Late Postpartum Depression

It took me almost 18 months to realize what I was going through and to make the calls to get help for my PPD. My family had a negative attitude towards seeking psychiatric help and I felt ashamed. I've learned there is NO reason to be ashamed. Looking back, mine started early, but when I stopped nursing I really took a nose-dive (hormones?). Although we had insurance, the deductible was so high I was reluctant to go to the doctor. That's when I discovered Depression After Delivery. I think their web address is www.depressionafterdelivery.com. If you have trouble finding it, your OB might have a pamphlet on file (that's how I found them). Susan Benjamin Feingold is a psychologist in Highland Park who runs a free support group through D.A.D. and specializes in PPD. She's wonderful! I regret waiting so long to get help...I missed so much in my fog of depression. It's worth the expense to feel better. Also consider checking out providers to see if they have a sliding fee scale based on income. I know Warren Township has social workers on staff who do. If you need a "layperson" to talk to, please feel free to send me a message.

I would call this post partum depression. I suffered terribly after my first child was born. My husband changed jobs when she was 3 months old and his work hours increased significantly. I wasn't tuned into the fact that I was developing a problem and it got worse and worse until I could barely leave the house at all because I had so much anxiety. My husband finally asked me about it and got me to go to the doctor. I started taking Prozac and felt a huge improvement within 3 days!!! By the end of the week I was able to take my baby into downtown Chicago and meet a friend for lunch at a restaurant -- something completely unfathomable just one week before. I know going to the doctor is a lot of $, but I would try to find some place that might give you a break. You will feel so much better right away. It isn't worth wasting any of your precious time feeling bad when you don't have to. Good luck!

H., I had post partum depression when my son was six weeks old. I was staying at home on my maternity leave with this six week old baby that only wanted to nurse and cry and an extremely hyperactive kindergartener. And I was trying to work from home and earn some money. It was too much for me. I spoke about it a lot to my husband, his family and my family. I think a lot of people were a little embarassed by it-they couldn't comprehend that. Lucky for me my mom is a counselor and not only did she understand, she was very supportive of it and gave me some great advice. I think one of the best things I did was not try to hide it. Talking about it really helped me-even if the people didn't understand. I didn't have to seek medication or anything like that, it kind of went away on its own. I am expecting my third child here in a few months, and I am going to be having my radar up so that if I see signs of it again I can get right on it and not let myself sink so low next time. Kudos for you for getting here on Mamasource and seeking support. This website and all of the moms have been so supportive of me through many of my questions,problems, etc. Keep talking, if you don't get what you need here, go see a counselor and if that doesn't work see a psychiatrist to help you get on some medication to help you through this. It can be a very serious issue for some and is not something to be taken lightly.

I'm going to tell you right now though that I could never be a stay at home mom. I am expecting my third child in October and because of the high cost of child care everybody is leaning on me to be a stay at home mom. I have been very assertive with all of those and said that might work for some but it isn't going to work for me. I need to be out there everyday with adults, I need to have my own thing that I excel at that is separate from being a mother and a wife. I don't know if anyone thinks that is selfish or if anyone cares. Some people are cut out to stay home with their kids and some people are not. This has nothing to do with what kind of a parent you are or how much you love your kids. It is such a hot topic and there seems to be a lot of animosity between mothers that don't work versus mothers that do. My take on it is in this day and age we have the right to choose. Caucasian women seem to be able to choose more than others. Other races typically have never had the choice to stay home, to keep the financial boat afloat both parents had to work and have always had to and thats the way it is. I feel whatever the choice a family makes, they have to make it on their terms. It doesn't matter if you stay home or work, if life isn't peaceful and happy at home, then you aren't doing right by your kids. For me, I decided a happy mom is a good mom, and I work for me. It is my luxury and something I do for myself (though it does have some fringe benefits of 401K, extra money for the family, etc.)

Whatever you think you need to do, I think one thing is important right now-that is that you take some breaks from your daughter. It has nothing to do with how much you love her or anything like that. You have carried this child for nine months, and now you have been her main caregiver for ten months. You cannot be a good caregiver if you do not take care of yourself and that is just the plain and simple truth. So I would suggest finding something out side the home that is interesting to you. Work outside the home a couple of nights a week, volunteer somewhere and help other people (nothing is better for someone that is down than to help lift someone else up), join a club that is interesting to you: books, knitting, there are a lot of options. A lot of times the problem with SAHM is that they have no backup as far as child care when they want to get away, etc. Make your husband or significant other take some time with your daughter while you do these things. Mothers have a tendency to take it all on themselves and not wanting to burden the dad because they work all day. Guess what so do you, and if they did what you did all day they would be pooped. So don't be afraid to ask for help from your significant other, your mom, your friends, etc. What on earth are family and friends here for if not to help each other when we need them? I assure you at some point you will be able to pay back the favor. I know there are babysitting co-ops out there. I also know that in mothers groups, there are often opportunities for moms to break each other out, by taking turns watching each others kids so that they can get some stuff done. Everybody needs some time away. It reminds you of how much you have at at home and makes you appreciate it even more.

