Question for women who have or had depression during pregnancy or postpartum?

Question

Ok,no judgement please.I am feeling very low lately..since august i have been feeling very weird. I have been having bad thoughts *thoughts of hurting myself and others* i mean i WOULD NEVER do anything i think,but they dont go away and they interrupt my life. i have 2 children and im pregnant again *this happened before i got pregnant 3rd time* this all comes new to me as i never experienced this before.i am afraid of knives something terrible *never before* and i have thoughs of people breaking in my house and nightmares...i fee useless right now...How do i tell me doctor i need treatment? I feel so embarrassed,and dont want noone including hubby to judge me. Have u had these symptoms? how did u get treated and are they still there? thanks sooooo much = \

Answer 1

First, you are going to be ok. It sounds like you are experiencing clinical depression. You absolutely must see a medical professional. You can't worry about ppl judging you. You have a problem that needs medical treatment. You have no reason to be embarassed. Depression is very common and there is no shame in getting help or admitting that you need help. You have no control over your brain chemistry.

I have been through depression. It was mild during my second pregnancy and was severe right after my daughter was born. It was a horrible time in my life, but I knew I wasn't normal and that I needed help. I told my OB about it at my 6 week check up and he put me on an antidepressant. It helped a little, but I ended up in the emergency room bcs the dosage just wasn't high enough. I knew that I had to get help in order to be a good mother to my children. Try to look at it that way....this is just another thing you have to do for your children.

You will feel normal again! You just need help and probably medication. I was prescribed Zoloft which has worked wonderfully for me. Zoloft(and other ssri's) takes about a month to be at full strength, so the sooner you get help the better. And please if you have any thoughts about hurting yourself or anyone else call 911, call your doctor or tell your husband or a trusted friend.

I've been there and I know how hard this is right now, but once you get help things get better...a little bit better every day. My thoughts and prayers are with you!

Answer 2

I have post-partum depression, and am currently on Zoloft, so I know exactly how you feel! I had the bad thoughts, depression, everything. First off, there is absolutely *nothing* to feel embarrassed about. It is a lot more common than you think, and it's even common to get during pregnancy. Second, all you have to do is mention it to your doctor ASAP, and you 'll get help. I mentioned it at my son's 2 month check-up, and the doctor gave me anti-depressants right away. Third, open up to your husband. It'll help, a lot. I felt the same way as you, where I didn't want anyone to know, but it felt so good telling my husband everything that was going on, and he was so supportive. I even told him about my suicidal thoughts, and he didn't judge me at all. And after a while I got comfortable talking about it to other people since it's not my fault I have depression, so there's nothing for me (or you!) to be ashamed about.

But first things first, tell your doctor. All you have to do is say that you've been depressed, and you've been having bad thoughts, and usually that's all it takes. That's all I said to my doctor, and she didn't ask me to tell her those thoughts or anything, she just got me help. It's so great that these days post-partum depression is recognized and help is readily available. You could also have something I've heard about called post-partum anxiety, which is also treatable.

Please do get help. You have no reason to feel ashamed, you're not alone, and you deserve to be happy again.

All the best.

Answer 3

The only way youre going to be able to help yourself is by telling your OB/GYN who will refer you for treatment or give you antidepressants there. I had prenatal and post partum depression and theyre no fun if left untreated. I left mine untreated for too long and it got to the point where I was having panic attacks all the time and just couldnt function. www.crazymeds.org has a humorous listing of what various anti depressants can do to you and you may find it easier to read than many med sites. I found I preferred the non SSRIs since yes they may work faster but the withdrawel kicks you right back into depression (atleast that was the case for me). This is nothing to be ashamed of, fear of what others think is what kept me from getting treatment for ages and really made it so much worse than it should have been. Just think, your body is in chemical overdrive, ofcourse theres going to be side effects. 311 is a national number you can call for referrals to counceling in your area and typically they can point you to free counceling if money is an issue.

Answer 4

You might have a form of OCD where it is more an obsession over things beyond your control than a repetitive habit. It might just be good ol' fashioned anxiety, too. Remember those vows you took w/ your husband? They should stand for something, and I'd hope to high Heaven that he's a decent enough guy that judging you would be the furthest thing from his mind if you spoke to him about how your feeling; he should SUPPORT you! Don't be embarassed, hon! What you have could be a serious condition that needs to be treated. Even the most SANE among us these days have seen a shrink/ take a "crazy" pill to "round us out." Don't be ashamed. You ahve two great kids to take care of & a family to be part of! To deprive yourself of a happy, fulfilling life because of this depression/anxiety issue. You owe it to yourself & your family to get some help. You Doctor is bound by an oath & by privacy laws to keep anything you tell him just that: PRIVATE. It's what you pay him for! Tell him about it, or better yet, go to a womens' pavillion/health center & see a female docotr; she might be easier to approcah & more sympathetic to your plight. Whatever you choose, be sure to take care of this! It can be taken care of easily, if only you address it with the right people. Have strength, dear! Best of Luck!

