Is this PPD?

[viviensmama]

I'm starting to wonder if I have it. I've had depression before, but this is not at all like it. I don't feel sad or depressed, but I have constant anxiety about something bad happening to my husband or my daughter. When I close my eyes in bed at night, I stay awake for hours imagining all sorts of ridiculous horrible things that could happen. This is causing major problems with my sleep. I just don't feel like myself.

[katelove]

Yes, it could well be postnatal depression. Depression often has an anxiety component and persistent, invasive thoughs can also be a symptom. I'm sorry to hear you are experiencing this. I would definitely suggest seeing a HCP for a proper assessment. I hope you're feeling better soon.

[sahmmie]

I had what I think they call Postpartum Anxiety after the births of all three of my children. I developed bizarre fears such as falling down the stairs with my baby. It was so bad that for 6 months or longer after my middle child was born I would not even walk past the basement stairs with her in my arms because I had this irrational fear that I would just trip and fly down the stairs with her in my arms. I had lots of generalized anxiety as well as specific fears that developed, but they all passed within 6 months. I do have a history of anxiety and my doctor told me that women who are prone to anxiety sometimes have an exacerbation of their anxiety in the postpartum period.

Some good books on anxiety may help you learn some relaxation techniques and some cognitive skills to help reduce your anxiety. Be of good courage.... if this is postpartum anxiety it will pass with time.

[viviensmama]

Originally Posted by sahmmie

I had what I think they call Postpartum Anxiety after the births of all three of my children. I developed bizarre fears such as falling down the stairs with my baby. It was so bad that for 6 months or longer after my middle child was born I would not even walk past the basement stairs with her in my arms because I had this irrational fear that I would just trip and fly down the stairs with her in my arms. I had lots of generalized anxiety as well as specific fears that developed, but they all passed within 6 months. I do have a history of anxiety and my doctor told me that women who are prone to anxiety sometimes have an exacerbation of their anxiety in the postpartum period.

Some good books on anxiety may help you learn some relaxation techniques and some cognitive skills to help reduce your anxiety. Be of good courage.... if this is postpartum anxiety it will pass with time.

This is exactly how I feel...
relaxation techniques would probably help. i just feel so stressed overall on top of my fears. I'll probably be calling my doctor just to check in with her. I would prefer to see someone else because I was less than satisfied with my care but I don't know who to call.

[K-Mom3]

You might want to see if you can find a reference for someone in your area. If you go see a doc, they are likely to just write you a prescription. If it is a little better doc, they might talk with you about it for a while first, but...do some research first and decide if a prescription is the way you want to go. If you want help with relaxation and stress management, I would suggest seeing a therapist rather than a regular doctor.

Hugs! I had tons of bizarre thoughts and fears while I had ppd. It can be very overwhelming. The fact that my thoughts were so different from normal was one of the first clues that there was really something wrong with me and I needed to get help.

[mom0810]

PPD, or any kind of depression, really, can manifest as extreme anxiety. Some people respond to low serotonin in the brain by getting very very down and slowed down, others by increased anxiety.

There is a great resource, www.postpartum.net that also has links to providers in your area. There are also links to support groups.

There is also a great book, Beyond the Blues, by Shoshanna Bennet. She also has written PPD for Dummies. You can find them both on Amazon. I think it will comfort you to know that this is very common and it's something that can be very much helped with medication and/or therapy. But you've got to find a therapist that has experience with PPD and PPAnxiety. Many don't. I was diagnosed with GAD after my kids were born because I saw a therapist who didn't "get it". By the time I found my current therapist, who specializes in PPD and PTSD following childbirth, I was diagnosed with both of those. It's hard if you don't see someone who "gets" the PPD part of it and many therapists don't.

Hope you are feeling better soon. There is a biological component to this, and if you think of it in a primal sense, it probably did benefit mothers for millions of years to have these anxieties, it's the way the brain would help you to see things that "could" happen so you could protect your little ones. But in many cases, and in our modern world, this instinct is probably not as needed, though our brains don't know that.

It does get better. Hugs to you.