Ladies of the lounge. Has anyone experienced Postpartum

depression? My lovely daughter in law is severely in trouble. Do you have any stories I can relate to?
She had her 3rd and final child February, Daddy got snipped on Valentines Day, but it's not going well.
She's depressed and suicidal.
We ARE handling it but I wonder, has anyone felt this way?

And not just her OB/GYN...but someone who's equipped to handle what's going on with her?

I had the 'baby blues' after each of my kids and, with each one it got a little worse but nothing like what you're describing. Just weepy and hormonal.

For that matter, I Still get weepy and hormonal and my youngest is 9.

an appt by her doc because when these feelings came over her, her 'doc' was booked up. So much for compassion, though it hits hard when it's family.
She wound up in the emergency room.
A professional shrink is probably a great idea. Thanks.

I feel so fortunate when I read about others' serious bouts.

I keep you all in my thoughts and hope that she soon feels well again. :hug:

a sense of melancholy... not desperation.

Your daughter in law greatly needs medical intervention. Her ob/gyn should be able to hook her up with a psychiatrist who specializes in this.

It is very serious. If she's talking about being suicidal, then she is really thinking it. Take it from me. It was one of the scariest times of my life. You just don't understand what is happening to your body because you are supposed to be feeling so happy. I felt like I had been blindsided.

The proper medications and counseling will get her on the right track to feeling well soon. She is very lucky to have an understanding family.

Good luck. Reassure her that this has indeed happened to other people and that good help is out there.

We know it's very serious and are treating it as such. She won't be left alone. Her toughest times are at night, so I'm going to try to 'cheer her up'!
Thank you.

I was a doula for a woman with a history of PPD- her psychiatrist had her on meds and therapy (the absolute best first step for anyone in advanced ppd, like your DIL) but after she was stabilized, he implemented Light Therapy as well, and weaned her off drugs. It did wonders for her. something to ask about...

http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p030850.html

Bright light therapy produced antidepressant effects in a small study of 16 pregnant patients with major depression (Oren et al., 2002) and in two women with postpartum-onset major depression (Corral et al., 2000). Since it is well-tolerated and does not produce medication exposure to the nursing infant, it may become a promising treatment for postpartum depression.

Massage therapy and relaxation training for mothers who are depressed have been reported to improve mood and produce more positive mother-infant interactions and better growth and health in the infants (Field et al., 2000). Infant massage classes also appear to improve mood in new mothers with depression and contribute to more rewarding mother-infant interactions (Onozawa et al., 2001).

In summary, women suffering from postpartum depression may benefit from several interventions other than medications and psychotherapy. More research is necessary to determine the efficacy of alternative treatments. Many alternative treatments have the advantages of being inexpensive, accessible, and generally safe and well-tolerated, thereby presenting attractive options to traditional treatments for postpartum depression.

I would suggest further self-research, and look for more updated information- this was published in 2003- some of the info may be outdated by now.

Good luck, and my best advice is listen to her- and respond with your gut. if it doesn't seem like she's doing okay, she probably isn't- GO TO HER.

She (and every new mom) deserves a break every day, a shower, and help with the baby. Make sure she is eating well and if you can't come over- have someone else check in on her- and do a load of laundry while they are there. :-) Hire a postpartum Doula for her if you can afford it.

:hug:

know until yesterday morning there was anything wrong, and she wrung my heart out when I heard.
I would do anything for these kids, so I'm glad we were told.
There are other health issues going on with her husband also, so her plate is overflowing, and it's probably just too much.
I'm getting there ASAP to help in any way I can, and the drug issue is being addressed. She indeed deserves a break, and to know she's loved and not alone.
I'll be taking your advice as far as looking some things up, and a massage sounds like a great,
girly, nice gift to give her!

of my own postpartum depression. It is real and it is serious. I wasn't suicidal though. Just very, very sad and anxious.

She needs help immediately. Good luck to you. With the right medication she will get over this.

... in PPD, as others have mentioned in this thread. A psychiatrist can prescribe the right medication and then monitor the results. If her ob/gyn or family doctor has not been willing or able to do this, that really is the next step. PPD can be a very dangerous condition.

I was never suicidal, but by the time my son was born I was so deeply depressed over my marriage that I was frightened I might not be able to bond with my baby. I used to take him into bed for night-time nursing and then do some neonate-play when we were done (bicycle his little legs, that kind of thing), just to see if I could get my juices going. I finally did, but just writing about that time is bringing tears to my eyes. I was barely functional as a mother for a long, long time, and looking back I know I would have been better off with medication. I had no emotional support at all -- your daughter in law is blessed to have you.
:hug:

Hekate

is doing something to conquer it. A new baby is supposed to be such a wonderful experience; who knew it ain't necessarily so? Her kids are loved beyond definition, it's their mom who's dealing with so much, too much.

PPD.

It is very, very serious. As a mental health care practitioner, I can tell you from experience that she needs drug intervention and the sooner the better.

And, while I am at it, fuck you, Tom Cruise.

she is having a major depressive episode and needs to get help from more than just a regular MD/GYN doctor. She needs to see a shrink that specializes in PPD. Depression of any kind should be treated as the severe health crisis it is. Having been there myself (not PPD, but a major depressive episode) I can tell you that she needs all the outside help/intervention she can -- she should not be left to make health/mental health decisions herself -- she is just not in the right headspace to be responsible.

Brooke Sheilds' book or articles on PPD may be helpful as one support for your DIL -- she suffered a serious bout with depression after giving birth.

I had some PPD but not that bad. I have an aunt who had Post Partum Psychosis and still has trouble 30 years later because she didn't seek treatment soon enough.

Please have her call someone to get some help, and I'll be thinking of her. :hug:

to talk to a psychiatrist, we're going to get out into the sun for some gardening, and I'll be there Wednesday. Her mom lives close so she's there when she can be, and her other m-i-l will be visiting after I leave.
She's been prescribed Zoloft, but doesn't like how she feels on it. It's going to take time.
Her biggest problem might be lack of sleep; I hoping I can help her get some rest with my presence; she won't have to be fretting over the kids and might be able to enjoy a nap.
We're watching her, and thanks for your feedback.

Glad she's getting help--antidepressants are good for immediate treatment, but the base cause is hormonal. Can she get to an ob/gyn or GP who can prescribe hormone treatments to get her system back on track?

are definitely the enemy with her at the moment, and she is in contact with her ob/gyn to deal with it. I don't know that she's gotten any treatments but she is being monitored.

After having done a ton of research on hormones myself, I strongly suspect they're the root cause of a lot of female issues. I hope the medical community catches up with us eventually.

And if your DIL doesn't get treatment from her ob/gyn, have her find another. If there's one thing I learned from my own tussle with the medical community, it's that you don't stop till you find a doc who will treat your illness properly!

I hope she has lots and lots of support...

:hug:

only. I became homebound and unable to leave my bed, with suicidal thoughts but never any attempts. I didn't improve until I was put on antidepressants at the insistence of my physician. Then the improvement was fast and dramatic. However I've had two depressive episodes since then, one very recently. I don't know if they are in any way related or if I'm just prone.

It didn't help that her hair was coming out in swatches.

Paxil helped, but she still had depression.