Sorry this is so long, I am such a blabbermouth. Good luck to you!

As per the latest AMA continuing education conference, women who are up to a year or even more pp tend to be Omega-3 depleted because the fetus uses every bit for development, and brain development in particular. The same goes with nursing - the omega 3s are depleted from the mom to make the milk - leaving the mom very depleted. This can cause post partum depression because there is nothing left for the mom. This also causes hormone irregularities and mood alterations. You need a HIGH QUALITY Omega 3 supplement. You will want a pharmeceutical grade, cold pressed (so it retains the properties) and distilled so there are no toxins. You also want the correct ratio of DHA to EPA.

To see studies on this, you can google "Omega 3 postpartum depression studies" or you can also get a book that touches on this, 'The Omega 3 Connection" which you can get on Amazon.com

A website I send my pp, pg and nursing moms who need Omega 3 supplements is www.herbal-nutrition.com/bonniewayne/ - just scroll down the first page and you will see it.

Good Luck!

I think postpartum depression is defined as anything within the first year. I'm sure there are lots of women who experience it later on.
Look into kidcare insurance. We lost our insurance for a few months so I signed my daughter up, but there was also a section about the moms. I did not read into it too much so i can't give you any real information but it would be worth at least looking into if you felt like you wanted to see a doctor.
I did not experience depression exactly, but I do not underplay the influence of hormones on our physical and mental state at all.
When I stopped breastfeeding I felt funky. About a week after I stopped I had a panic attack. It was very intense and scary. Luckily my mom was visiting at the time and was able to take care of my daughter for a couple hours and she was also able to just talk to me.
I had never had any type of anxiety issues before that incident so it seemed really weird.
I think it was just that I had some crazy hormonal shift. I felt a weird kind of uneasy a few times in the week or two following that incident, but I have been fine since then.
I went to see my doctor about switching birth control and when I was there I asked about the panic attack. My doctor said that while it is not necessarily a common side effect of stopping nursing and getting my period again that it was certainly possible that it was due to my hormones being a little out of whack.
She did say that if it persisted that I should definately get it checked out.
I'm sorry I can't be of too much help. I think it is good though that you are at least starting to open up about it. Have you talked to your hubby or a close friend of family member?
Do you get out enough, both with and without your daughter.
I think it is totally normal to feel overwhelmed. I know that I joined a mommy's group and that has been great for me. I'm able to talk to other women who are going through the same things as I am...from feeling overwhelmed to diaper rash to which restaurant makes the best kids grilled cheese :)
If you're not getting out and are interested in doing activities with your daughter I would recommend checking out meetup.com
There are LOTS of wonderful groups, I'm sure you could find one that is a good fit for you and your daughter.

I do not think it is uncommon. You are considered postpartum for the first year. Talk to your health care provider. Someone who has a relationship with you and knows your history. It could be a lot of things and rather than have people guess, go talk to your doctor.

H.! First of all, it looks as if you're not alone! I've been there, as well. Although my three kids are much older (8, 14, 17) than yours...it doesn't seem that long ago that I was right there in your shoes! With my first child, I was young and overwhelmed, which probably added to the bit of baby bues that I suffered. BUT...with my second child, I wasn't "hit" with any adverse emotional feelings until he was about 6-8 months old. That's when I started in with what I thought was normal postpartum depression. Not only was I just an emotional wreck (gee, I can remember just crying, just to cry, with no reason), I had other symptoms, too, like being cold, dry skin, extreme tiredness, thinning hair, and constipation. I happened to mention this to my OB/GYN at my yearly, and he ran a simple blood test for hypothyroidism. Boy, did I EVER have it! After one tiny pill everyday, I was 99% back to normal (whatever that is)! This could be a real (and completely common) possibility, or it may be far off from what's going on with your body. I just wanted to get it out there so you'd be aware. There are so many moms and doctors who overlook it, or are just unaware of how common hypothyroidism is. Or, possibly you're just a normal mom, going through all the normal emotions that moms go through! At least you know that you're not alone in the world, and there's ALWAYS someone to talk to, whether it be another mom or a doc! Take care!

H., I would say try to find a way to get your hormones and other general things (thyroid, etc.) tested. I also had PPD and I regret taking so long in figuring it out, but I took my son to my 6 week checkup, and got rear-ended on the way there, so the doctor didn't have time to go through the different birth control options with me, namely depo provera, which is safe if you are breast feeding. I did eventually try it, and it made such a huge difference for me, not just for the ppd, but for my PMS in general (which felt like PMDD) - I don't have it anymore!! I just feel so much more even now, all the time. I don't know if you are looking for birth control, and stupidly my insurance doesn't cover it because it's injectable, but it costs $60, for 3 months. Hope you find help soon - that's one of the worst feelings in the world, having your mind mess with you like that! Been there, done that, eeeugh. Good luck to you!