I think I might have PPD. Now what?

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I told my husband and my MIL. They are both being very encouraging and supportive to me now.

I think I feel better now that I admitted I need help. I feel thankful that there are people who can help. I am tired of feeling this way.

I wasn’t seeking medical advice in starting this thread. I was just needing some encouragement because I was afraid that when I go to my new doctor, that it would be a scary experience. I just wanted some reassurance.
 
jmjZelie said:
I told my husband and my MIL. They are both being very encouraging and supportive to me now.

I think I feel better now that I admitted I need help. I feel thankful that there are people who can help. I am tired of feeling this way.

I wasn’t seeking medical advice in starting this thread. I was just needing some encouragement because I was afraid that when I go to my new doctor, that it would be a scary experience. I just wanted some reassurance.
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We’ll be praying for you! 😉
 
jmjZelie said:
I told my husband and my MIL. They are both being very encouraging and supportive to me now.

I think I feel better now that I admitted I need help. I feel thankful that there are people who can help. I am tired of feeling this way.

I wasn’t seeking medical advice in starting this thread. I was just needing some encouragement because I was afraid that when I go to my new doctor, that it would be a scary experience. I just wanted some reassurance.
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Your hubby is willing to help out, and that is all it takes to have the courage to move. It is easier when your spouse is a team with you. God bless you even more! 😉
 
If you tell the doc that you want to carry on breastfeeding, he or she will probably be able to recommend a treatment that doesn’t conflict with that. If not, it’s still more important that you get healthy. Your child would rather bond with a happy mommy over a bottle than a depressed mommy. Unless you hire a doctor who’s a complete wack job himself, it’s highly unlikely that he’d report you unless he felt you were an immediate threat to your children. Doctors see depressed women all the time. If they called CPS every time they saw a mom with PPD, they wouldn’t have enough customers left to run their practice!
 
When you talk to your doctor, if a medication is recommended, ask for an option that is breastfeeding compatible. Then, call the Infant Risk hotline at the a University of Texas to confirm the effects of the medicine. Their pharmacy department specializes in studying pharmaceutical effects on breastfeeding children. This is the group that my OB recommended a I cross reference any medications with.

infantrisk.com/

I wish you relief and comfort, as well as the breastfeeding relationship you’d like! I strongly suspect there is an option that will help you and won’t interfere with breastfeeding.
 
jmjZelie said:
I told my husband and my MIL. They are both being very encouraging and supportive to me now.

I think I feel better now that I admitted I need help. I feel thankful that there are people who can help. I am tired of feeling this way.

I wasn’t seeking medical advice in starting this thread. I was just needing some encouragement because I was afraid that when I go to my new doctor, that it would be a scary experience. I just wanted some reassurance.
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I apologize for misunderstanding you earlier. I’m happy for you that your husband and MIL are supportive. Hopefully things will work out.
 
jmjZelie said:
I told my husband and my MIL. They are both being very encouraging and supportive to me now.

I think I feel better now that I admitted I need help. I feel thankful that there are people who can help. I am tired of feeling this way.

I wasn’t seeking medical advice in starting this thread. I was just needing some encouragement because I was afraid that when I go to my new doctor, that it would be a scary experience. I just wanted some reassurance.
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I am glad you have support and are going to see your doctor.

All I can add is that there is a growing chorus coming from individual physician experts, and even medical societies, encouraging patients to self educate and be active participants in their care.

So don’t delay in seeing the doctor, but it cannot hurt to read something yourself so you can ask questions on followup visits etc.

For example, you can look at your diet and consider reading something about the gut micro biome. Gut health has been linked to scores of diseases including mood. Popular books include “The Brain Maker” by Perlmutter. There are others on Amazon. Some people feel better on more of a plant based diet which also helps the gut / brain axis.

Self education is the only way to discern between what is healthy, and what is harmful in the U.S., because government protections here is weaker than in Europe.

Good luck.
 
jmjZelie said:
I am sorry. I am making an appt with my doctor. I was just afraid and I needed some encouragement.
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I don’t want to give you medical advice on this thread as that’s beyond the rules on CAF, but I do wish to give you (((hugs))) and prayers. :gopray:

To help encourage you, remember the words of Jesus that JPII often repeated: Be not afraid.
 
