Introduction

[warrior mama]

Hi,
I have 2 children, one is one and one is three. After my first child i had a c-section and was a bit messed up about it but not really depressed, but I did feel on the down side of normal. Two years later i have a great natural VBAC with my second. Then I have some major life changing events, my baby has a near SIDS event, my marriage goes under a huge strain, we move to another part of the country so i loose all social support and we have finacial trouble.
Many of these things has resolved but I have PPD. I have felt like I am in a nightmare for 11 months. It has been truely horrendous. My DH urged me not to take meds, but eventually after 11 months of struggling I took lexapro.
I take 10mg daily and now I feel like I am emerging from a cave.
I cannot believe how awful thing's have been.
i have lost 25 Ib, have been suicidal, etc.
How long do i stay on lexapro? What else can I do to help my journey back to normality?

[riverundine]

just wanted to send some support. this forum has been very helpful for me as we just moved to CO from CA and i got ppd pretty badly after having dd2. my only recs would be to use this forum for support, find a counselor (dh and i started seeing one together last week), exercise (and get some fresh air), and eat a nutrient rich diet. i'm using natural means to balance my hormones and mind, so i don't know about lexapro, but lots of these mamas do. what i do with my own patients, though, who want to go off of their meds - when they are ready - is to slowly integrate the herbal formula at a low dose, slowly increasing the dose of the herbs as we decrease the dose of meds. this can be done with the help/knowledge of the prescribing doc as well. good luck with balancing out mama

[smartalec]

hi! i'm a survivor of this unexpected sideeffect of pregnancy. i would highly recommend connecting with your local postpartum support international group. (go to postpartum.org) they were immensely helpful and supportive. it's also good to know that you are not the only mama going through this journey.

[gwerydd]

with regards to meds, they usually like you to stay on them for about a year, but if you feel you are doing well you can talk with your HCP about lowering your dose if you feel comfortable doing that. i find that getting out and doing things, going to play group, getting groceries, working in the garden do wonders for me. find someone that you feel comfortable talking to and can share how you are feeling, therapy can be great. i found reading about other mother's experiences also helped a lot. eat well, excerise if you can, get as much sleep as you can.