting it in pill form is something I think I could handle. And if it works, great. I figure it can't hurt! Here is some info on it..
  
  https://www.placentawise.com/research-studies-supporting-placenta-encapsulation/

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• WeirdAlice member

  October 2015

  My best friend already knows without having to look for symptoms. We can go awhile without talking and out of no where she will show up at my door step sit on my bed and she holds me while I cry. I do the same for her.
  
  Other than that my grandmother thinks they just need to toss me straight back on my meds to avoid the problem as a whole. I suffered sever depression before both pregnancies, didn't start meds till after dd1.

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• Kristi4938 member

  October 2015

  I have remained on a low dose of meds throughout this pregnancy but have tapered to the lowest dose this month to avoid my LO experiencing withdrawal. As soon as she's born I plan to go back to my pre- pregnancy dosage as I know I'm high-risk for ppd (I assume it's prettying a guarantee if I don't get back on meds). The thought still terrifies me so my DH is very aware of the warning signs just in case. It's always smart to give someone close to you permission to speak to your doc if they see signs of ppd as pp suggested.

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• CocoR04 member

  October 2015

  *** trigger warning ***
  
  I'm so glad you posted this and hope many of us will read it even if we don't comment. It is so important to educate yourself and family on the symptoms of PPD. While I suffered from manageable PP anxiety with DS and fully expect to have it again after this LO, I am still grieving over the loss of a friend who had a baby just a few months after me 2 years ago. She developed an extreme form of PPD, was hospitalized for a while, and ended up taking her own life when her baby was just 3 months old. She was completely stable pre-baby and I'm still in disbelief of how quickly everything happened.
  
  Any level of PPD or PPA can happen to any of us and we need to be prepared.

  

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• TacoSarah member

  October 2015

  alyssaleighw said:

  I know this isn't for everyone, but I would research placenta encapsulation. I'm planning on doing this with mine and it's supposed to be amazing for PPD, breast feeding, etc. I would never think about eating my own placenta, but putting it in pill form is something I think I could handle. And if it works, great. I figure it can't hurt! Here is some info on it..
  
  https://www.placentawise.com/research-studies-supporting-placenta-encapsulation/

  I really wanted to try this but it's been banned in the UK. Bloody European Union crap.

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