Thank you all.

My doc appt is tomorrow and I am going to discuss all my symptoms with him. I have good days and bad days. My 11mo baby is still not sleeping. Last night I was up three times overnight and she was still up for the day at 6am. And I can’t go to bed at night until 10pm because my oldest kids are awake until after 9. I am not getting nearly enough sleep and this has been going on for almost five years now, because I had three babies in a row that didn’t sleep very well.

my husband is also giving me opportunities to get out of the house, just to go to the bookstore or to Panera with a book. That was something I was not doing, so I was never getting any alone time. I tend to become more like a caged animal when I don’t get any quiet down time.

I am going to attack this problem from as many angles as I can because I don’t want to be sad and tired all the time anymore.
 
jmjZelie said:
Thank you all.

My doc appt is tomorrow and I am going to discuss all my symptoms with him. I have good days and bad days. My 11mo baby is still not sleeping. Last night I was up three times overnight and she was still up for the day at 6am. And I can’t go to bed at night until 10pm because my oldest kids are awake until after 9. I am not getting nearly enough sleep and this has been going on for almost five years now, because I had three babies in a row that didn’t sleep very well.

my husband is also giving me opportunities to get out of the house, just to go to the bookstore or to Panera with a book. That was something I was not doing, so I was never getting any alone time. I tend to become more like a caged animal when I don’t get any quiet down time.

I am going to attack this problem from as many angles as I can because I don’t want to be sad and tired all the time anymore.
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You have probably mentioned this and I’ve missed it, but how old are your kids? Is it necessary that you are awake when they are or can you scoot to bed while baby is sleeping instead of staying up with them? Could you and your husband take turns staying up as long as it’s not with the nursing baby? Sleep is necessary. When I’m up with sick kids or teething babies (could be part of 11 mos problem with sleep?) everything is harder. I can’t focus, I forget words, I’m stressed and angry or sad, my body hurts and feels weak, and nothing seems to go right.
 
bitterhope said:
You have probably mentioned this and I’ve missed it, but how old are your kids? Is it necessary that you are awake when they are or can you scoot to bed while baby is sleeping instead of staying up with them? Could you and your husband take turns staying up as long as it’s not with the nursing baby? Sleep is necessary. When I’m up with sick kids or teething babies (could be part of 11 mos problem with sleep?) everything is harder. I can’t focus, I forget words, I’m stressed and angry or sad, my body hurts and feels weak, and nothing seems to go right.
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The kids are:
10yo girl
Almost 8yo boy
Almost 5yo girl
2.5 yo girl
Almost 1yo girl

The kids go to their beds between 7:30-8. First, the toddler goes to bed. After she falls asleep, the older three go to bed. We cannot put them to bed at the same time because we have a small home and they share bedrooms and the toddler won’t go to sleep and she will keep everyone awake if she is awake when her siblings go to bed. Then, as soon as I do hugs and kisses with the older kids, I start nursing the baby down for sleep. I usually get her in bed by 8-8:30. Then, I sit for a few minutes to decompress and then I take my shower and then I read from a spiritual classic and get ready for sleep. Usually I am going to sleep by about 10. My husband and I work as a time through this process, alternating time for self-care and keeping the children calm so they can fall asleep.

Our days start at 5am, too. My husband has to be at work by 6am, and my toddler wakes up by 6:30 at the latest. I am so tired these days that I have to ask my husband to bring the baby to me for nursing in the night when she cries sometimes, because my body is so heavy and I start getting weepy about getting my body out of bed again and again.

We now have a standing agreement that on Saturday mornings, he will take over the morning routine with the toddler and get breakfast so I can sleep in as long as I want to. We did our first try on that last Saturday and I felt quite a bit better. But all the ways you describe what happens to you when you are overtired, that is how I have felt for a couple of years now. 😦
 
Sleep is vitally important and there is no substitute for it. Our home is small too. Three girls share one room, five boys in another. We were considering splitting our boys up by giving our room to them and taking over the couch but now that we are moving we will wait and see how it goes there. Being 10 and under I would not feel comfortable sneaking off to bed, but soon they will be old enough that they might be able to handle that. Is there a way that Mass can happen Sat evening instead so that you can add Sunday as a sleep in day? Let me think and pray in this.
 
jmjZelie said:
Thank you all.

