Baby Blues or Depression

Hi C.,

Welcome to motherhood! ;) This is what kids do to us! They rob us blind from the time of conception til they're 18 or older! It's good to know this BEFORE we procreate.
The good news is "this too shall pass". And sooner than you would ever believe. Before long, this time will all be a distant memory. They grow up so fast!
If I were you, I would take the appropriate vitamin/mineral supplements to be sure you're nutritionally healthy and FIND SOMETHING TO BE HAPPY FOR EACH DAY. The robins are back! Spring is right around the corner. What a beautiful time of year! If you could affirm your blessings with gratitude, you might see a change of heart.

"Grams"
from the Pocono Mts. of PA

I had my 2nd son in Aug 2009 and I also have an almost three year old. I feel you, I was working full time before I had my 2nd and now I am staying home all day with both of them. Its a 24/7 job, I am constantly doing something, feeding, changing diapers, trying to clean (like I have time for that! lol) Its hard! My 7 month old is waking a lot at night and I am also very tired... I dont really have any answers for you but I just wanted to say that I am in the same boat and I just keep thinking about the future and that it will get easier as they get older, once they are in school you will have more time for yourself.

If you have medical insurance, I would speak to your doctor as he may be able to prescribe you medication because if its baby blues I think you should have snapped out of it by now. I had it the first few months with my first son, I was crying all the time but then it just went away.

Good luck and it will get easier with the kids at least.

Please call your doctor right away and explain how you are feeling. These feelings can have a way of spiraling if left alone. Your doctor may be able to prescribe something to help you. Don't suffer quietly, ask for help.
Depression can make you feel like a hollow shell of your former self, and you tend to lose interest in what you used to enjoy. I know it is difficult, but force yourself to do something, take a walk, call a friend, and ask your husband or a friend or family member to help with the kids so you can get a break when you need one. You can't take care of your kids unless you take care of yourself.
Best wishes to you and your family, please let us know how you are doing.

I am so sorry you are going through this. I suffered some depression (baby blues?) after my daughter was born and it lasted awhile. I think most of my problems came about from my lack of support in my life. I really had to force myself to get out of the house, go to support groups, and surround myself with people that would make me feel good. I could not afford counseling because it was not covered under my insurance. I found that exercise was a great help! If you cannot afford a gym membership, get out with a double stroller to walk, especially now that the weather is getting nicer. If you can make it to the gym, and have a sitter for your girls, then go for it (my gym has childcare hours). Talk to your ob/gyn about meds if that is something you might be interested in. I was breastfeeding my daughter, so there weren't any I could take that were safe, that I could afford!

Please know, you are not alone out there and things will get better. Be sure to make time for yourself. I wish you the best of luck and feel free to ask me any questions.

Best,
Annie

Hi. I am in the same situation as you. My son was born Sept 16, 2009 and my daughter is 2! It is constant around the clock job for sure. I tell people it is the only true full time job there is! My son is not sleeping well and it is exhausting. I also work doing graphic design from home when the kids are napping... it is a juggling act for sure.

I have realized that it is ok to ask people for help. If you have a friend or family member that might be able to watch the kids even for an hour or 2 so you can take a peaceful shower, or catch up on laundry or whatever.. it helps so much.

I trade time with another Mom. I watch her kids for a few hours on Friday and she watches mine on Monday mornings... then I pick them up and they are good and ready for an afternoon nap. :)

That has helped a lot.

God & I have had some pretty serious discussions lately. And I always come away feeling that the more I look at myself and my situation... I am prone to fall into depression too... or for me.. I call mine pity parties. I'm not saying for you... that's just me.

So.. when I get there, I have to remember that this is just a season in life and someday the kids will be grown and I'll miss it. And I am so thankful to have them.

I have a friend who said that the worst day with kids is way better than the best day without them.

I pray the best for you and your family.

aid counseling may not be an option but I would start with your doctor and tell them HONESTLY what has been going on and see what they think. The other thing is do you have a trusted friend that you can be honest with about how you feel. We as moms often do "lose ourselves" and become so and so's mom, x's wife and not me the woman I was. I have been a SAHM now for 9 years and struggle with the same thing. I have a few friends that are my trusted advisers and when my husband and I recently "blew" up we are now getting "counseling" from couple that have been our friends forever. It is helping us get back together and work out the problms in our life. Find someone you can talk to TODAY! Also take up a hobby, go for a walk, take a shower/bath but do it ALONE or with a friend but without the girls. The hubby can take care of the girls for a litle while and you get some you time. It IS NOT SELFISH TO NEED SOME TIME ALONE. A.

Hi C.;

Proper nutrition can go a long way to helping you get back on track - at least it worked for me. I found out that our over-farmed foods are lacking in minerals. When I got the proper minerals into my diet it made a huge difference. I'm happy to talk to you about it more.

A.

there r clinics out here to help u depending n where u live u just have to call around and let people know u r trying to find help. or I dont know where u r but listen and remember always : depression is allowing yourself to be controlled by someone or something. Its sounds like baby blues and yes temp meds definitly will help you. I'm sorry u are haveing this trouble , I did and I had know one to tell me what I was goin thru. good luck and I hope this helped u

It could be either. I experience Post Partum depression after my second daughter and took Zoloft for a couple of months. Recently, my husband and I both started taking recently started taking an herbal supplement called Luminex to help with depression and anxiety, and it’s been very helpful in improving our overall mood. It may be something for you to look into. It contains natural ingredients like St Johns Wart, griffonia seed, folate, and vitamin B12. Hang in there mama!

It sounds to me it's more of a depression than baby blues, but again sometimes they are tied in together. If you are uninterested in things you were interested in before, that is one of the signs and many other signs. I would suggest you see your OB about this and go from there. You need to understand that you can't take it out on your husband and if you get yourself back on track where you take care of yourself, you will be able to take care of your children and not take it out on your husband. Don't let other woman compliment and make your husband feel good about himself because you are being mean to him. You know very well that he's trying to help you and may feel that it's no use to being there to help you if he's going to be trampled on. First, get yourself on track and care for yourself and your girls will grow up thinking that it's all their fault for you lack care of yourself, they'll go up and be mean to their husbands if they do get married and their married life will not be good and they will not know how to care for themselves when they have children. Seek counseling where they have a sliding scale. Based on income and pay very small amount if any. $2.00 perhaps. Let me know what else I can do besides being totally honest, been there and done that and I will pray for you, C..

My first suggestion is to not ignore what you are feeling. If these changes reflect a significant change in yourself, your behavior and reactions then you should look into it further. You could actually speak to your gynecologist or your family practitioner regarding the issue, and see what they recommend.

I myself suffered from depression after the birth of my second child, and finally went to my doctor who interviewed me and prescribed a medication. I saw a change in less than two weeks, and only wish I had done something sooner. My anger was what clued me in. I am NOT an angry person, and try as I might with could not change my behavior with positive attitudes or recognizing that I was not behaving the way I had in the past. I stayed on the medicine for two years (6 months is the minimum) and then weaned myself off (which I will admit was NO picnic) and by that time my body had reclimated itself, and I am back to my old self.

Listen to yourself - there are "baby blues" and then there is more than that. Go to your doctor and talk about it with them, but do not ignore what you really know in your heart.

"Baby blues" does not last for six months, it's something that happens for a couple of weeks after the baby is born. Depression is a medical condition, and without treatment, you will not really see an improvement. If you are diagnosed with depression and you have medical insurance, medication and counselling should be covered by your insurance. If you had some other medical condition, you would seek treatment. Depression isn't different.
Good luck