if you know a woman with post natal depression are you able to see the signs or do you need to be told she is?

Question

has anybody out there had a friend that suffered with ante/post natal depression and you were not able to tell until it was too late, or have you suffered with it and felt that people were unable to understand how you felt or what you were going through. also what did you do to help them get over it or help yourself? i want to know because i have a friend currently going through this ( i think) and i would love to know wwhat i could for her.
thank you in advance for helping me.

Answer 1

Postnatal depression (PND) is a depressive illness that occurs after having a baby. It is common for women following childbirth to experience a period of 'low' mood. This can range in severity from a mild and normal period of mood disturbance ('baby blues'), through to PND and the most severe and rarest problem (postnatal psychosis). This factsheet deals with PND, though 'baby blues' Although there are differences between PND and 'ordinary' depression, there are many similarities.
this can be seen by others she really needs to reconise that she has this first as soon as you can get her to see a doctor show her this message if you think it will help be ready to help her she will need a friend to turn to

Answer 2

Noone has ever noticed my ante/post natal depression, that I know of. I do my utmost to make sure I show no outward signs, and only let myself go in front of my husband, who is my rock.

It's hard. I feel noone could understand and if they knew they might judge me or think I was a bad mother. I am recieving treatment and keep my appointments a secret too. I'm a very private person though so this might not apply to everyone.

The best thing you can do is be there to help physically and emotionally if she asks you. Try to coach her to get the help she needs, but it's a long road. You sound to be a caring friend, but if you confront her it may well make her back off, or try extra hard to be 'normal' in front of you, if she doesn't want to admit anything is wrong. This is obviously the exact opposite from what you want to happen.

She's doing well to have a friend like you. Continue to let her know that you are there for anything, even just to give her a break for five minutes to catch her breath, and you'll be doing her a real favour.

Good luck and I wish your friend a speedy recovery!

Answer 3

I suffered the most severe post natal depression i could imagine 15 years ago that lasted 3 years.What was amazing was my denial that anything was wrong yet i had severe and apparant symptoms.I was numb,i was manic,i was struck down with anxiety,could not sleep,could not eat,paranoid,feelings of worthlessness,would cry for nothing,could not stop cleaning,had mad thoughts,was lethargic,screaming one minute and curled up like a baby the next,overwhelming feeling of sadness and dispair so on and so on.My partner called me crazy and totally failed to recognise the deppression.He left me because he could not cope.It was then that i realised i needed help.My child was now 3.I went on anti depressants for two years and had counselling.This turned my life around and i was cured.I suffer the long term effects of this because i am still an insomniac but i would not wish this on my worst enemy.Please support your friend to seek proffesional intervention and not leave it as late as i did.Patience is key as you don't feel better over night and if she decides on medication it must be the correct type for her symptoms.Because i was manic Prozac made me worse and i needed medication to calm me down and relax me so i went on Dothiepin which suited my case.Sleeping tablets are not the answer.You sound like a very good freind and without the support of my close freinds i may not have recovered.Two months after finishing my medication i went abroad for the first time and thats when i knew the horror was behind me.I wish your friend peace of mind and a full recovery.Well done for being so kind.Remind her she is a good mother as i was broken with feelings of guilt that i was failing my little boy.

Answer 4

i have ante natel depression and no one knows what 2 do!! no one evn knows unless i tell them which personally i think is people being blind n not seeing the classic depression signs. not eatn, not going out, crying etc...but no..every1's putting it dwn 2 hormones. mines caused by my bastard ex not caring enuf 2 talk to me civily about the baby or bother coming to the doc's today when something was wrong. men huh?
anyway. just be there 4 ur friend more than normal. dnt tell her 2 call u when she feels low, just pop round, evn if its just 4 a quick cupper, or draggin her out 4 a quick walk. she may not wana but i kno i feel better when the one person i've told does it. if hers is caused by a bloke being a **** like mine is then dnt just sit there slagging him off ALL the time, when she starts doing it, u start, when she stops u stop. just generally be there. i'm sure ur doing more than u think u r. u prooved that by just asking this question. i wish there were more ppl like u in the world. if shes had the baby then take her 2 the doc's cuz its worse afta baby's born due to lack of hormones that shes had for the last 9 months. if not, tlk 2 her health visitor if u can b there when she is. answer the door 4 her n take the chance THEN 2 say ur worried abt her.

Answer 5

I suffered with it myself. And some ppl around me did know something was wrong with me. But you as her friend just help her out by giving her a break from her baby for about 3 - 4 hours a day, keep encouraging her, and speak positive things all the time. This should help, everyone is different. But this is what help for me.

