Pregnancy induced argoraphobia?

[crazykittymomma]

So, I've had issues with social anxiety in the past and always have been a bit of a homebody but with my daughter's pregnancy I felt great emotionally and physically...this pregnancy, not so much. I pretty much want to isolate myself from everyone and stay home all the time, which is really not so great having a toddler that needs to socialize...I've had a really rough 1st trimester so far (almost 13 weeks now) with horrible morning sickness, a UTI, a yeast infection and a strange fever/virus. With my daughter I felt healthier than I ever had and more emotionally balanced too. It felt like I was made to be pregnant...this time...ugh.
Any ideas? I'm planning on talking to my midwife at my next appointment about it.

[cparkly]

 Be gentle with yourself.

I understand what you mean. I am a homebody, too. My first trimester of this pregnancy, I felt the need to kind of burrow in. I felt sick most of the time and my mind was pretty tormented by thoughts of losing another pregnancy (after losing 2 in a row). I had no desire to see anyone outside my little family.

I am feeling better in my second trimester (I'm now in my 24th week). I still do not feel social. I have a different perspective on childrens' "need" to socialize with other children, but I try to plan something once a week that gets DS into a more social environment; age/ability appropriate hikes, time at the park, etc...Not situations where I have to entertain or even really be very social. We also make sure to get lots of outdoor time every day.

[tzs]

i've had agoraphobic anxiety that gets better and worse for about 10 years but it definately gets worse in pregnancy...for me in the 3rd trimester. i think for me that in addition to all the extra hormones, just the feeling of being "off" makes it worse, if that makes any sense.

like, for example, while not pregnant, if i were to go to the mall while very tired, i would feel "off" which would make the anxiety worse which would amplify that "off" feeling and hence make the anxiety worse...and so goes the cycle until panic attack or whatever.

so while pregnant, i naturally feel "off" in many ways (difficulty breathing, wobbly on my feet, tired, etc...) which starts the anxiety in uncomfortable situations. i guess it's feeling that pregnancy uncomfortable in places i'm already prone to be uncomfortable in.

anyway, this time around has been better than with #1 in part because i DO have a toddler that has needs that distract a little from my own craziness but it's still difficult and i've just accepted that the last few weeks are my anti-social "hibernation" period that many women experience, agoraphobia or not. and having been through it once already at least this time i do know it will get better.

i also am way better this time at just working within my limits and getting out in ways that don;t stress me out. so instead of feeling like a loser because i can't go to target without having a panic attack, i don;t even try. instead of going to the kids' museum we've been spending time riding bikes in the backyard, or driving to the park (for some reason walking places makes me way more panicky than driving), or getting hot chocolate at a coffee shop that doesn't stress me out and where i won't see anyone i'll have to socialize with. and then sending hubby out for groceries!

[birdhappy85]

First I want to say that I'm in happy tears a little bit over here knowing that I'm not as alone as I thought I was. I'm sorry you're all having to deal with this stuff, though! I'm 14 weeks pregnant with my first child, and I've been having a roller coaster of a pregnancy where anxiety is concerned. A few days after my pregnancy was confirmed early on, the hormones started skyrocketing and I was experiencing the worst panic attacks of my life. I missed work three days in a row because I was walking around my house shaking and bawling for hours at a time. If I just stood up to walk across the room, I'd burst into tears. I've had to cut back my hours at work a little bit in hopes that having a little bit of flexibility would stop me from feeling so suffocated with stress. It seemed to help for a little bit and I actually started feeling a little better around 12 weeks..... Everyone told me that I'd feel better once I got into the 2nd trimester. Sure, I felt better for about a week. Then for some reason I started having the panic attacks come back again and here I am home "sick" from work for the second time this week. I've tried convincing myself that I can manage my anxiety and still have some semblance of a normal social life right now, but it is starting to dwindle as the agoraphobia gets worse. Here in Wisconsin we had a really long, rough winter and I was so excited that we finally started getting nice weather recently..... I used to love going for walks outside. Now I stare outside while I'm sitting on the couch and cry because I'm too scared to walk out there. I told my husband last week how bad it's getting because I couldn't get myself to the grocery store. The idea of driving anywhere was giving me a panic attack. Thankfully he drove me and helped me get through it, calming my fears while we walked around the store and I was tearful. But how can I go the next 5-6 months like this? I don't know what options I have where my job is concerned, if I start having more and more trouble getting myself there. Do the rest of you work while managing your anxiety and agoraphobia?