Answer 5

No it isn't. However it is feasible that you're experiencing consistent despair...specially with the entire hormones replacing for your frame. I was once very depressed throughout my final being pregnant and so they supplied to position me on treatment. So it's dependable. However, I opted to attend till after the little one was once born to begin the treatment. You will likely be experiencing many feelings by way of out the being pregnant. You will actually have a million ideas going by way of your brain as you consider approximately what your long term holds, caring for a little one, the alterations for your lifestyles and such. It is difficult on someone despair or no longer. The simplest recommendation I can supply you is that you're making it to all your OB appointments and ensure your Doctor is aware of how you're feeling. Try to consider approximately the postive matters so as to be taking place. Having a baby is an indescribable powerful enjoy. You have a few moments coming to you stuffed with love and pleasure. Good good fortune.

Answer 6

Okay first, you have to tell your doctor immediately. This is not that uncommon and he has heard it before. Usually just a blood test and some hormone treatments will cure you completely. But in the meantime, try to not be left alone with your kids. I know that is hard to do, but it is very important that you realize that you can hurt your children and not mean to do it or even remember. Two kids and pregnant again, you are definitely depressed..........Please don't wait another minute...call the doctor tomorrow............Good luck.

Answer 7

Over the last five years I had begun to have increasingly withdraw into a downward spiral of depression..

But now with the method I can fully focus my energy and thoughts into a decisive line on how to make my life better constantly. And it works like magic! I'm beginning to attract people to me once again and things have just been looking up since then.

Helping you eliminate depression?

Answer 8

girl..i be depress because i am fat ...i have also had postpartum...depression ..and post traumatic stress disorder.. i wish i can help you ..but maybe i can, ..all i can tell you is that by being pregnant you are more sensitive and so everything seem ..wrong to you ...what i suggest is get help and talk to some one. and if you don't tell your family..talk to someone professionally and get help with the kids ..maybe you are always at the house feeling stuck with the kids..and cleaning just because your husband is at work girl i know how you feel ..been there done that...i went back to work and now i feel a little better ...put kids in daycare ...go to parenting classes ...you OK ...you just need people to understand the heavy load you have ..and to appreciate you like your husband..ps ..you have been gifted by having your kids know that others are not that lucky..wish you luck with everything and remember you are not alone...

Answer 9

Ohdear. That's awful, and must be so hard on you!

Yes, I had depression during pregnancy and post pregnancy. I had thoughts during my pregnancy of hurting myself. Post partum I hate to think about. I would get these images of what I could do, awful things, to my precious baby. I knew when I 'saw' them that I never would, but all the same, they kept popping into my thoughts. I wish I could forget some of them. I also had thoughts of people breaking into my home, of my boyfriend stealing the baby (actually, given that he's since then threatened to, not so irrational). I had nightmares I wish I could forget.

This happens to many, many people.

To tell your doctor, you just need to tell him or her. Make an appointment, go in, take a deep breath, and tell him. Please! NOW. Please don't delay. This is important.

As for your husband, sweetie, he's supposed to be part of your support network. He's supposed to be the main part of it! Again, take a deep breath. Tell him you need to talk to him, desperately, and that you need to not be judged. Maybe ease into it - don't start off with "Honey, I'm having thoughts of ..." Maybe start off with, "I am depressed, and talked with my doctor about it today, and I really need your support and love more than ever right now."

I got treated postpartum with zoloft and counselling. Because you are pregnant, if your doctor recommends meds, stay AWAY from ... ohdear, I think it's paxil that's been in the news lately with a class-action suit concerning birth defects. Absolutely do counselling. Friends and family are great to talk with, but do judge, and there's always some pressure, some inability to freely talk. Go to an expert in, if not pregnancy and depression, postpartum depression. Even though this was present pre-pregnancy.

Counselling helped, but for me the main 'problem' and cause of the depression was a cr@ppy relationship I needed to realize on my own that I needed out of. But the counsellor did work with me on learning to shut out those images (the meds helped get rid of them too), learning to identify the issues.

here's a thought. Recent studies have shown (sorry, I don't have a link) that the counselling technique called Behavior Modification Therapy (not as scary as it sounds) is just as good as meds.

Are they still there? Well, yes and no. There's still a touch of depression, evident in that I have trouble completing tasks I know I have to do. Paperwork sits and piles up. I know I neeeeeed to file for custody, but ... it's sitting there. I also still have 'anger moments', where I get lost in bitterness and anger at my ex boyfriend, have an inside-my-head blow-up at him. However, I don't randomly burst into tears, I haven't cried myself to sleep in months, and I'm not lying when I say that things are going well. Overwhelming, but well.

Take care. Do what you need to do to take care of you. Just take a deep breath, and do it. Best of luck!

Answer 10

I had the same problem but I had them after I had my second son by c-section I would also have the breaking in thought and knife thought I talked to my doctor and he told me it's because you know that life has totally changed what he advise me to do was talk to someone I trusted every time I felt this I did it and it worked then slowly once I got use to my two boys it all by it self went away.