Hi, seems i’m now battling the beast that is Post natal depression (or post partum depression). just wondering who else has experienced this? I’ve had pre-natal depression with all kids, but usually not being pregnant anymore and actually having the baby to hold fixes that.
I found mine is situational rather than chemical…what are other women’s experiences…and how hard or easy is it to shake off?
I struggled with this after my first baby was born. Changing my diet and having a healthy gut is what helped me. I didn’t think I was eating that badly, until I made some changes and noticed the difference! Just changing what you eat can help, but that worked too slowly for me. I also had to cleanse my body of the old build-up. Amazing difference! I feel for you and hope things go better soon!
By the way, if you are breastfeeding, be careful if you try to cleanse your body. Some cleanses are very good for you, but can release toxins into your milk supply. Research carefully first!
I was post natal with one of my kids. It was situational. I realised I could no longer do the career I was trained in and loved with kids. It really messed with me. I was moody and just couldn’t find happiness or contentment. I came out the other side almost before I realised I had a problem. I found a new focus and began to learn again. Once I was using my brain again and had some focus in my life that wasn’t just my kids I found happiness again. In hind sight I probably needed time to myself for excersize. I think that would have made a huge difference. I find excersize ( specifically yoga running and taewkondo) really help me distress and put things into perspective.
Find the thing that helps you distress or tune out and put it back into your life. The tunnel may be long and dark but there is light at the end of it. Reach out when you need to.
Hi I didnt realise I’d had any replies as I had no email notifications.
I tried mediation but one brand makes me vomit for 2 days straight and the latest one makes me sleep all the time, so I just cope without. I do thing family support and not having too much on your plate are the main things. I have little family support, and too much to do. O find there really isnt much support out there.
Accepting your situation rather than trying to fight it is one approach (or is that just admitting defeat LOL), along with reducing as much stress as possible. What I mean is that focusing on “it’s not fair” or constantly wishing things were different can drain your energy without any positive outcome. This kind of thinking can really keep you stuck in that mindset like quicksand. Like Manda, I struggled with reassessing my identity after giving up a career for motherhood. I was very conflicted, still am in many ways, but I tried to accept that this is just a season of life and I needed to make the best of it before I could formulate an exit strategy. “Fair” or not (living in a place no with family support and two little kids), my situation wasn’t going to change anytime soon.
So, reduce stress as much as possible, identify your triggers, and aim for healthy routines. We all want to be the best mom/wife/friend/neighbor/human we can be, but when my husband goes away on business for extended periods, I am in survival mode. I use paper plates and get take out more than I should. I take more naps, usually alongside my youngest. I know that bedtime is one of the most challenging parts of the day because we are all tired, so I go in with eyes wide open prepared for battle if needed. Getting enough sleep is a huge trigger for most people, so try to maximize that whenever possible. I am guilty of staying up too late sometimes and I always regret it. Exercise is amazing for some people, but seems so unrealistic and I don’t do it nearly as much as I should. If you can force yourself, it’s highly beneficial. I drop my kids off at the local daycare sometimes (drop in hourly care) just so they can play and I can get a few hours to myself. Sometimes I use that time to just clean my house in peace! Sure, I have to pay a few bucks for it, but it’s an investment in my sanity.
Try not to let pointless obligations, “stuff,” or toxic people sap your energy. And learn to say no more than you say yes! Because every time you say no, you are saying YES to yourself. To build healthy routines, some people really like the flylady. I have an flylady style app that I use called “Home Routines,” when I am lacking motivation it helps get me back on track. I know I can always look at my house and see how I am doing…if my house looks like a tornado hit, I need to get it in check because I am clearly feeling down and that’s where it shows.
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Thats a very valid point TMT SLEEP is very important to how we feel about our lives. Everything always seems worse when we are tired. W make stupid mistakes and beat ourselves up for it when really it was a mistake due to exhaustion. Sleep is so difficult to keep up with little kids too. Try to go to sleep when they do. If both fall asleep during the day then forget the housework and take a nap. A few precious times my three fell asleep in the. Car on the. Way back from the park. When we got home I parked the car and lay back my seat and slept with them right here in the Driveway. These selfish moments really helped me cope. Coping with where you are right now is the first step to coming out the other side of the depression.
Absolutely! I can’t tell you how many times I did the same thing when mine fell asleep in the car. Had I moved them, the opportunity would have been lost. I had a neighbor scare the heck out of me by knocking on the window once because she thought I was dead
Or something lol. I was pissed she woke me up. 