Postpartum depression

I have just been told I have postpartum depression. I feel so sad I've been struggling for a while and I just thought it was natural as I had a awful pregnancy which led to a c section and I have 2 babies under 2 and I never thought it would be easy. However as the months have passed I've stopped going out unless it's for my babies hardly eating I stopped talking to friends and family. I started to shower less frequently and felt numb, scared ,worried ,angry all at once. I myself am a mental health practitioner and I saw all the signs but ignored them. I found it so hard to make the first step which was to talk to my gp. Has anyone else suffered with pdd? If so do you have any advice. I feel so guilty on my family that I have not been myself
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Hi👋🏽 No I haven’t but I too am a mental health professional - OT. First thing - YOU SAID IT 🙌🏽 that’s a huge achievement. As an OT > grade some things / prioritise, what you want and need to do. You do NOT have to feel guilty. People don’t feel guilty for torn ligaments and broken arms - you didn’t ask for this 🫶🏽

1/2 I too was trying to push through the first few months by telling myself what I was feeling was normal but in my heart I knew it wasn’t right and eventually managed to speak to the GP. It was the best thing I did! I think of myself as quite strong and emotionally resilient so it was a real shock to me to be feeling so utterly awful and hating myself, not recognising who I had become. Doc px me fluoxetine and it has helped me find some balance and feel more able to manage the difficult days and I am viewing it as a short-term support while I transition to this new life, a first time mum about to turn 40! If you feel able to, approach the doctor or maybe a friend who can support you to. I also learned about the organisation PANDA (I’ll find the link) which has been a good holistic resource. One thing I would say is don’t necessarily rely on others to notice as we become so good at masking how we’re feeling so they might not spot the signs.

2/2 Even my husband who at one point said ‘I hate seeing you like this’ didn’t realise how unwell I had become and at the time I was kind of hoping he might have got help on my behalf, as I felt like maybe I wasn’t really feeling how I thought - tbh my thoughts were all over the place! Please feel free to send me a message if you like.

https://pandasfoundation.org.uk

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