Answer 6

I had post natal depression as my son was in special care - born at 28.5 weeks and spent 69 days in there, I couldnt recognise the signs myself, and to be honest, I must be good at hiding my emotions, as staff at the hospital didnt pick up on it either - it was only after a really bad visit to scbu that I tried to commit suicide and my partner realised that something was seriously wrong - we went to the dr's who then said I had depression but refused to put me on meds as I was expressing milk for my son and that was more important - we told this to the hospital who refused to let me express anymore, I went on the pills and things gradually started to improve.

My advice is if you suspect someone has it, persuade them to seek medical help - as if they get suicidal and there is no-one there to stop them.......who knows what might happen.

Answer 7

hi Jack's Mum....i'm, additionally a mom to Jack and with whom I suffered poor submit-natal melancholy. i replaced into with my modern substantial different yet we've been so naive and not waiting for the alterations that a newborn unavoidably brings. With my relatives residing in yet another area of the rustic and all my acquaintances on the occupation course and sooo no longer into teenagers, i replaced into shell-stunned and remoted. mixture in with that some economic hassle and a lot of arguments with the different a million/2 and....properly, there you have it. I went undiagnosed for 8 months and it took my mom to rescue me; she known what replaced into occurring directly away as a results of fact she had suffered with it too (maximum of have!!). no longer long as quickly as we moved closer to my mothers and dads and that i replaced into on anti-depressants. I additionally started out a factor-time pastime, which helped plenty I cant permit you recognize. It took virtually 2 years for me to overcome the melancholy....it probable could have been speedier had I heeded the advice of the GP and not tried to return off the pills too quickly. the full journey fairly positioned me off having any further teenagers. in spite of the incontrovertible fact that, I did beat the melancholy, have been given a occupation started out and now, after a super hollow, have at present given delivery to my 2d newborn. Jack is almost 11 years previous now and so properly worth all of it. Dont provide up or melancholy....you will get by way of it I promise. Sorry to hearken to your loved ones are being extra a hassle than a help.......you could think of that the actuality you're reading to alter right into a nurse could motivate them. regrettably you cant p.c.. your loved ones, so which you will ought to get right of entry to a extra advantageous help community. Ask your counsellour or midwife for suggestion approximately this and take the bounce....that's frightening yet properly worth doing. i think for you.......it does sense like there is no end to all of it, yet at some point you would be in my place and offering suggestion to somebody else. solid luck hun.

Answer 8

I suffered a lot with it, especially with my oldest child. Since I suffered from depression anyway, I was well-prepared, but it actually took my mom telling me "look, this is normal, you knew it could happen" for me to remember what I actually already knew.

I credit my mom and sister, my mother-in-law, and a friend at church, for helping me get through it. My mom was there to talk, and she would ask how I was doing, instead of only asking about the baby. She dealt with me calling her in the middle of the night bawling because the kid wouldn't stop crying, and my husband wasn't being supportive, and WHY DID I THINK I COULD DO THIS???? She also encouraged me to talk to my doctor and get on antidepressants, which helped dramatically. She reminded me all of this was normal, and assured me that it didn't mean I didn't love the baby, or that I was a bad mom.

My sister showed up and got me and Cameron out of the house. We went shopping. We went out to eat. We decorated her room. Whatever it was, she didn't let me just sit in misery with only a baby to keep me company. She also showed up occasionally and told me to go away, she was going to watch Cameron, or she'd make me go to bed and she would take care of him.

My mother-in-law explained things to my husband, who just did not understand the concept of postpartum depression.

My friend from church got me signed up in MOPS (Moms of Preschoolers), where I got out of the house, made friends, and learned how to take care of myself again WHILE I was taking care of the baby.

The thing is, most new moms, whether they suffer from postpartum depression or not, could use help. All new moms can use sleep. Bringing a covered casserole for dinner, offering to babysit so she can get stuff done or (more importantly) sleep, coming by and kidnapping laundry (to be returned within hours, clean and folded) would benefit just about any mom. Encourage her, let her know that whatever she feels is okay. If you think she's really handling this mommy-thing well, tell her. If you feel comfortable with her husband/partner, talk to him about what can be done, and how important his attitude is in helping her feel better.

All of those things are good for any new mom, but they can be lifesaving for a new mom who is suffering with postpartum depression.

Answer 9

you know when you are depressed, but some people ignore it, i has post natal depression after my daughter was born, i talked to my health visitor and she referred me to the doctor and i was put on Prozac for a few months, that helped alot.