Is it the baby blues or anxiety...

Kristy - posted on 06/12/2009

Thank you so much for the replies, I will call my doctor first thing Monday morning. We had a very complicated delivery they spent a long time in hospital and my 4 year old is very busy..maybe it's just all catching up to me, it's rare that I go anywhere or see many people these days, it's nice to know I'm not just a crazy person!

Valerie - posted on 06/12/2009

Kristy,
Sounds like you are suffering from a little post-partum depression. You should discuss this with your family Dr.

I had chronic depression before I had the twins (now 21 months) and knew that I was at high risk to develop PPD. Especially since DH worked out of town and I was on my own with the twins at least 5 days a week (he was also out of town for over a month at times). When they were about 4 months old, it was just before Christmas. DH had been gone for a month, the twins had really bad acid reflux and 1 of them was feeding every 2 hours around the clock and it took an hour to feed him (which meant that I was getting about an hour break between feedings). We were planning a month long trip to visit DH's family 10 hours drive away for the holidays and we were arranging to have them baptized in DH's hometown. I was exhausted and stressed out. One night, I fed one twin at 1 am and as I was putting him back down, his sister woke up so I fed her as well. I was finished and in bed by 2 am. I thought "great, I can get a few hours sleep, next feeding should be about 5 am". Lying in bed, my mind spinning, I thought "been awake for awhile wonder what time it is" It was 3 am, then 4, then 5! I didn't sleep at all that night. That was a Saturday night. I called DH on Sunday and told him I thought I had PPD and I was going to see the Dr first thing Monday morning. We made the decision to put me on anti-depressants that morning. It takes about 3 weeks to come into full effect. By the time, we got back from our trip and I was well rested - I felt like a brand-new person.

Good luck

Patsy - posted on 06/12/2009

I have 3 children ages 5, 3, and 2,...on top of that I have 13 wk old twins...one of which is getting over colic. II feel like i cry everyday and feel like i am neglecting my other kids! I am constantly feeding a baby and my kids are constantly wanting to play outside. You are not the only one...in fact I am now thinking of seeing a doc for some meds to calm me down a bit

Jen - posted on 06/12/2009

I'm not sure I experienced PPD, maybe a bit, but I had a 4 1/2 year old son when my twin boys were born. Now the twins are 3 1/2. Over the last 3 years though I started feeling more anxious and by last September it got really bad - I was yelling at the boys for every little thing. I couldn't handle being with them unless I HAD to. I started hiding out in my room when hubby was home. I have a little seasonal depression but it was really bad after September.



A friend told me my anxiety jumped out of email at her and I should talk to my doc. Let me also add that from the time we had our oldest until the twins, my husband was diagnosed with cancer that had spread, he beat it but it drastically changed our lives. We had to use IVF to have any other kids with hubby's banked sperm and since treatment he cannot have any more kids. Then we did 4 IVF rounds and lost twins and a singleton before keeping a pregnancy. My friend thought since life was relatively calm- no major illnesses or death or severe stress, it was all hitting me. I can kind of see that because I keep it all in and hold it together in stressful times.



I did see my doc in late December, after hemming and hawing over it. I am on Wellbutrin and have felt so much better. The anxiety got so much better after a couple months and I felt more like my old self. I was enjoying being with the boys and not hiding out, not sleeping so much, etc.



If nothing else, talk to your doctor and see what your options are. Mine thought I would be on it through the winter and could go off of it but since the anxiety was a building thing over a few years, I said I wanted to stay on through next winter, then go off and see how things are. Plus, depression runs in the family and I don't want to become a horrible mom because I don't want to take something. Feel free to contact me if you want to talk. You are not alone. :)