Thought this could be a place where we could share our experiences with postpartum depression and/or anxiety. This is something that is so much more common than people think, and has such a stigma attached. We should talk about it!
I had twin girls on April 1st by emergency c-section due to severe preeclampsia. I delivered 5 1/2 weeks early and my girls were in the special care nursery for about a week. I was also hospitalized for a week after my delivery due to continued high blood pressure that was so stubborn and would not come down! I was put on 2 blood pressure meds before I was discharged. All this was very traumatic for me, and I think this contributed to me developing postpartum depression and anxiety. I had my mom with me for the first 2 weeks we were home, but after she left, the sh*& hit the fan pretty much. DH was back to work so I was alone pretty much every day. One of my girls had terrible colic and screamed all day long. I was so incredibly overwhelmed, and also trying to recovery from everything surgery and preeclampsia. I knew early on that I wasn't feeling quite right, but I denied it. I thought, this can't happen to me! I'm strong! Well, it turns out I wasn't as 'strong" as I thought. I developed terrible insomnia, which is one of the #1 markers of postpartum depression. I ended up in the ER having a full blown panic attack after I had gone 5 days with zero sleep. I felt like I was dying and/or having a heart attack. I was discharged from the ER with meds for anxiety and sleep, as well as an antidepressant. But I continued to not sleep at home and my anxiety was escalating. I simply could not turn my brain off, I was constantly worried about my own health and the girls. I had become nonfunctional. I was ultimately admitted to the hospital in the postpartum psychiatric unit and stayed for a week so that I could be stabilized. I was discharged on some pretty heavy meds, and it's taken me a while to come to terms with the fact that I need the meds. Now I've just accepted it for what it is, and I'm just happy that I'm sleeping and I'm a happier mother. If any of you have similar stories or situations, please share and let's support one another!
I had twin girls on April 1st by emergency c-section due to severe preeclampsia. I delivered 5 1/2 weeks early and my girls were in the special care nursery for about a week. I was also hospitalized for a week after my delivery due to continued high blood pressure that was so stubborn and would not come down! I was put on 2 blood pressure meds before I was discharged. All this was very traumatic for me, and I think this contributed to me developing postpartum depression and anxiety. I had my mom with me for the first 2 weeks we were home, but after she left, the sh*& hit the fan pretty much. DH was back to work so I was alone pretty much every day. One of my girls had terrible colic and screamed all day long. I was so incredibly overwhelmed, and also trying to recovery from everything surgery and preeclampsia. I knew early on that I wasn't feeling quite right, but I denied it. I thought, this can't happen to me! I'm strong! Well, it turns out I wasn't as 'strong" as I thought. I developed terrible insomnia, which is one of the #1 markers of postpartum depression. I ended up in the ER having a full blown panic attack after I had gone 5 days with zero sleep. I felt like I was dying and/or having a heart attack. I was discharged from the ER with meds for anxiety and sleep, as well as an antidepressant. But I continued to not sleep at home and my anxiety was escalating. I simply could not turn my brain off, I was constantly worried about my own health and the girls. I had become nonfunctional. I was ultimately admitted to the hospital in the postpartum psychiatric unit and stayed for a week so that I could be stabilized. I was discharged on some pretty heavy meds, and it's taken me a while to come to terms with the fact that I need the meds. Now I've just accepted it for what it is, and I'm just happy that I'm sleeping and I'm a happier mother. If any of you have similar stories or situations, please share and let's support one another!
