moms with depression

I assume you have postpartdum depression, but if not that is ok too. There is a support group that meets at Memorial Hospital in SB on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month at 7p. It is a very informal group and kids are welcome, but you can also come alone. Are you getting treatment, or are you unsure if you have depression. I am here to talk as I have gone through regular depression b/c of my life situation as a child, but I had postpartdum with both of my kids. Feel free to message me anytime and I will do whatever I can to help you. Hope all is well and you know that you are not alone and things will get better.

I have struggled with postpartum depression since my son was born over 14 months ago.  The birth of our second was absolutely overwhelming for me, and I have really struggled to adjust.  I knew before he was born that my body just felt "off" even for being pregnant, I just didn't feel right.  I figured once he was born it would blow over and instead it got worse.  I wanted so much to enjoy our new baby, but he was such a fussy little guy, he had reflux and was spitting up constantly.  If I wasn't changing his clothes or his bedding or his bouncy seat cover or cleaning the carpet because of the projectile vomiting, I was nursing him because he was constantly hungry (probably from spitting everything up).  All the while, I had a 3 year old that just wanted some attention.  My parents live in Florida, my nearest family was 2 hours away, my in-laws live in Granger but work full time....so I was really on my own most of the time.  Everyone did what they could to help, but even 20 minutes by myself with both kids was pushing the limits of what I could handle mentally.  

I remember the day that I dropped a butter knife on the floor and I was so upset by it, it almost sent me over the edge.  I figured it was baby blues and would go away.  The final straw was when my poor husband came home to see me on his lunch hour and I was really having a rough morning.  The more he tried to comfort me, the worse I felt, and I literally lost it and cried unconrollably.  He actually called my doctor and said something wasn't right.  It was truly a hard time for our entire family, not just me.  We decided that medication was my best option, and it has worked wonders.  Of course it doesn't "fix" everything, but for me it made the stress managable enough that I can get through the day and actually enjoy time with my kids.

The best thing is to realize you are NOT alone!  It is so much more common than most people realize.  Especially after having a baby, it really takes a toll on your body.  Hormones are crazy beasts, and if something is off, it can take months or years for it to go back to normal.  After having my first baby and leaving the hospital happier than ever, and never having any feelings of stress, anxiety or being overwhelmed, this past pregnancy really opened my eyes!  It is truly a feeling that only someone who has gone through the same thing can understand.  I'm sure there are many ears here to listen if you need to talk, and always feel free to type away and vent your feelings!  Most importantly, talk to your doctor if you feel you need help.  Even though I wasn't having feelings of hurting my baby or myself, I could definitley feel that if something really pushed my limits, I could snap at any moment.  I still have moments where I would like to run away for a few hours, but I have actually been able to handle my emotions much more rationally.  Good luck!

Jessica
~ Mommy to Luke and Shawn

I have been suffering from depression & panic & anxiety attacks for years. But since we got Nicholas it has gotten worse. My dr.has changed my meds and it has gotten better but like you said it does wonders to know you are not alone. Being a sah mom made mine worse i think. Please email me and maybe we can get together and "compare" notes!!!

Yes I have been suffering from depression for a while now. Times were tough and they have only gotten worse. It is nice that I have a few ladies on here that are doing their best to help me and my husband in our time of crisis, which did bring a smile to my face. And I prayed to the Lord thanking him for the people trying to help and for the people who are praying for us. I never use to be one to fall into the arms of my faith (so to speak) but in this time of such crisis I have found that through everything my faith never left me. All of our lives have changed the moment we decided to have children and I believe that part of us deep in our hearts will always miss the people we were before the kids the husband the mortgage and so on And even though my daughter ise playing of heavens play ground instead of in the nursey I spent 3 months hand painting the walls in I know she is still here with me so I can not do the things I use to. My therapist tells me every time I am feeling depressed makea list about all the great things in my life right now and it may seem dumb but it really helps.
My top ten things are
1. My faith for always being there even when I forgotten it
2. My Husband for being my rock and sticking by me in this time of crisis
3. my doctors for helping me fight cancer and heart disease
4. Crane funeral home who is helping my husband and I bury our daughter
5. My Roomba Vaccume Because no matter how sick I am that day I can still have clean floors
6. Mr Clean Erasers with febreeze makes cleaning my stove, tub, walls, counter tops so much easier and it works great on dirty grout
7. Mr. Clean with Febreeze multi purpose spray wipe down the inside of your kitty box before putting in new litter and you can't tell you have 3 cats
8. Internet it helps bring us all together
9. Chasity my hair dresser she works wonders for me even after the chemo took my hair
10. Dine In because they make it easy to cook when your to ill to all you do is dial their number and order

Raising a family, working, dealing with everyday stresses, etc... is hard on all of us moms, whether depressed or not.
I am so grateful for Jessica who has devoted much of her time and energy to develop this site which indeed gives moms an outlet for support.

What do you all think about starting a regular mother's night out..we could think of it as our own little informal/have fun support group? I know in the past, plans for MNO's on this site have fizzled, but I'm thinking that many moms, including myself, would truly benefit from a little face-face contact with others. I, along with any other moms would be more than happy to organize the meeting places and times, if wea are serious about starting this..

Any takers?