Think i may have this - unsure???

[cassi23]

Hiya,

I had a baby 10 weeks ago and found this a really traumatic experience - my stay in hospital afterwards was positively nightmarish and i felt ill with severe anaemia too.

Anyway, i've recently started to suffer anxiety and panick attacks and wondered whether i have ptsd too

i dont get flashbacks or nightmares, but when i think of the experience or get a whiff of something that reminds me -im off into anxiety and have to hold back the panic!

is this ptsd

thanks
cassi23

[PUGLETMUM]

hi cassie,im not sure it may be, but it may be less severe than that and just be a 'normal' reaction to a stressful situation. its okay to take time to recover from a trauma. allow yourself time to feel anxious without worrying, with time the reaction to the memories will become less troubling and you will feel calmer. either way its not something to worry about, you wont feel like this forever, tc, emma

[bottleblond]

Hi Cassi,

When i had my son in hospital 9 years ago now my experience was very similar to yours. The birth was bad, i was stitched from one end to the other, inside and out and, i was very very inemic and i found the hospital staff were uncaring and unsympathetic. I was ill for a good while after having my son and found i was always crying, moody, irritable, felt i was a bad mum and the list could go on and on. Now looking back on it, i believe i had POST NATAL DEPRESSION, infact i'm positive i did and it lasted for a long time.

Please have a word with your doctor or health visitor and accept all the help on offer.


Good luck with everything hun

Lisa
xxx

[sleepylea]

I am so sorry to hear what a horrid time you had/are haing now. You can indeed suffer with ptsd from childbirth, but as previously mentioned, you can also get post natal depression. I would seriously suggest seeing your GP to discuss, as both have different forms of treatment, and I am sure you will agree, that once you have a definate answer, you will feel a little reassured that your on your way to feeling better.

From what I understand there is alot of support out there for mothers like yourself, such as mother and baby groups, or support groups. Have you tried looking on the net for any local to you? It may help to feel like your not so alone, and to talk to other mothers about their experiences.

Take care.

Lea
x