I want to take something to help me cope with my stress and anxiety that's safe for my 11 months old (I'm planning on bfing until she selfweans). Please help!

Ania - posted on 03/04/2012

Good for you Holly! That's great! Working out actually makes me super happy and definately relaxes me. Lori mentioned something about how isolating it is to be a mom. She is right. I had a very tough time....possibly a lot of women go through phases like that. It is lonely and there are so many issues that you have to deal with. Currently I'm getting anxious because I have a second baby on the way and I'm worried about how I will deal with kids alone...and sleep deprivation, that really makes me depressed and negative. Good luck you are doing great!

Lori - posted on 03/04/2012

Holly - I don't really have advice for you on this one... I just wanted to say you're doing a great job! I've read and replied to several of your other posts, and I know how much you do for your LO.



It is very tough being a Mom! Even when we've got it good, it's still a tough job and can be quite stressful. Taking care of a baby especially when you're home by yourself can make just about anyone go a little bit crazy. We all need support of others. Have you looked for a MOMS Club near you?



http://www.momsclub.org/



They're an international club for stay at home moms. I joined my local chapter just a few months ago and I am soooo glad I did. All the activities are scheduled during the day time - which is when most stay at home moms need/want something to do. Different chapters have different activities, but some possibilities would be play dates, book club, recipe club, garden club, lunch bunch, stroller work outs, etc. ALL activities (except Moms Night Out) welcome you and your children. When you join you get their calendar of events and you can go to 1 or all of the activities for the month. I've met some really great moms who have kids right around the same age as my kids, and now there's an excuse for us to get together and hang out. I'm an avid reader or used to be before having kids) so my favorite is book club. We all read the same book one month, then get together and talk about it while the kids play together. It's amazing the difference it has made to me having friends who can really relate to what I'm going through.



If there's not a MOMS Club near you, maybe check out your local library for story time - many have toddler story time and if not you can still bring your LO to the regular story time. My local library only does one story time and though the ages aren't posted for it - it's basically for ages 3-5. However I went several times when my oldest was only about 18 months because I just had to get out of the house. After I had my 2nd I found out that another library (fairly close by) does baby story time, toddler story time, preschool story time, and more for the older kids too.



Sorry if I'm a bit off topic here!

Holly Janelle - posted on 03/04/2012

Thank you ania I have been working out a lot lately. Well running I bought a jogging stroller so I can jog with my 11 mo DD and it's fun and it relaxes me and makes me feel great about myself at the same time. I agree with you on the medicine. I have been taking zoloft because that's what every women in my family takes for their "depression" and I gave to be honest I want to stop that cycle here with me and for it not to be learned/carried down to my daughter. I want her to learn the m skills to cope with her feelings not try and numb them with medication it is a slippery slope. Now that's I recognize this is a fault of mine the next step is to unlearn these traits that have been handed down from my mother. I don't want to be naggy, I don't want to make a big deal out of nothing, I want to be relaxed and enjoyable to be around and someone my man LOVES to be around. So that's my mission. I need to train myself to be happy to make my brain think OPOMISTICALLY instead of being a pessimist which I have been for so long. Thank you again!

Ania - posted on 03/04/2012

You know what you should try? Exercise! and I'm deadly serious. 30 min a day just go for a fast walk when you are alone and get really tired. I'm a person who likes to freak out all the time about stuff in life, you know making problems bigger than they maybe really are. i go to the gym every day 5-6 times a week i get on a cardio machine, either treadmill or elliptical and I go. I get sweaty, tired and i think my issues out and I try to manage them come up with solutions. My mantra is that there is never an issue that cannot be resolved. It really helps, believe me. My opinion is that drugs - any drugs are slippery slope, it is an artificial fixer, of course some people need them and I understand, but you should try everything before :)

Celeste - posted on 03/03/2012

Most meds are safe to take!

Per Lactmed (which is a data base to find out if meds are compatible with breastfeeding)

"Because of the low levels of sertraline in breastmilk, amounts ingested by the infant are small and is usually not detected in the serum of the infant, although the weakly active metabolite desmethylsertraline is often detectable in low levels in infant serum. Most authoritative reviewers consider sertraline one of the preferred antidepressants during breastfeeding.[1][2][3][4] Mothers taking an SSRI during pregnancy and postpartum may have more difficulty breastfeeding and may need additional breastfeeding support."



http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/ht...



Or you can go here:

http://www.infantrisk.com/ They have a ph# you can call (if you're in the US) to see if a med is compatible with breastmilk