We have a new reader request today dealing with Baby Blues. This can be a sensitive issue, but please don't be afraid to share any experience or insight you have that may be helpful! Check out what our reader said:
"I need some advice on dealing with Baby Blues. This isn't my first newborn, but it is my first experience with Baby Blues. I find myself crying for no reason, and I am having difficulty enjoying time with my newborn and other children. I know that Baby Blues are a norm for many moms, so I'm hoping there is a lot of advice out there. Here are some questions:
Is it normal to have Baby Blues with one baby but not with another?
How do I know if my Baby Blues are turning into Postpartum Depression?
What should I do if I think I have Postpartum Depression?
How long do Baby Blues usually last?
What are some general tips on dealing with Baby Blues?"
6 comments:
I don't have personal experience with baby blues or PPD but I have had close family members that have dealt with it.
My advice is to not be afraid to ask for help. Many mothers who do have PPD isolate themselves and are ashamed to ask for help. Don't be ashamed, it happens to so many mothers. PPD is a real thing and there is so much help out there. Talk to your OB/GYN if you think that it may be PPD.
After my fourth, my OB gave me a questionnaire about PPD symptoms at my 6 week check, something he had not done with previous kids. It was a lifesaver. I got on medication for the next year. I was still sometimes moody, but no longer crying on the bathroom floor, wanting to die. I hadn't really had PPD with the other kids, but #4 did me in. I do believe it was PPD, because after 1 year I was able to go off meds, and was fine.
There is a fantastic article in the Ensign about PPD. I'm thinking Fall of 2009. Let me know if you can't find it and I'll see if I can search it.
It is totally normal to not get it with all of them. And there is NOTHING wrong with you as a mother for getting it.
Look at it this way, if in a week you're having more bad days than good days, you need help.
I've had baby blues with all three of my babies, and only with my second one was I medicated. I felt so much better when I took Zoloft. I was able to deal with the stressful tasks of moving immediately after my baby was born and adjusting to having two kids. I did not have the rampant mood swings and crying fits, and that made things all the easier.
In my experience, the difference between baby blues and PPD is that with BB, I feel emotions really strongly (which I actually like, which is why I haven't medicated the other two times), while with PPD (which I haven't had, but I have had regular depression), I stop enjoying things I would normally enjoy. And it feels like I'm walled in-- like I can't do things that are normally easy-- like the dishes or laundry or putting on makeup.
The OB/GYNs I've worked with (which have been many) have all been supportive of my taking Zoloft. If you find yourself crying in the hallway while your kids are eating breakfast alone (like I did), talk to your DR ASAP. In my experience, I have felt better just days after taking medication.
I did not have the baby blues but have had a lot of experience with depression in general with myself and close family members. The main thing to realize about depression is in general is that it is like other sickness. Diabetics get help and take medication, people with high blood pressure do the same, that is what should be done with depression of any kind. Get some help, you will feel like yourself again! Surrounding yourself with positive things and tryinf stick to a routine, and make yourself take shower and get dressed in the morning will help too
I had the Baby Blues after my first two and actual PPD with my third. The best advice I can give is to tell people close to you what you are feeling. They can't help you if they don't know.
I never did take any meds with the PPD, though I definitely should have. Like someone above said, I couldn't feel anything--good, bad, sad, I was numb to it all. It was one of the lowest points of my life. I went in after six months or so of suffering. My dr. prescribed Zoloft for me but just as I was going to start taking it, a couple of things in my life changed that helped significantly and I was able to recover without it. My husband was so supportive and I had a couple of friends who really helped me.
In retrospect, I wish I would have gotten help sooner and not suffered (or caused my family to suffer) for so long.
Good luck. Know that you're not alone. And know that this, too, shall pass.
Post a Comment