Is it possilbe to get PPD after a perfect homebirth?

[janellesmommy]

The reason I'm asking is because with my 2nd homebirth I did not feel emotionally supported by my husband and midwife, so I think that interfered with my love hormones. I think that may have contributed to me getting PPD, which I'm not even sure I had. My first homebirth was emotionally perfect, and I didn't get PPD.

So I was wondering, did any of you get PPD after an awesome, perfect homebirth where you felt perfectly supported and your love hormones were flowing at the time?

[AlpineMama]

Absolutely it's possible. There's a lot more to the birthing hormones than just the birth, I'm afraid. Of course it's a big contributor, but think of all the other hormones you get during pregnancy, then when your milk comes in, etc. It's not just the birthing environment that affects your hormones, and/or your emotional state...

ETA: I had a "perfect" natural birth the first time around, not a home birth but at a birth center. I got PPD. This time I had a great birth at home (although honestly I preferred the first one). I don't have PPD. Who knows what was different...

[Bird Girl]

Sure, lots of people have some PPD after great births, and conversely, other people don't have any PPD after perfectly awful births. I think it's more the whole hormonal cocktail of ending pregnancy, milk coming in, sleep schedule destroyed, and stressful life changes that lead to PPD.

[MamaHen2J&J]

I haven't had a hb btu I think its extremely possible!

Its all about change!

[Red Sonja]

Yes, I had PPD after a beautiful homebirth with DD. For me, it didn't have to do with the birth but my circumstances afterward (DH went to sea when she was a month old, living in a state that I loathed 3,000 miles away from my family and support system).

[kalisis]

Sure, totally possible.

I had two by most standards, perfect homebirths and I had PPD after both (it was worse the second time around). I love both of my children dearly and I'm not sure that has anything to do with it.

Although, just a caveat, I do not think that anything in life is perfect. We each have our own journey and there is no set standard, so what is perfect for you, might not be perfect for me. Does that make sense? I think a lot of the time, people set themselves up for a lot of heartache and pain thinking about how they need to be perfect, or the situation needs to be perfect or about life's imperfections. It's all in how you view it and rock with it. (I lived with a man obsessed with perfection for a long time and through that, I was able to see how it can be someone's downfall).

[*Melissa*]

I had a perfect homebirth, the kind of birth that I couldn't have dreamed of going better if I could have written it out myself and then followed by months and months of horrible PPD. It's definitely possible.

It was the part *after* the birth - like, the days and weeks after the birth - that really made me feel unsupported, and that contributed to the PPD. But not the birth itself.

[dannic]

Mine was perfect in every way and yet here I am...this has been my worst bout and my first two births weren't perfect--so if that were the case, they should have been worse.

[Staciemao]

While I absolutely believe that having a good birth experience can help prevent PPD, it's no guarantee. However, I think a BAD birth will almost always cause a little PPD.

My first birth was violent and awful and left me sore for two years...and I definitely had classic PPD symptoms. My second birth was peaceful and beautiful and one of the best days of my life. Whenever I feel a little down, I replay Faith's birth in my head and it never fails to bring a smile to my face. However, I've still had a little PPD. The symptoms have been less classic and more like anxiety disorder, but still.

[Phoenix_Rising]

Definitely. I had an incredible homebirth and was surrounded by supportive family and two wonderful midwives. A week after the birth none of that had changed but I was pretty deep in PPD. It was really a shock to me since everything had been so perfect.

[dnr3301]

I had PPD after a pretty good homebirth (it was too fast for me and I felt a bit nuts, but very supported and had a wonderful group of people with me for the birth, and I love them all). It was awful... I didn't even start to consider that PPD was what was wrong with me, because of this "homebirths don't get PPD" idea. PPD has little to do with stuff like that, and a lot to do with hormones and other stuff. Sure, a traumatic birth can push you closer, but so can the loss of the perfect relationship with your older child (I'm pretty sure that's what happened with me, as a catalyst).