My doc appt is tomorrow and I am going to discuss all my symptoms with him. I have good days and bad days. My 11mo baby is still not sleeping. Last night I was up three times overnight and she was still up for the day at 6am. And I can’t go to bed at night until 10pm because my oldest kids are awake until after 9. I am not getting nearly enough sleep and this has been going on for almost five years now, because I had three babies in a row that didn’t sleep very well.

my husband is also giving me opportunities to get out of the house, just to go to the bookstore or to Panera with a book. That was something I was not doing, so I was never getting any alone time. I tend to become more like a caged animal when I don’t get any quiet down time.

I am going to attack this problem from as many angles as I can because I don’t want to be sad and tired all the time anymore.
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Very good!
 
bitterhope said:
Sleep is vitally important and there is no substitute for it. Our home is small too. Three girls share one room, five boys in another. We were considering splitting our boys up by giving our room to them and taking over the couch but now that we are moving we will wait and see how it goes there. Being 10 and under I would not feel comfortable sneaking off to bed, but soon they will be old enough that they might be able to handle that. Is there a way that Mass can happen Sat evening instead so that you can add Sunday as a sleep in day? Let me think and pray in this.
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I get to go to Mass on Sunday at 12:30pm. That is when the local TLM is, and my older two kids and I go to that one. My husband goes to any of the other Masses available locally, as suits our schedule for that weekend. He makes that sacrifice so that we can go to the Latin Mass. I don’t feel comfortable asking for both weekend mornings to sleep in because he gets up at 5am every day.
 
I had my doc appt and, well, it doesn’t look like PPD. It looks more like sleep deprivation and burnout. He referred me for counseling, though, so I intend to follow through with that.

The doc was very compassionate and asked great questions and totally didn’t threaten CPS on me. 😉
And he insisted on doing a full physical and bloodwork. It was not nearly as scary as I thought it would be.

Thanks everyone for your prayers and advice.
 
jmjZelie said:
I had my doc appt and, well, it doesn’t look like PPD. It looks more like sleep deprivation and burnout. He referred me for counseling, though, so I intend to follow through with that.

The doc was very compassionate and asked great questions and totally didn’t threaten CPS on me. 😉
And he insisted on doing a full physical and bloodwork. It was not nearly as scary as I thought it would be.

Thanks everyone for your prayers and advice.
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“Sleep deprivation and burnout” may not sound as serious as PPD but I know from experience how painful it can be and how much havoc it can wreck on your life. Good for you for seeking help. Here’s to a positive therapy experience, a consistent sleep schedule, and feeling like your normal happy self again soon!

God bless.
 
jmjZelie said:
I had my doc appt and, well, it doesn’t look like PPD. It looks more like sleep deprivation and burnout. He referred me for counseling, though, so I intend to follow through with that.

The doc was very compassionate and asked great questions and totally didn’t threaten CPS on me. 😉
And he insisted on doing a full physical and bloodwork. It was not nearly as scary as I thought it would be.

Thanks everyone for your prayers and advice.
Click to expand...
Excellent. Now that you know what it is, you, your physician, and your hubs can formulate a plan of action to remedy the situation.
God bless you!!!😉
 
jmjZelie said:
I had my doc appt and, well, it doesn’t look like PPD. It looks more like sleep deprivation and burnout. He referred me for counseling, though, so I intend to follow through with that.

The doc was very compassionate and asked great questions and totally didn’t threaten CPS on me. 😉
And he insisted on doing a full physical and bloodwork. It was not nearly as scary as I thought it would be.

Thanks everyone for your prayers and advice.
Click to expand...
Very good!

80% of finding a solution is just formulating the problem.

(I made that stat up on the spot, but I think it’s true.)
 
First thing I asked for from my husband is to handle bedtime routine for at least a few days so I can go to bed earlier. I will take the nursing baby with me and try to go straight to sleep after I tuck her in her crib. And on Saturday morning, I will be getting my sleeping in time, too. I have gotta get some sleep or I am gonna crack. :o

I just feel so guilty about making him do all the extra work of bedtime routine and tidying up.
 
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