possible to have ppd for 14 months and not realize it?

[Evelynmia'smom]

I'm starting to wonder if what's been going on with me since my dd was born is actually untreated ppd. I definitely had ppd when she was a newborn but then it started to get better, however my marriage has gotten increasingly bad. For the past year, since my lo was 2 months old, I have felt an enormous amount of resentment and irritability towards my husband. In fact I have treated him in ways that people who know me would be shocked that I was capable of saying such things. He's not a bad guy...doesn't help much with our dd or around the house, but nothing that warrants the way that I have treated him. Anyway, I have always had anxiety issues and am now considering taking zoloft. I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced ppd in this way or if zoloft is helpful?

[nolansmummy]

I think it is possible to have ppd for a long time and not realize it, especially if its not extremely bad at first. Mine got worse and worse as time went on until it was interfering with every aspect of my life. I was in such denial about it before that because i always thought ppd meant that i had to have bad thoughts about the baby. In my case, i was having extreme anxiety, and anger, and just wanting to leave everything behind.

When i finally went to get help for my depression, dd was a year and a half old. The therapist thought it was untreated PPd. I am on another medication, not Zoloft so I can't help you there.

s, either way, if its ppd or just something else it really helped to talk to a therapist and sort through all the feelings and thoughts. In my case, medication has helped me so much but i know there are alternatives. Good luck.

[mom0810]

Yes, it's entirely possible for you to have had PPD for all this time and not realize it. You can take a quiz at www.postpartum.net to see if your symptoms gel with PPD.

Anxiety can be a symptom of PPD, and that is how it manifested for me. I had major anxiety in the year after ds was born, and I did not realize that it was PPD for so many months. I think you could talk to your OB or a therapist and get more info. The website I linked above also has resources for you to get in touch with a therapist in your area.

I wish you the best. I took zoloft for over 2 years, while I was pregnant with ds2 and while nursing both kids. Everything is fine. I am considering taking it again over the winter months because my anxiety seems to have gotten worse now that the sun is out less.

[Carley]

Absolutely

[elf]

Absolutely you can have depression and not realize it. I think the first time you admit and realize you have depression is not only the hardest....but takes the longest to figure it out. Once you seek treatment and start feeling better, it will be a lot easier to look back and say, "yes, I did have ppd". Then, in the future, it will be MUCH easier to recognize the symptoms if they creep back.

Good luck. You are on your road to recovery.

BTW-your feelings towards your partner are completely normal. I have heard that same thing from multiple friends. When I was breastfeeding (and had mild ppd), I would be very resentful towards dh. I didn't mean it but I couldn't help myself. Now that I feel better, that is gone.