Post Natal depression and anxiety

[ADC]

Dear All,

Became a member of this website today.

I have had post natal depression for just over 2 years,although i am still suffering with this slightly,i am finally over the worst,although i am left with lack of confidence,no self esteem and this terrible anxiety which is making my life a total misery.

I am forever avoiding situations because i get into such a state,and when i do finally face whatever i need to do,i am a total bag of nerves.I want to be happy again and enjoy my life instead of just surviving each day.

I am affraid of ruining my 2 year old son due to keeping him away from social gatherings.tThe last thing i want is to make him as anxious as me when amongst other children.

I feel fairly paranoid most of the time and think that people are talking behind my back and that they are just been nice to me out of politeness,Im sure this is my paranoia again,but its so hard to feel positive.

I am struggling with anxiety folllowing post natal depression

[bluebottle]

Hi ADC,

Welcome, and don't worry, you are in the right place to get help and support.

Have you seen a GP about your anxiety and depression, or any other professional?

Regards,

Blue

[FAN]

hi and welcome im sure there are people on here who can relate to what your going through and give you some good positive advice

fan x

[ADC]

Dear Blue,

yes,i see many proffesionals,i saw a CPN on a weekly basis at the beginning of the post natal depression,and still see her now about twice a month,Obviously my GP knows of the situation,I am on Anti-Depressents (150mg) I recently saw my Surgery Counsellor who referred me to another lady who has started a program for me about anxiety.

The reason i have joined this site is because i need to be able to have some sort of 'out of hours' support when i need it.

I had a very traumatic birth/labour (Had a massive haemorrage following an emergency c.section,which then became life threatening) I feel sure that maybe i had/have suffered slight PTSD also.Although this was only briefly discussed with my GP and CPN.



I am struggling with anxiety folllowing post natal depression

[seh1980]

hello there,

Welcome to the site!! You will definitely get loads of help and support here.

Sarah

[stimpy]

Hiya and welcome

Woah ! You sound like my twin.

I've suffered post natal depression twice and anxiety after child birth.

When we think of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, we think of a war veteran, we don't think of are women who have given birth.

However it is now recognised that the birth experience itself is so traumatic, that woman now suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after childbirth. As well as other problems such as Panic Disorder (or Anxiety Disorder).

There are several features of childbirth that make it traumatic:

Extreme pain and a sense of loss of control.
For example, Invasion of privacy by not covering her or by allowing unknown people into the delivery room.
Lack of anesthesia.
Emergency cesarean section or the death of the baby.

Common symptoms of PTSD are :

Flashbacks of the event (sudden and vivid memories).
Nightmares of the event.
Exaggerated startled responses, constantly on edge, always on guard.
Avoidance of all reminders of the traumatic event.
Intense psychological stress at exposure to events that resemble the traumatic event. (Visits to hospital for example)
Fantasies of retaliation.
Cynicism and distrust of authority figures and public institutions.
Hypersensitivity to injustice. (Always feeling you are treated badly.)

You are not alone in how you feel.
There are thousands of people out there who feel exactly like you do.

I think the next move is to discuss this fully with your CPN to make sure you get the care you need.

You might want to take a look at this : http://www.birthtraumaassociation.org.uk

You never know they might be able to give you some useful information.








Love, light and Best wishes
Liz xxx
With hard work and determination and all the things you know.
The world is there for you to take. There's nowhere you can't go.


