New w/question about depression

[5littleblessings]

Hi
I just joined and I'm not sure where to post this, whether here or in ppd because I do have a 5 month old little nursling (as well as 4 other children).

I've been having a lot of ups and downs. I do know some of this is normal with me after I have a baby, but it sure seems worse this time around. I feel okay most days, but evenings to be my hardest time. I can feel fine all day and then in the evening feel totally depressed, sad, lethargic, and like I'm all alone (which I'm not). It makes me feel anxious sometimes too. It's really hard to put into words how I feel because it can vary so much from week to week. Sometimes I'm peppy and feel "normal" and sometimes I'm soooo tired and cranky and don't want to do anything. My little nursling still wakes a few times a night to nurse and my other children are up from time to time so I pretty much live in a state of sleep deprivation. So sometimes when I'm so tired, it's for good reason.

Sometimes at night I can sleep (inbetween the baby waking) and sometimes I can't even though I'm so tired. My mind just races. It's not like this every night, just sometimes. That's what makes this so hard to pinpoint. There's no consistency, except for the evening thing.

I've had a complete physical plus bloodwork. My thyroid is fine, my iron is fine and my vitamin D level is great. I currently take fish oil, pre-natal vitamins, juice plus, and extra vit. B complex. I also occasionally take a calcium/mag combo. I try to eat healthy, but admit I don't always do so great with that. I am a normal weight for my height and build. And I do not have any kind of suicidal thoughts or thoughts of hurting anyone else. What I have seems to be mild, but the sad/depressed evening thing is not fun.

I was just reading another post on here about progestrone cream? Could that help me or should I avoid that while nursing?

Any advice would be really helpful. Thanks for taking the time. Going to check out more of this site now.

[freestyler]

I could have written this post word for word. I
ll be eagerly watching the answers.

[basje]

Mild/Moderate Depression

I'm sorry you've been feeling depressed, no fun at all. If I was in your position (still nursing) I would pursue non-medication methods to treating your depression. Because it's mild/moderate there is a lot of options that work very well. Here's a mini list! If you depression worsens or you start to think more about suicide or have trouble caring for your kids, then it's time to go for more invasive help and talk to your doctor and/or see a therapist. Good luck!


1) Exercise! This one seems like it's to simple but 30 minutes of aerobic exercise everyday is just as effective in treating depression as Zoloft. It stimulates the same area's of the brain as the prescription medication and is very effective in treating moderate depression.

http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/min...xercisedep.htm

2) St John's Wort! Although not prescribed in the USA used more often than Prozac by doctors in Germany and studies have found it more effective. Toxicity is considered to be quite low and side effects include GI disturbances, headache, insomnia and (rarely) photosensitivity. In a study of one nursing mother taking three tablets of St. John's Wort per day (Klier 2002), the levels of various components of the herb in breastmilk ranged from low to below the detection limits. No side effects were observed in the mother or infant.

There's a book Nutritional Healing which will outline the doses for you, like a prescription med start low and after two weeks if you don't notice a difference up the dose.

http://www.naturalnews.com/006125.html

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...#ixzz0Q9xh49ek

3) Acupuncture! This is also very effective in treating mild to moderate depression. Expect to go once or twice a week.

http://www.mindbodyhealth.com/acupuncture1.htm

http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/disp...13274?verify=0

4) Cognitive therapy. It works just as well as medication, even in severely depressed people. This treatment option takes more time than medications do, but is generally effective because it teaches coping skills for depression.

[JennyClaire]

5LittleBlessings, I'm wondering if you are feeling better now? Please let us know.

It's a few months later and I just read your post. Sounded like an extremely bad case of sleep deprivation to me! In some people this can trigger depression. I hope your littlest one is sleeping more at night.