Postpartum Depression experiences

In My Humble Opinion
1

I seem to have a raging case of postpartum depression.

I’ve known something was wrong, and it finally occurred to me that it might be just that. So I did some research. Bingo.

Judging from the websites I’ve read, I have 90-100% of the symptoms. I’ve tried to talk myself out of it, and I’ve considered just trying to wait it out, but it just keeps getting worse. I hate what it’s doing to me and my family, and I have to do something about it.

It’s almost a relief to know there’s a name for the stuff I’ve been feeling. Now I’m figuring out how to deal with it.

So I ask:

Have any of you had experience with PPD, either yourself or a partner (or anyone you know, for that matter)? If so, what did you do about it, and how did you do it?

I know I need to talk to a doctor about this, but what sort of doc? Can my ob/gyn help me, or do I need to find a G.P., or what?

Can you point me toward any resources for people with no medical insurance? (Mine runs out next week.)

2

PPD is very common, and I’m glad that you’re deciding to do something about it. “Waiting it out” isn’t a good idea, IMO, especially if it is affecting you and your family.

In my case, anxiety is worse than depression. Yes, I got moody and weepy, but what really got my was trying to sleep and wham! My eyes would fly open and I’d think of something awful which might happen, if not today, then tomorrow, or years from now. The more I tried not to think of these things, the more they would snowball. It’s really killer when you finally get the baby to sleep, but you yourself can’t because of your mind racing.

I am on medication right now. It IS possible to take medications and still nurse, if that’s a concern for you. This site has great information about all types of medications and breasfeeding compatability. I have the OK of both my psychiatrist and my son’s pediatrician. Because this is my 2nd child, this is my 2nd go-round with this, and I feel like I have it under better control. Not great, but better. I have anxiety, but not panic.

I would start out by asking your OB for recommendations. As for your insurance situation, are you eligible for state-run Medicaid programs? If not, and you wish to pusue the medication option, there are Pharmaceutical companies which provide medications free of change as long as you and your Dr fill out the necessary paperwork.

Counseling can help, either with or without meds. Of course, I don’t know what your resources will be with no insurance, but perhaps you OB can help with that as well. At any rate, I’d say it’s important to find someone who specializes in PPD, rather than a general therapist.

Good luck, and I really do hope you feel better soon. Ask more questions if you need to, and lean on folks for support.

3

This site has info on free medications, if you decide to go that route.
I really wish I could give you more info, but my baby is needing me NOW.
I will say, though, look at whether you can get help from partner, friends, family, etc, managing the household stuff, baby care, etc. If you can free up some time, the two things I would most recommend are catching up on your sleep, and getting out alone, preferably to do some mood-lifting exercise or else some pampering.

4

I was on Medicaid, but it only extends for 60 days after birth, in this state (VA). I called the OB yesterday for an appointment, and they wouldn’t get me one in time. I may schedule one anyway, now that you’ve told me this. Can’t hurt to try. Thanks, lorene!

Are meds or therapy the typical route to treat this? Or a combination?

And how do I talk to my OB about this without bursting into tears, as I do about every 15 minutes?

5

You ob/gyn can probably either help or refer you to somebody who can. With regards to insurance, you might be in a bit of a bind - I don’t know if antidepressants are commonly prescribed to women with PPD, but they can be fairly expensive. Hopefully your ob/gyn can help you with that problem, too - the important thing is to seek help somewhere. A lot of people are dismissive of PPD, particularly if they have children, because they think it’s the same thing as the “baby blues” - it isn’t. It can be very serious and it isn’t something you can just “wait out”, usually.

6

Please don’t worry about bursting into tears in front of your OB. He/she will understand, and it will only serve to illustrate your point. :slight_smile:

I suffered from horrible PPD after the birth of my little one. I couldn’t stop crying, couldn’t eat, couldn’t stop dwelling on ways she could get hurt…it was horrible. I went straight to my OB, who first suggested St. John’s Wart as I was breastfeeding. That didn’t work, so I finally had to give up breastfeeding and get some real medication. It was a hard trade off, but I would rather my daughter have a loving and calm atmosphere than my breast milk. I felt like I was missing out on enjoying her babyhood. Everyone else could enjoy the feeling of her little hand gripping their finger, her first grin, etc. but I was too caught up in my depression. There was always this feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. Zoloft really helped me feel normal again.

The hardest part for me was no one understanding what I was going through. None of my friends or family had ever been through it. If you ever need to talk about it, feel free to send me an email.

