Is it Hormones or Depression?? I'm new to this...

Megan - posted on 02/01/2009

Glad to hear you will discuss this with your doctor, very important to look after yourself.

Katey - posted on 02/01/2009

I suffer from bi-polar with sever depression, you need to go and see your gp immediatley.  It may be your hormones effecting you but it is best to get help straight away- dont leave it and hope it goes away, especially if you have other children, you are not doing your self any favours by leaving it.  The most important thing is to find one thing every day that is wonderful and let it grow from there. Be well and all the best of health and happiness for you and your family~!

Naomi - posted on 02/01/2009

when i fell pregnant with my first my dr warned me of depression and stuff he also suggested i go for walks as this helps boost the hormone that makes u feel happy maybe u could do this with u r partner it would be a good time for u to talk to him about things as well i found walking good it helps u take u r mind off of things i would suggest though u talk to u r partner because if u feel like this now it could well happen after the birth cause u will find that is the time u r life will need alot of adjusting and lack of sleep puts alot of stress on u

Kim - posted on 02/01/2009

I think you will find it is completely normal to feel this way, but for the sake of your mental health talk to your doctor about it.  Until you do, you will just worry more.  All the best.

Cynthia - posted on 01/31/2009

oh boy, was I ever there.. I envied my own sister in her pregnancy she felt big and beautiful which to say the least was the exact opposite of how I felt big, yes, but beach ball was more like it. I just didn't even want my husband to try making me feel good. I just felt like he was consoling me by saying how good I looked when all i felt was big and fat.



I felt this on and off through both pregnancies but the first was probably the worst. I was honest about my feelings and told my dr about them AFTER my first son was born. red flags went up for her (my dr) and she had a prescription for anti-depressants ready faster than i could blink. I had them filled but everytime I decided the next bouts of tears was enough I found the will of steel in me somewhere and decided that's not what I want to do to my smiling little bundle.

So it is normal to have a dip for a short amount of time in how you feel as you hormones are going crazy in you BUT and yes a very big BUT you need to be extrememly honest with your dr and keep him/her in the loop. Be honest with your fiancee too. He can be very understanding when you let him know. It will also feel better when you tell him. My first pregnancy I didn't tell my husband (at that time he was my fiancee) until the third trimester or so and by then I had been on such a roller coaster of emotions all by myself about the preganancy, us and me it all came out in a tumble of tears that he had no clue about. remember you are the same person you were 15 weeks ago. you simply have utter chaos happening inside you and your emotions are showing you all the changes that are happening every minute that baby grows inside of you.

Now looking back I can say breast feeding helped but I would say it took a solid 6 months to feel I was past the crying and hopeless and fat feelings stage. Don't do that to yourself. Tell your fiance how you are feeling right now and ask him to just let you talk without judging or trying fix how you feel. (you can see your dr about that on Monday). You simply need to expose these feelings to him and get him to give you hugs, and lots of them. I remember my husband, then finacee, just holding me. it helped to keep me grounded. please take this seriously and take it up with your dr or homeopathic dr or whoever can help to see you through. talking to friends also does wonders. (email me if you haven't any friends available to help you through this: chopland@hotmail.com) take the best of care of yourself. you are a remarkable person for having a baby. The first time you see your baby smile or hear 'momma' will drive it home..

Angela - posted on 01/31/2009

I'm really hoping its just a phase. A few weeks ago I was talking about how great its going to be to have this big belly and how I was going to show it off. It does just seem like another one of those times when you just need a confidence booster. I'll talk to my doctor about it though just to be safe. Thank you all for the advice =) it's nice to know there are women out there who have had the experience.

Melissa - posted on 01/31/2009

I think you ARE a beautiful woman and the fact that you have managed to create a another life is wonderful. Your fiance probably thinks you're amazing just for carrying his child. Many men find their lover more attractive during pregnancy. I also think it must be hard for you not be be able to enjoy this time in your life. It sounds like your emotions are affecting your life. Some "feeling down" can be normal during pregnancy given the fatigue, nausea (if any), and body changes you are and will go through. What you're describing seems to be more than the usual blah women go through. I would call your ob/midwife and let them know what's going on. It's nothing to be ashamed of.  A lot of women DO feel like this and there is medication, therapy or just a pragnant mom group around you could go to to help you out of your slump. I really hope you can talk to someone and feel better and soon.

Melissa

Crystal - posted on 01/31/2009

That you are worried enough to ask here suggests that maybe you should mention how you're feeling to your doc. That being said, it is completely normal to not like seeing all those "perfect figured" people on TV. It is very difficult to watch your normal beautiful figure expand with pregnancy. Even tho most people will just say, well yeah, you're pregnant like you are crazy to feel this way. I had a really hard time with this in both of my pregnancies. Hopefully it's just a phase, but if it lasts definately talk to someone. Would your fiance listen if you talked to him about how you're feeling? That helped me with my second one. It amazed me that he didn't think I was getting fat and gross, he was amazed that my body could grow this new life. He thought I was still sexy, even when I felt I looked my worst. I bet yours feels the same way about you. He just needs to show you that more, but probably doesn't realize it or know how. Good luck.

Brenda - posted on 01/31/2009

This is a difficult question to tackle for any mother.  Hormones do some crazy things to you, but I will tell you that they can also cause severe depressive episodes.  I take prozac currently for PMDD (Pre menstral dysphoric disorder) a completely hormone driven once a month depression that goes away when my period starts.  My OB decided to keep me on the meds during pregnancy though I requested to have them halved.  This was probably a bad idea because I suffered some very tough bouts of depression during the first trimester and into the second, but I managed because I wasn't working at the time.  I nearly had her increase my dosage back to normal, but about that time I started feeling better.

Now that being said, it does not necessarily mean what you're going through requires medication.  I am not sure of the severity, but if it gets in the way of life in any way, discuss it with your doctor.  Having depression triggered during pregnancy can be serious, and you want the best in health for both you and the baby.  There are safe medications if you require them, and they can correct a hormonally driven imbalance where it can't be corrected on its own.  If you find yourself consistently down, crying, or sleeping a lot, you may need to talk to your doctor about it.  I fully recommend discussing emotional issues such as these with your OB.  You are not the first woman they've seen that has these problems, and even if your OB decides that your case does not merit medication, it will help you to talk to someone else about these things.  I hope that helps you, and I wish you all the luck in the world.  Those first trimester blues are tough, I've been through them and the PPD at the end as well.