[]Scatty Eccentric & 'Poet Laureate to panic and anxiety'

[Cookie]

Hi there,
Welcome to the site. I just wanted to let you know that you're not on your own, I too suffered with horrendous post natal depression after the birth of my son. He's 2 in a few weeks. As with your experience, I went through a very hard time with the labour and birth which left me traumatised for a long while. So much so, that I don't think I could have another child.
I thought about PTSD, but you get all other mums saying how horrific their births were and it makes you feel as if you should just get over it, just one of those things. Making a mountain out of a molehill.
Its when you realise that giving birth is supposed to be an amazing experience, that you realise you're not being overly dramatic. What you went through WAS worse than what most woman have to deal with, and it's a lot to come to terms with.
My son has severe development problems and learning difficulties due to his birth, so the trauma of it all is a daily reminder for me. Seeing how it has affected him so badly.
My anxiety started when my son started to have seizures, I am on edge all the time waiting for something to happen.
My panic attacks started when I had a severe allergic reaction to a prescribed drug in hospital. It was a frightening experience, and I thought I was going to die. My anxiety has increased ten-fold since this experience.
My panic attacks are under control now, but the anxiety and depression are very much part of everyday life still.
I take beta blockers for my racing heartbeat and palpatations, and I've just started on citalopram 2 weeks ago for the depression and anxiety.
I've also started counselling, once a fortnight, to try and deal with all these issues.
I have no miracle advice for you, just that I'm sure with the right support, medication and determination, you will reach your goal of being happy and living a normal life. Thats what I'm striving for, and I'm going to get there. I've got to do it for my little boy and you have too.
Its hard, I know, but it will get better, you've just got to believe it.
Take care(sorry for the long post), feel free to send me a PM if you just feel like chatting.

Shelley.x

[ADC]

Well its nearly 10 am ,i am taking my son to a toddler group in a minute in my local town,meeting my friend there,i am full of anxiety,my mind and heart are racing.the clock is ticking away and i am starting to feel sick.I didnt go to the group last week as a friend and i took our children for a train ride.

I feel as if i have a tennis ball stuck in my throat,which is stopping me from breathing correctly.I know that once i get there i will calm down slightly,but the feeling will not go until i am back home in my own environment again.

I really am fed up of feeling like this,my CPN tells me that my avoidance to situations makes my anxiety worse,but even if i do throw myself in the deep end and do these things i still feel just as bad.Its like a vicious circle and i cant escape it,no matter how hard i try.And i do try so hard,not so much for me,but for my son.

:(

I am struggling with anxiety folllowing post natal depression

[Laurie28]

My anxiety got 'acute' after the birth of my second son (nearly 2 years!)

If I look back though it was always really there for me (panic attacks at 15 years and some strange thoughts in my second pregnancy) but nothing 'life changing'

I haemorraged with my first son and i remember after I had my second son (pretty easy labour - smaill operation afterwards) I was PETRIFIED I would haemorrage again, I think this contributed and then it spiralled from there.

I agree with your CPN, avoidance should be avoided!!! In my opinion if you begin to avoid things it can make your 'recovery' so much more difficult.

Have you read the First Steps page on the website??

Lucky

[linjane]

Hi everyone,
I can't say when my anxiety first began but remember my first 'proper' panic attack about five years ago after the death of my grandad. I lost my dad at 21, my mom when I was 6months pregnant with my first child and then went on to have emergency C section, then two miscarriages, then lost both grand-parents, next had my second child again by emergency Csection, conceived again a year later buy my baby died inside at five months so I had to give birth to him(natural, this time) and then another year later found out my husband had been having an affair. I am now 38 and suffer anxiety with my main sympton being palpatitions/ectopic heartbeat and worrying about everything, for no apparent reason. I am now seeing a pyscotherapist, who is going back over the events that have happened in my life. At last, I am beginning to feel like I have turned a corner, because I am slowly starting to accept that the ectopic beats are not life threatening - I have had them for nearly three years and they started after I had lost my baby - and I have let them rule my life for all of that time. The only thing I haven't done is to avoid situations, I have always tried to confront my fears, however hard it is. I am really hoping seeing this pyscotherapist will help because I really want to overcome all of what has happened but to everyone else out there with similar symptons/experiences at least we have this website to communicate to each other with and hopefully help.

Hope I haven't gone on too much, lost track half way through of what I wanted to say, but I hope I have made sense.
Take care,
Linda