7

I agree with Susie Derkins that your OB absolutely should understand about this. H/she should be asking questions of ALL patients, in fact, at the postpartum visits to screen out PPD. Hey, I did burst into tears with the midwives, and they didn’t blink an eye.

Yes, meds are often considered a first line of defense here, because what you are going through is chemical and hormonal. I do want to say again, though, that meds really can be used while breastfeeding. Because they are more widely studied and regulated, a lot of doctors will recommend them over herbal remedies, although I just read a study from the University of Vienna which suggests that St. John’s Wort is “relatively safe”. However, as Susie Derkins indicated, it is considered somewhat less effective.

I do know that, here in Mass, there are free, drop-in groups for women with PPD. I went to one a few times but didn’t find it all that helpful. That was more because of the ‘drop-in’ nature—because new people came every week, we really didn’t have time to go much beyond introductions and our stories each week. Perhaps your OB knows of one which is more solution-oriented. If it’s not free, it still could cost less than individual therapy.

8

Thanks, all. I’m not breastfeeding, so my only concern about meds is how in the world I would pay for them. Ditto therapy, but add in the cost of babysitting for my kids and transportation for me. I’m a SAHM with no car.

After I had my first son, I went to a doctor who put me on Sera-Fem, but he never mentioned PPD. Looking back, I’m fairly sure I had it then, too, and never realized it. I don’t know if that’s a common med prescribed for it, but it sure seems a lot like the ones that are, nowdays. This time, I’m a bit more educated about such things, but not by much.

A bit of a rant here: I haven’t had my postpartum checkup yet, because I don’t have a phone and haven’t been able to call to schedule one. My SO has our cell phone, because it’s his business phone, and my OB office had repeatedly refused to let him call to schedule appointments for me (even though he’s the one who had to take me to those appointments, working around his schedule). As if HIPAA prevents one person making a freaking appointment for another? It’s not as if they’re disclosing my medical records to the person on the phone! Grrr.

So when I called yesterday to schedule an appointment, the woman with whom I spoke told me I should have called sooner. I explained that it wasn’t possible, but I have some issues that are fairly urgent. Too bad. One of those issues is that I received a notice, via mail, that one of the tests that was done when I had my baby was defective, so the pharmaceutical company has suggested that anyone who had this test between October, 2004 and January, 2005, have it re-done, because of a high rate of false negatives. This (possibly) faulty test could impact my future fertility, at the very least. The snippy woman at the OB’s office told me she didn’t know anything about that, and I’d have to schedule an appointment with one of the nurses to talk about it.

So I think when I do see one of the docs at the OB practice, I’ll mention to them how unhelpful and unsympathetic their office staff is. And I burst into tears on the phone with this office person, and she didn’t even notice. It seems that any little stress makes me cry, now. I hate it.

9

Serafem is another form of Prozac, which is actually one of the preferred meds for PPD in someone who is not nursing. Did it help?
IMHO, it is extremely irresponsible for a doctor to put someone on meds without a discussion of what the meds are being prescribed for, and without any follow-up on whether the meds are helping, whether the patient is experiencing any side effects, etc. Is this the same Dr’s office? If so, they don’t sound very helpful or thorough. I agree that you should mention the attitude of the front-desk woman as well. She may be driving away patients who really need help.
And, hey, it really is OK to cry! I know it feels crappy, but at least you are addressing your feelings.

10

[QUOTE=lorene]
Serafem is another form of Prozac, which is actually one of the preferred meds for PPD in someone who is not nursing. Did it help?
IMHO, it is extremely irresponsible for a doctor to put someone on meds without a discussion of what the meds are being prescribed for, and without any follow-up on whether the meds are helping, whether the patient is experiencing any side effects, etc. Is this the same Dr’s office? If so, they don’t sound very helpful or thorough.

[QUOTE]

The Sera-Fem did help quite a bit, but I was only on it for about three months. That doctor was a bit of a quack, so I never went back to him. He told me I was in peri-menopause (at 31? whatever…), and didn’t acknowledge the fact that I was a stressed-out single mom of an infant about to have major surgery.

The OBs in the practice I go to now are all quite helpful and understanding (even though the office staff sucks), and I’ve gotten excellent care from all of them during my pregnancy. I’m going to call Monday morning to make an appointment.

I appreciate all the info and support. It just isn’t right to feel so unhappy when I have this perfect little baby boy sleeping in his swing.