Postpartum Depression After 1 Year of Giving Birth?

You are not alone.

Postpartum can be a devastating blow and anyone who hasn't experienced it first hand can never understand the far reaching effects it can have not only on how you feel but on your ability to see your way through the simplest of things. When the doctor first told me I was suffering from PPD I laughed and was in complete denial about it. I refused to take any prescription medicine. Being stubborn has never done me such a disservice! Eighteen months later a doctor friend convinced me to take some fish oils and within one week my life changed completely. The things that helped me most:

1. The fish oils! Called Omega Brite http://www.omegabrite.com/ these have the highest ratio blend and are specially formulated for women and mental well being.

2. Excercise. although this is the last thing you feel like doing it makes the biggest difference.... even walking, yoga, mini trampoline... as long as you are getting the blood pumping and increasing your intake of oxygen.

3. Help - if you can afford it even the tiniest bit of help either around the house or with the children makes a huge difference. Just having someone come to clean for 1 or two hours once or twice a week makes you feel like you have someone on your side - that you are not alone - and the implications of that are worth their weight in gold!

4. Busting isolation - for me this is the biggie - and the most difficult when you are feeling low. Reaching out to people around you and maintaining a connection to the world around you is VITAL. Force yourself to join a mommy and me class.... reach out to friends.... (I live a continent away from my family and believe it or not joining Facebook made a massive difference to my ability to feel connected without having to leave the house!) maintain the relationships that feed your soul and your ability to be a "positive" mother will increase dramatically.

These are the things that helped me most. I hope they help you too! Just remember however alone you feel..... you are not. There are thousands upon thousands out there everyday in all of our own little worlds facing the same challenges, and joys of this incredible journey we call motherhood.

Dear D W,

Good for you for getting the help you need to get back to feeling like yourself again!

Based on some advise from other moms, I just wanted you to be aware of a few things. You should not take herbal supplements or herbal "treatments" when already taking prescription antidepressants. There can be dangerous interactions. If you do decide at some point to go that route (herbals), please do so only in consultation with the prescribing physician and after you have been off of the antidepressants for some time. Also, herbals/supplements are not regulated by the FDA, so there is no guarantee of consistency between one herbal/supplement and another.

When appropriately prescribed and monitored by a qualified, licensed physician, anti-depressants can be life-saving. It sounds like you are doing what you need to do to take care of your physical and mental health, and as you already know, you need to be healthy to take care of your children and enjoy them!

For me, it is always helpful to get some good social support in the form of mommy and me groups; it's really nice to be around other moms who are going through the same parenting stages and issues. You will find that many of the women in these groups have experienced either PPD or some other form of depression to some degree, so they can relate.

Although you probably have little free time, if you can just squeeze in 20 minutes of exercise a few times a week, it can be very helpful---walking and yoga are two great things that don't require any great cost, a trip to the gym, or tremendous time commitment. My walks are my sanity savers!

Take care and best to you and your family.

J.

D, I truly understand how you are feeling as a MAMA myself. Experiencing the BABY BLUES is downright depressing and so overwhelming, especially when you want to be the best MAMA you can be and everything becomes an effort. Have you ever thought about researching natural or homeopathic remedies for how you are feeling instead of taking the medication? There are definitely many natural solutions that can actually help with what you are going through.

I highly recommend contacting Dr. Anita Pepi who is truly an amazing Chiropractor and Nutritionist and would definitely be able to help you naturally.

Here's her data:

2950 Los Feliz Blvd. Suite 101
Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 666~1088
http://www.drpepi.com

If she is too far for you, please let me know as I may know of an incredible nutritionist that is closer to you.

I also recommend checking out 4 organizations validating why going the natural route is best for you and your family:

http://www.uniteforlife.org/
http://www.cchr.org/
http://www.cchr.org/mothers_act.html
http://www.labelmesane.com/

You'll also find some amazing data regarding alternatives at: http://www.cchr.org/solutions_and_alternatives/

And, please watch:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=LQW23XCmOCw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qble_vQEC7M
http://www.psychconflicts.org/
http://www.cchr.org/#/videos/making-a-killing-introduction

Please free to reach me anytime at: (323) 906~2784 or via e~mail me at ____@____.com.

