Postpartum Depression - Delaware, OH

Hi E.! I personally didn't have a problem with postpartum depression. . however, I had a friend that had an extreme case with the first one and then on her second child, she was completley fine. Hopefully it works out for you and you don't have any problems!! Good luck and congratulations with the second pregnancy!

Hi E.,

I'm sorry to have bad news on my end. It was a million times worse for me with my second.
I started zoloft the day I walked in from the hospital and by the 3rd day I was in a state of total panic. I thought I was going crazy.
It took the medicine about 10 days to work and it was the worse 10 days of my life.
Once they kicked in, I was fine and stopped after 4 months. The withradwal was horrible.
I had what they call brain shivers for 3 months afterwards.

I also didn't want to breastfeed taking these types of meds.

I hope it works better for you, just don't beat yourself up since it is totally out of your control if it happens.

You should check out poemonline.org
I recently went to a mtg here. Very helpful suggestions for what you could be going through. It meets 2x/month in the Columbus area.

Get some rest, meditate, get out of the house. Try getting a break. I know it’s hard to do with a little one, but if my husband or mom, didn’t take the baby once in a while I would go crazy! Do something special for yourself!!!! As for herbal remedies relaxing mama stress reducing tea can give you a great relief from ppd.

E.,
I had horrible PPD with my first child but didn't know enough at that point to take care of it properly until I was almost hospitalized. I was much better after taking some meds. I now have my second child and was very concerned about it happening again. I too didn't want to take any medication because I wanted to breastfeed. I actually think breastfeeding help me this go round. I didn't really have much of a problem until I quit breastfeeding. Then I knew what was going on and was able to treat it properly. The best thing you can do for yourself and the baby is have a good support system and ask for help. Adding another child into the mixture can be stressful and you need all the help you can get. I found a great psychologist who I saw several months prior to delivery and then for a few months after. He helped me mentally prepare and work out my anxiety prior to and then helped me adjust after. It seemed like being able to talk things out with someone who was not as sleep deprived and away from the situation was a great help. I don't know what I would have done without him. Keep an eye on yourself and don't try to be a hero. If you need the meds take them, ask for help and take breaks. Good luck!

Hi E., I have 3 children that i gave birth to and actually only suffered from PPD with my second, a large part of it was due to the stressful situation i was in directly after my pregnancy. So take a good look at your life now and your life then, it is very possible that while the post partum period agrivated things that something else played a part in your depression. that being said it is very possible to have this baby and be perfectly ok. Some things to keep in mind, a proper diet and exercise can alleviate depression, as can making sure you get enough sleep, ask for help when you need it, ect and so on, and talk your head off, don't keep things bottled up. Breatfeeding also helps with PPD, i nursed my third child and felt better than i could have imagined. My best advice, you know your mind and your body, you got help once, you know the signs, go into this with an open mind and thinking you'll be fine and with a lot of help and support and if for some reason you still need medication, find something you are comfortable taking and do what needs to be done so you are ok, jsut like you did the first time, but don't stress over the fact that it happened before, don't set yourself like that. the power of positive thinking is pretty amazing. good luck.

I was okay, meaning no sleepless nights, no postpartum depression, with my second child. I may have had a little bit of Postpartum Blues (I had a tiny bit of anxiety that resolved in 2 weeks).
With my first child I had PPD and was shortly medicated (Zoloft sample), this lasted all of two months. The biggest problem was not being able to sleep (and for me that was awful). I guess I'm someone that cannot function with days and days of no sleep. I also had anxiety and depression with that, I believe this all had to do with the shift in hormones and lack of sleep, as well as the stresses that surrounded my first child's birth.
This time, there wasn't a lot of stresses surrounding my pregnancy and birth (moving, PIH, possible lupus, possible clotting problems, induction before I was ready, moving while shortly due etc.). This time my only stressor I was a spinal HA, which sucked but was easily remedied. I did worry when I was pregant that I would have PPD this last time. I prayed and took care of myself. I was able to breastfeed, took sleep however I got, let the baby sleep on me, coslept, enjoyed my baby, found all the breastfeeding support I needed and was successful. I think it also helps that I went back to work part time both times after my leave was over. Working makes me feel more human, gives me a break in a sense.
So I'm saying it's very possible to skip the PPD this time, although I've heard it's not the norm.

i had a healthy, happy, normal post-partum with my first, and awful depression with my second.

i went to a holistic psychiatrist who prescribed progesterone cream, 5htp, iron and magnesium, and some other natural and safe and side-effect-free things that helped get my body and brain back to normal. 5htp is actually has lots of nutrients that are good for brain development, so it helps the baby. it also helps with sleep-- i took it at night just before bed and it helped with insomnia. so yes, there are some things that work. accupuncture also helps with depression.

although PPD looks and seems like "regular" depression, it's cause is different-- it is a hormone imbalance... not a seratonin imbalance. so keep that in mind. the progesterone cream was the best thing i did, much more effective than lexapro or zoloft.

I have never had an issue with this, but I know that there are alternatives to perscriptions (like B12). I am sure that since each pregnancy is different it is possible to not have issues with the second child. If you are concerned, I would bring it up to the doctor. I know someone who had it with their first pregnancy, nothing with the second and had it really bad with the third, but I wouldnt worry! You'll be great!