PND is awful, not just for the mother, but her partner too. It isn't something she can just snap out of and some days can be far worse than others. My wife couldn't accept our daughter as being hers for three years and would have nothing to do with her. It does pass but it takes time and isn't easy to deal with for either party. One can only help by dealing sympathetically and a little chiding to help motivate until it looses its hold.
Interestingly, my sister is a midwife of many years experience told me that it is more common in women who have epidurals as very often they need forceps or vantoose to help in the delivery - certainly seemed true in the case of my wife. Both are very invasive and she felt that that was the cause. The next time, she had no pain relief (only gas and air) and absolutely no depression at all. Though she wouldn't recommend the experience, she found overall it was more preferable to the epidural.
hate to ruin your theory, but I got PND with Agoraphobia and anxiety with a started with Gas but ended up with nothing but had an episiotomy and suction ..... maybe that's what did it??? It's a chemical imballance in your brain due to horones etc. as well as any trauma experienced during pregnancy or labour, in fact things that happened in your childhood can come to the surface as the ultimate source of Post. Natal. Depression through therapy. My Dad died of cancer when I was 5 months pregnant and I didn't grieve for him at the time due to the fact that I was being everyone elses rock, which turned out to be the pattern of my life. Finally my brain couldn't hold onto any more stuff and had a mealt down I guess. I felt numb, nothing except for anger and that was aimed at my phusband. I had vissions (during my waking hours... wide awake) of our daughter drowning and me just watching her, not acting and not feeling, or of her head hitting the tiles from being dropped and shatrtering and splattering everywhere and still felt nothing.......... I knew those things couldn't happen because you can still function you know right from wrong, you know how you're SUPPOSED to act so I just was extra careful with her so neither of those re-occuring vissions happened, they came at least once a day for months, they haunted me.
6 months of medication (after 6 months of not being diagnosed) a 9 week group therapy course and one on one couselling which I ended up bringing hubby in on and then 7 months after that and a new town to live inand I am happier than I have been in over 2 years I reckon... iside out happy. It's such a great feeling.
Post Natal Depression is extremely debilitating as with most depressions your body goes into shut down, it can vary though from you're so miserable even getting out of bed is an issue let alone looking after a baby to your so methodical and clinical that you dont have fun or enjoy having your baby. Blues happen around the third day due to hormones, PND suffers dont come back up. Many new mums as are people suffering normal depression are told "to snap out of it" you can't, "it's normal" its not ...seek help and support from a qualified professional.
thanks i don't have PND, i didn't even suffer from it when my bub was born, although everyone was waiting for me to becasue i had a traumatic labour (30 hours 2 hours pushing ouch)lol thats why i just wanted to know, so if i do come across it i will know what it is so thanks
A great book to read to underdstand PND more fully is Brooke Sheild's book - 'Down Came the Rain'. She had severe PND after the birth of her first baby and then wrote a book about it . It's a great book.
Just felt i had to reply to your message, i have joined here because my daughter has recently been diagnosed with PND quite severe. I am at my wits end and dont know what to do, i saw your ad and am going to get this book for her in the hope it will help. Thank you for posting this as it has helped me to start my journey to help her.
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