I'd love to help you however I can. And, I promise, there is light at the end of this tunnel! : )))

LOL (Lots Of Love),
L. (MAMA to 17 month old Dylan Orion....29 September 2007).

I had that happen too. Probably a little sooner than the 1 yr mark I was for sure in a slump. But it took me close to another 2 yrs before I realized what was going on and did anything about it. It was horrible...I just yelled at everybody and was so uptight and tightly wound from it. So for a while I was thinking , maybe I need some medication or something. Then one day my husband said maybe you should go to the doctor. I was like oh thank you for saying that. Just to hear some one else say it was so great. So I went and got on Effexor XR and took it for about a year and the weaned off of it. It was great. It made me feel like me again. All the while though, I learned alot about what triggered me to feel down and uptight. So now I am able to recognize those things and identify what is going on with me. I have been off for about a year now. I feel alot better and as long as I keep a good exercise regime going I am able to maintain quite well, but when I slip from exercising I still think I could use being on something once in a while. So my advice is to add some cardio to your life at least 2-3 days a week and I think you will see even better and faster results. I hope I wasnt rambling to much. And Kudos to you for being pro-active with your mental self.

they say that postpartum depression can last or even begin up to seven years after giving birth. im not sure how accurate that is, but i did experience the one year thing, like you did, after my daughter.
i knew that it had to do with my hormones, i was breastfeeding still and that made me crazy! my hormones were out of whack. i was moody and sad on and off, i was uninterested in sex, and most anything else. i didnt want to get up and do anything that had to do with responsibilities. at times i wanted to run away and live in a cave and never see anyone ever again.

but once i stopped breastfeeding everything changed. i was happy again, my husband didnt irritate me anymore, i could feel real love and happiness and i was more relaxed and it was like a 360 turn around, and the only thing i did was stop breastfeeding and went off my birth control.

i dont know if that has anything to do with your case but this is what happened to me! i cant wait to be completely done with kids and be back to my normal self (i had a little boy and now im pregnant again since my daughter)

My OBGYN told me what I was feeling was called 'Baby Blues' and that it was not postpardum depression. Her recommendation was that I seek a family therapist to help me find creative ways to help me get past my current state of 'yuck'. At that time, I didn't think a therapist could help me, so I skipped it...but, have been going now for three months and love the ability to vent to a third party who has no stake in my famiy life and get advice.

'Baby Blues' as my OBGYN described them was this state of not being able to shake that lack of purpose feeling. And, really I was sort of out of sorts being a single Mom and starting over. My doc also recommended exercise and a change of scenary daily to get myself out of the house, even if it was Gymboree or playdates. Also, she mentioned getting a hobby and putting in at least four hours a week into my hobby and ME time. I was lucky enough to have help, so I did get out and start a hobby...find something you have always had interest in or something old you gave up after the kids and put some energy into you. Ask you hubby for help on this and don't forget to share your feelings with him...it's likely he doesn't know that you're feeling low, if you haven't already told him and he'll probably be eager to help!

Good luck and don't forget you're not just a great Mommy, but am amazing Woman too!

I had severe postpartum depression with my first child (now 5) and was prescribed lexapro. Within two weeks I saw a marked improvement. Two years later I had another baby (now 3) and continued with the lexapro because I sure didn't want a repeat of the postpartum I experienced with my first child. This time around, I was actually able to enjoy the first 4 months of my child's life and made me feel bad that I didn't get that opportunity with my first child. The catch is, that I started feeling like "I've been on this drug for 3 years and I am clearly fine and don't need it anymore," so I stopped taking it; huge mistake. My depression and anxiety came back full tilt and I was a miserable person to be around. I wasn't able to fully enjoy my children again. I visited my therapist and told her what I did and why. I started feeling bad about the fact that I needed medication and she said something that put it all in perspective for me. She wears glasses, and she told me that she can take her glasses off and "will" her eyes to see better but the fact of the matter is, the glasses help her have a better quality of life. My depression is chemical and runs in my family, the medication helps me and does improve the quality of my life. I don't feel bad about it anymore. Just my experience, I hope it helped. "So take that Tom Cruise!" :)

