We are great friends and she is having a really hard time. Even though I have three children I have never experienced this. I want to know how she is feeling, has anyone been through this? How did you feel, what would you have liked friends to do to help you? Any help would be really appreciated.
2007-03-08 16:16:21 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
I went through this for about 15 minutes... :) I was a lucky one. My freind on the other hand was in such a deep depression that she had to leave home and live with ther mom for 4 months. From what she has told me.. she felt helpless, unworthy to be a mom, cried all the time, had horrible anxiety, didn't WANT to be a mom (this was her second child). It was a very trying time for the whole family. Thank God her husband is a Dr. None the less, even he had to do research on it because he couldn't grasp the whole thing either. Please be there for your Friend.. take her baby when you can, talk to her.. don't judge her for her feelings no matter what she may say or feel. If you feel the baby is in danger, then the family should be notified right away. You might want to keep in touch with her family too. I will tell you that my Friend recovered with the help of intensive therapy and anti depressants. She is an awesome mother!!
2007-03-08 16:26:14 · answer #1 · answered by pink9364 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
the ol post pardem is VERY real. when hubby took a one week vaca and when it was time 4 him to go back i CRIED like a baby. though i have had help from my mom and sis in law i wanted him there with me. mind u these people including friends took vacas to stay home with me and spent the night but its just a funk that u go thru. it seems silly but its not. u cant explain it. all i can say is that u just dont feel like yourself. if u can just b there 4 here and dont try to force help on her. if u ask to babysit or cook for her or whatever and she says no leave her b. but if it lasts to long go over and talk 2 her but not about the depression. watch tv or just talk about n e thing else cause she may not own up to the fact that she really is depressed. the 1st time i went out to the mall was like a breath of fresh air. i never knew what it was like 2 b out cause i would watch my baby all day while hubby was at work then again at night so he could sleep for work the next day. i missed the sun and the fresh air so the most littlest thing might brighten her day!!!
2007-03-08 16:51:27 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
She will have to find help, from a psychologist or physician. I tried counseling, read a really good book, made friends, and those things helped, but after months of terrible depression, only Zoloft has helped. I want my friends to call me, invite me, drop by, email, just let me know they're thinking about me. Most of my friends don't know about my depression, but I let them know how much I appreciate their phone calls, etc. It feels great to receive specific compliments on things I handle well. "You are very good at trimming your baby's fingernails," or whatever. Just notice the things she does well and point them out. She probably doesn't see the positive things she's doing, and if she does, she discounts them. Let her know that it's OK to sit and rest sometimes. Demand that she leave dirty dishes in the sink and go to bed early. Tell her she's not allowed to have a clean living room. Keep showing your support until she figures out how to get through this.
2007-03-08 16:47:43 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I felt really wore out and ready to cry at the drop of a hat. I was happy to have my baby but I felt overwhelmed with the extra responsibility and the lack of sleep. It ony lasted for a couple months but it was terrible. I've heard that post-partum depression can last for a year or more. Just be there for your friend. Offer to help wherever you can. If she needs some sleep, offer to babysit for a while or even offer to help with the housecleaning. It will be good for her to have a friend like you in her time of need. She will get over it given time. You are a good person to be concerned about your friend and wanting to help her. The world needs more people like you.
2007-03-08 16:26:00 · answer #4 · answered by Amanda 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My best friend had postpartum depression so badly that she didn't want to be around any of her kids. She had to go to the doctor and ask for Prozac. I had postpartum depression pretty bad myself and didn't do anything about it. It was really hard and really emotional but I got through it and was able to get on with my life. Like others have said, she needs someone to talk to. I would recommend sitting with her and listening, keep your feedback to a minimum unless she asks for it and try to be the best friend ever. Maybe even offer to watch the baby so she can get away.
2007-03-08 16:28:45 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Post partum depression can be recognized as early as two weeks after giving birth. This normally happen to women who did not cope well after delivery maybe because she lack his spousal or family support, feel depressed about not being sexy anymore and maybe because she was stressed by taking care of her new baby.The best thing to do is to support her in everything she does and her with taking care of the baby and tell her that her will go back to pre-pregnancy state if she exercise and etc.
2007-03-08 17:35:18 · answer #6 · answered by sheila l 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've never felt that either, but I've heard it can get bad sometimes. Those hormones can be pretty rough. I would first encourage her to talk to her doctor about medication that could help. I'm not one for using drugs to solve problems, but sometimes a person can truly benifit from short-term use. Also, offer to watch the baby for her if she ever needs it. Give her your cell phone number and tell her to call any time. Just letting her know that you care about her and will be there when she needs you will be a huge help.
2007-03-08 16:23:46 · answer #7 · answered by Lindsay M 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I went through it with my first child and there was no way to control it on my own, I had to seek help and take meds for awhile but I did get over it didnt happen again. If she is a close friend then try just to approach her about seeing a DR about it . Good Luck !
2007-03-08 16:36:22 · answer #8 · answered by stacie_collins2001 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had postpartum depression.It was a very dark time in my life
I had to have attention all the time or i fealt lonely .Its hard to explain how you feel just not youre self.nervous,anxious,sad
tired,confused.sometimes you can get through it by youreself but sometimes like in my case i had to seek medical help.
I took paxil and in a few weeks fealt better.and a couple months was back to my normal self.you are a great friend for trying to help.
2007-03-08 16:31:13 · answer #9 · answered by soccermom 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had ppd and it was really rough. I was for one very ashamed more than sad. I felt extemely alone, helpless, angry, and sad. I had nightmares and even thoughts of harming my baby. I knew theses where signs of ppd and after about 10 mos. I went to my dr. b/c i was still having irregular menstration cycles along w/ really bad pms. my dr did blood wrk and I found I had a homone inmbalnce so i got on birth control(nuva ring).
main cause of ppd is hormone levels are imbalanced it take time but she shoulf see her dr if she have feelings of harming herself, baby, or babys father( or anyone else) a good sign is is she is aware of her unhappiness and that this ppd can be normal
2007-03-08 19:02:06 · answer #10 · answered by ginarose 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