Is it more likely for a mom to have c-section and post-partem depression?

Shelley - posted on 05/19/2010

I had depression with my 2nd child but yrs later with my 3rd I did not have it again. I think that sometimes you can get so set with a birth plan that its so hard when it does not happen the way you have played it out. I know alot of people that have postpartum but with the help of concealing have really come along way.

Ashley=) - posted on 05/19/2010

Its very normal that c-section bring on many feelings and cause depression in some.I was depressed looking back.I tried my best to not allow myself to admit it but yes depression set in 4days before i had my child because i was stuck in the hospital with no one listen to my concerns.Which because of that she was sectioned due to me clotting and not dilating the found her placenta came away and the cloths built up during the pregnancy.Would explain the consent abdominal pain and hard tummy throughout that the didnt care to look in to.

Once i had her i was angery but happy she was here and finally safe out were i could see her and care for her.The let me home after two days due to me being so miserable and refusing to stay.Once the days and weeks went by i became myself again.I couldn't even b/f her once home.I just wanted to curl up and be left alone for days.I still looked after my baby but my partner thank fully wasnt working this time and he was a god sent to me and our girls.I saw past it was best for my daughter i had to beg them to make a decsion as i wasnt going back to bed after passing two huge cloths.I was mad because i was let down by doctors there to help and listen.Her c-section was pot luck, if i was happy to go back to bed and not of woken up until the morning my baby wouldnt be the happy 16 mth old she is today.

Becky - posted on 05/18/2010

I don't think there would necessarily be a link, but I do think that your feelings about your birth experience would be a factor in how likely you were to have PPD. If you felt guilty, disappointed, resentful, ect about your birth experience - no matter what that happened to be - then it could increase your chances of experiencing PPD.

Louise - posted on 05/18/2010

i had a c- section with my daughter it was an emergency one, so we had to stop in fof a couple of days, i did have depression tho, i went to the doctors and he put me on anti-depressants, i think it was becuse id had a c-section, i just felt weird that id carried my little girl for 9 months and then wasnt able to c her be born and then i didnt come round for hours so i didnt feel close to her, when we got home i still did every thing a mother should do but i just couldnt help feeling down, after a month or so i started feeling better wiv the help of my partener, and now i have a close bond with my little girl xxxx

Diana - posted on 05/18/2010

Hmmm... I don't know about a link - I had both types of birth and felt mentally healthier after both. My sister also had both birth experiences, and had PPD both times. Luck of the draw I think...

Are you pg yet? If not, maybe consider discussing the timing of another pg with your doctor to maximize chances of a successful VBAC (I liked the recovery better in general) and minimize the chance of reccurant PPD.

Tamara - posted on 05/18/2010

ICAN was a great help to me in the throes of my PPD and guilt over my c-section. These are very knowledgeable supportive women who can guide you through your journey of post c-section. www.ican-online.org is the address if you want to check thigns out. (And ftr, repeat c-sections carry a higher rate of complications than VBAC)

Good Day! - posted on 05/18/2010

This one attributes it to hormones released by women who deliver vaginally.
http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20080904/...

This one says there is no link.
http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/cgi...

But I admit, all I did was google.

Good Day! - posted on 05/18/2010

I think so. For me it was guilt that I couldn't deliver her correctly. So irrational, because there was nothing I could have done to prevent it. I've heard of studies that links the two, I'll have to go find one and be back later.

Kathy - posted on 05/18/2010

I had a c-section with my first. I did not get post-partum depression. I was already depressed. When my daughter was 3 months old, I went on anti-depressants. I had been struggling with depression since I was 13. At that time though, there was just a couple of medications for depression. Seven years later, I had my son. I opted to stay on my meds throughout my pregnacy. Stangely though, the further along I got, the less I needed the meds. By my 6th month, I was off the anti-depressants. I went vbac. Within three months after my son's birth, the depression returned and I was back on meds. I am clinicly depressed. I do not suffer fro post-partum depression. Just the opposite. My pregnacies evened out my hornomal imbalance and stopped my depression.

If you want, try vbac with a second pregnacy. If you aren't comfortable with that, do a repeat c-section. You are at higher risk of developing post-partnum depression again since you had it with the first pregnacy. Discuss this with your doctor so that you can be monitored closely after the birth. There is treatment for depression and meds do not need to be long-term. Good Luck