Hi, DW,

It sounds as though you are not experiencing postpartum depression, based on my recollection of the definition of postpartum depression, but another form of depression common to mothers. You may have experienced depression ranging from major depression to mild depression or if your depression was long enough to be considered chronic, dysthymia (mild chronic depression). I have experienced dysthymia for approx. 20 years and major depression periodically during that period. Psychotropic drugs have not helped me. What type and what dosage worked for you? After having worked with thirty therapists, I have finally found one that I think is helping me make progress and feel better. My treatment isn't cheap to me. At $150/hour, I can't do this for more than a few months. As a graduate psychology student, I read a lot of books and articles on psychology and am studying/practicing mindfulness. Mindfulness seems promising. If I can afford them, I would also like to try Gestalt therapy and sex therapy with my husband. (It sounds as though you are happy with your marriage, so the last treatment probably won't apply to you--lucky you!)

Best wishes,
Lynne E

Dear D.W.
Nothing sounds unbelievable if it happens and when it happens to you it is a reality. Just for that reason and for moms like you we have a wonderful Postpartum Support Group, called New Moms Connect. It is a small intimate group of moms all sharing their feelings and it is led by a wonderful therapist here in our Parenting Center in Tarzana. If you are interested in coming out to view the class and spend a session with us to see what we are all about I welcome you to do so.For more information call Gabrielle Kaufman at ###-###-#### and she will give you the information you need and invite you to join us. We are the Parenting Center at Temple Judea , are non denominational and I would love to welcome you and your baby.

you might want to try taking 5HTP u can get it at Wholefoods..it puts seratonin (sp?) back in the brain..i've noticed that PMS isn't bad anymore since i started taking it..i also take it with.. L-Theanine hope you feel better..try taking these ..i always had such severe PMS ..now i never know when i'm going to start my period

Hi DW,
Although I have not dealt with postpartum depression, I have dealt with depression in general and the greatest contributor were my own hormones. Once I got my hormones balanced all was great. It's a fairly easy fix and no need for anti-depressants.

Hello D W,

Have you considered Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine to help you to restore the balance to your body? I have treated women who have experienced Postpartum Depression, and they had wonderful results.

If you would like to know more or have questions, feel free to give me a call. I can be reached at ###-###-#### @ Rhee's Acupuncture Clinic. Good Luck, Dr. O. Rhee

Take those walks they naturally produce endorphins & help make you happy. Plus you will get out of the house for a few. :) This is what I do when I'm feeling funky. Many times I walk with my husband & we're able to hash out our kinks. Good luck....

You are probably just exhausted, if not physically for sure mentally. Get Grandma to sit and take off to somewhere you really need to go. Chat with a friend, read more and [lost the last word in your question, but] daily walk... should be and maybe some vitamins.

I think I am still struggling with adjusting to everything. Sometimes I am not sure if it is depression or just sadness. could it be you are sad your baby is growing up? Or maybe is this your last one and that is sad. I was on medication once in my 20s and they do help if you need them. dont be afraid to take them ifyou need them.

Don't know if others have said this but you should have your thyroid checked... this happened to me. I got severe hypothyroidism after having my daughter

Wow, I was just looking up information about Postpartum Depression after 1 year of giving birth and found this. I feel so much better b/c I felt like something was seriously wrong with me. I love my baby so much but I find myself worrying about him and his future like crazy. Of course, boys are active but sometimes I just can't deal with it. I holler at him then I find myself crying. I suppose to go to the doctor next Thursday and had on planning to ask about Postpartum Depression after 1 year of giving birth. Thanks a bunch. I will be praying for you!

Good Morning DW,

You may want to look into NAET.com. An NAET allergist can test your hormone levels to find where there is an imbalance. NAET.com is a group of allergists around the world who eliminate allergies, it could be that you just need to be treated for some hormone allergies or imbalances.

Also, Say Goodbye to Illness by Dr. Devi Nambudripad is available on Amazon.com. She is the creator of NAET.

If you have any questions about NAET you may contact me ____@____.com well.

N.