Risk factors that may indicate a higher chance of PPD?

[Noelle C.]

I'm concerned I may be at risk, and would like to know what to watch for, what may indicate a higher chance of PPD.

[K-Mom3]

Try this website:

http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/postpa.../riskofppd.htm

And here's a blog

http://ivysppdblog.wordpress.com/200...ctors-for-ppd/

Depending on your situation, I would recommend going to the library and getting a book about ppd. Or even an autobiographical one--Brooke Shields, Marie Osmond, and others wrote pretty interesting books about their experiences with ppd.

Also, if you think you're at risk, let your dh or a close friend know what to watch for and have them check up on you periodically. Sometimes it is hard to realize what is really happening and sometimes it is hard to DO SOMETHING about it once you know something is wrong. So yeah, make sure someone is watching out for you.

[heidirk]

I knew I was at risk due to having ADD and accompanying anxiety and depression on a cyclical basis. I just knew in my heart that postpartum would make all of that harder. I was right, but I didn't know just HOW right I was.

[Noelle C.]

It's the anxiety I have that leads to depression that makes me worry. I've told my fiance I suspect I'll be at an elevated rsk of PPD already. I just hope it doesn't end up happening.

[Thandiwe]

For me I was at an increased risk with a history of depression. After my son's birth, he experienced some serious health struggles and was readmitted to the hospital. Everyone told me he was fine and I was overreacting. When my worst fears were confirmed, it was like the bottom of my world shattered. I've heard that having a risky/difficult delivery/etc can leave you at a higher risk.

My second birth wasn't as stressful, but eventually it crept back in. For me, the second episode was easier to manage than the first. I've also heard, from my therapist, that you are at a much greater risk of ppd once you've already had an episode.

((hugs)) to you. Staying conscious of the signs is the best thing you can do right now, and you're doing it. Read, learn, and listen to what is happening inside you.

[doulawoman]

There is a great book I am reading called "women's moods" that has several chapters on PPD and explains a lot about risk factors treatment etc. and I also foudn the other chapters on PMS etc. very helpful. Gives a good idea based on family history, sensitivity to hormonal fluctuations etc.

[Gale Force]

If you think you might be at risk, you probably are. In my second pregnancy, the whole thing was structured to avoid what we went through in the first. It worked out. The success story in my sig describes the key things that I did. (It's pretty long, sorry)

Amanda