Story topper! - but it is a true story. Nobody know how bad PPD can be until they go through it. I don't know how you made it a full year. I flipped when my son was 6 weeks old. Dropped him and his sister off at daycare and drove to the local chaplain. When the chaplain's assistant asked me what I wanted to be seen for I said, “I need to be committed right now. I just need somebody to tell me how to get committed. I don't have a brain and I can't be a good mom so I need to be committed.”
Those wonderful men sprung into action so fast that everything turned into a blur. They drove me to the Nuremberg ER and wouldn't leave my side for a *minute*, not even for the exams.
I don't remember most of that day, but I do remember the dr and the hospital shrink coming in to give the diagnosis.
- I hadn't had more than 4 hours of sleep each night for 6 straight weeks because of a combination of a colicky baby, a demanding 20 month old and a hubby working 16 hour days.
- My blood pressure was 45 over “unreadable”. I was in shock from blood loss and needed a transfusion. (*That* explained the fainting spells!)
- I had a fever of 103’ from a “Maternal Infection” from the birth which had gone septic.
I guess one could say that I was “very sick” and had postpartum psychosis.
Once my body healed (two months of weekly IV’s, vitamins, sleep and antibiotics) I was put on an antidepressant and I was finally able to function.
Moms need HELP! Moms need NAPS!! Moms need somebody to strong-arm them into taking a BREAK!
Because moms want to be strong. They'll push themselves beyond human limits and will wonder why they're too “weak” to handle it. (eyes rolling)
Marie,
My post partum psychosis story is very similar to yours - especilly the lack of sleep, I did not dream for a whole month before I was put in the mental hospital when my oldest daughter was three and a half months old.
The main point of this thread however is antidepressant use in PREGNANT women - these drugs are very toxic and many women are taking them thinking that they will PREVENT post partum depression, when in fact they harm the baby and can cause a host of side effects for the mom.
Studies have also shown they have no clinical effect, and I believe women are far better served by using alternatives to drugs to prevent these emotional illnesses.
But the ultimate principle of my life is Live and let live...and I am happy to let all Mothers choose the life that fits them best.
I’m glad you made it safely through the storm.
Jen