Do I have PND?

[bjulia]

I almost feel guilty asking this as it is so early on and so many of you have been suffering for ages.

I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on Jan 1st this year. For the first 7 days I was euphoric, even though I was getting about 3 hours sleep per night. Coincidentally I read an article on PND on the 6th day and woke up the following morning in a very anxious state, which I am still feeling now.

The worst aspect is that the anxiety is affecting my sleep. Although I had 2 nights where I slept collectively for 6 and 7 hours this week, the past 2 nights I have been getting waves of anxiety washing over me along with sweats whenever I try to drift off, meaning I just about get 3 hours sleep. I also have trouble for the same reason relaxing and sleeping in the day. It's not even my baby's fault as he only wakes at 3am and 7am.

My GP thinks I should hang on before I start taking anti-depressants, but I have read that if you think you are suffering you should seek help immediately. My husband thinks I just have the baby blues, but they are meant to lift after only a few days.

Does anyone have an opinion on this - from what I have read in this forum so far, inability to sleep does not seem a major factor in what you have been feeling (apart from disturbances caused by the baby).

Julia

[Sharon1]

Sorry to hear you are having a bad time. I have had depression several times and after the births of both my children. One of the signs I notice first is sleep disturbance. I wake in the early hours and can't get back to sleep. Anti-depressants are good but they can take a couple of weeks to kick in, so I think it's best to take them before your symptoms get worse. Is there another doctor at the practice you can see? I was lucky in that I had a supportive Health Visitor. Can you talk to yours? Get her to come round and explain how you feel. I hope this helps a bit. Good luck, let me know how it goes.

[Jinja]

Hi, so sorry you are not feeling too great. There are a few things you could do yourself, before you try medication or while waiting for it to get into your system. Such as resting whenever possible - not sleep but rest. Eat small regular meals. Gentle exercise. Talk to others. Make time for you - a long soak in the bath or a tub of your favourite ice cream while watching telly. Above all be patient with yourself. Another great idea is keeping a diary. It is useful for a few reasons. It helps to see if a pattern emerges - time of day, certain foods, etc. It helps to write things down that you find difficult to talk to others about. It will also show you when you are starting to get better. You may not realise it, but reading back will notice you are having more good days than bad.
Just some thoughts. Be kind to yourself and don't expect more than you are able to deliver.
Take care
Jinja