Also, have any of you felt like your anxiety has strained your relationships with friends or family, or most importantly your significant other? My husband is under a lot of stress from transitioning to a new job and I feel guilty all of the time that my anxiety must be such a burden to him. This is just affecting every aspect of my life! I'm in therapy but I'm having to come to terms with the fact that until these hormones leave my body, there isn't much that can be done since I refuse medication.

What helps the rest of you get through this?

[tzs]

Originally Posted by birdhappy85 

First I want to say that I'm in happy tears a little bit over here knowing that I'm not as alone as I thought I was. I'm sorry you're all having to deal with this stuff, though! I'm 14 weeks pregnant with my first child, and I've been having a roller coaster of a pregnancy where anxiety is concerned. A few days after my pregnancy was confirmed early on, the hormones started skyrocketing and I was experiencing the worst panic attacks of my life. I missed work three days in a row because I was walking around my house shaking and bawling for hours at a time. If I just stood up to walk across the room, I'd burst into tears. I've had to cut back my hours at work a little bit in hopes that having a little bit of flexibility would stop me from feeling so suffocated with stress. It seemed to help for a little bit and I actually started feeling a little better around 12 weeks..... Everyone told me that I'd feel better once I got into the 2nd trimester. Sure, I felt better for about a week. Then for some reason I started having the panic attacks come back again and here I am home "sick" from work for the second time this week. I've tried convincing myself that I can manage my anxiety and still have some semblance of a normal social life right now, but it is starting to dwindle as the agoraphobia gets worse. Here in Wisconsin we had a really long, rough winter and I was so excited that we finally started getting nice weather recently..... I used to love going for walks outside. Now I stare outside while I'm sitting on the couch and cry because I'm too scared to walk out there. I told my husband last week how bad it's getting because I couldn't get myself to the grocery store. The idea of driving anywhere was giving me a panic attack. Thankfully he drove me and helped me get through it, calming my fears while we walked around the store and I was tearful. But how can I go the next 5-6 months like this? I don't know what options I have where my job is concerned, if I start having more and more trouble getting myself there. Do the rest of you work while managing your anxiety and agoraphobia?

Also, have any of you felt like your anxiety has strained your relationships with friends or family, or most importantly your significant other? My husband is under a lot of stress from transitioning to a new job and I feel guilty all of the time that my anxiety must be such a burden to him. This is just affecting every aspect of my life! I'm in therapy but I'm having to come to terms with the fact that until these hormones leave my body, there isn't much that can be done since I refuse medication.

What helps the rest of you get through this?

ugh....that sucks, mama.

let's see. as far as friends are concerned, relationships are not stressed. sometimes i feel like a loser if they want to get together and i don't but we can usually work something out. i've had friends come over here lately and have tea on the porch or whatever. or hot chocolate....we're in wisconsin too! part of what's made it easier over the years is realizing that i don;t have to be ashamed of it or hide it...it used to be my big secret until i realized that i had friends that actually had some of the same problems. and since then it's just gotten so easy to casually say, "no thanks, i don;t feel like having a massive panic attack today."

with dh it's a little different b/c he's had issues of his own that he's worked through. so he'll just kind of tell me to suck it up, that it's all in my head,  and really nothing bad is going to happen...and he's right....but i'm unable to conquer it that way. at least not while pregnant.

i think that while preggos the best thing to do is just realize your limits and work with them. last time i tried to fight it and that's not helpful for you or good for the baby.

my job ended last pregnancy just as it was getting bad and this time i had wanted to quit anyway so i haven't had to deal with a work situation. i have had to deal with it outside of pregnancy and at this point i don;t know if i really could be a productive employee unless i came up with a unique work situation. but also, having 2 kids under 2 it doesn't pay for me to work and pay for 2 kids infant/toddler care so i don;t really have to worry about it at the moment. ahhh....avoidance sometimes feels so good!

i do take zoloft the whole pregnancy and i actually take a benzo as well. it's not a popular choice or the preferred one but weighing the risks and benefits, it's what i need to do. just so you know that the choice is out there.

i also will definately indulge in a glass of wine every so often, usually at night and when i can;t sleep or when i feel like i'm gong to crawl out of my skin from nerves (feeling panicky at home was something that was new to me in my first pregnancy) especially at the very end of the 3rd trimester.

anyway, just know that it will get better. and be ready for alot of healthcare workers to be especially worried for you developing post-partum depression. i think having them extra vigilent on me made me worry even more...about developing that condition as well. it was like the spotlight was on. i personally had no issues with it so it's not a done deal and don't let them scare you too much on that angle.