taking antidepressants 3 weeks before delivery

[mmkmommy]

I am hoping some of you have experience with this. I had severe PPD with my 3rd baby and am now having my fourth in about 4 weeks. I have done really well through this pregnancy, but am just starting to feel a little "off" in the last couple of days and definitely remember some of the feelings and signs of full blown PPD. Has anyone gone on antidepressants right before delivery, after you have already had PPD? I never intended on getting pregnant again after #3, it was an accident, but have done my best to be positive about it. Thanks for any input.

[speck]

I'm there...

I posted about taking Prozac (a few posts down), and I have started taking it within the last week. I'm 35 weeks into my third pregnancy, and started having intrusive thoughts off and on about a month ago. Lately, it's been getting bad enough that I have trouble sleeping (and that's hard enough in the 3rd trimester!), so I decided to bite the bullet and take the meds. This is my first time taking anti-depressants. I also had severe PPD after the last pregnancy, but refused treatment. I'm not doing that to myself or my family again, though. I haven't been taking Prozac long enough to know how well I do, but I have found that, physically, I do better taking it at night before bed rather than in the morning.

Keep us posted and I hope you are able to find an answer that helps you!
Stacy

[lifeguard]

A friend of mine did with her second & was able to avoid having any kind of PPD crash after birth.

I have been thinking of doing much the same as I have a LONG history of depression & know I am at a higher risk of PPD. I've been so preoccupied with other things lately I haven't talked to the doc about it yet - guess I'll add that tot tomorrow's list of questions for him.

[Surfacing]

I started taking Prozac during the second trimester and it was very helpful in keeping most of the difficult feelings at bay in the postpartum. I had a flare up of anxiety attacks and needed to adjust my dosage one time in the postpartum. (We were also going through a lot of hard things at that time with the death of my FIL, dh being sick, etc.) I needed a lot of social support in the postpartum -- this I anticipated and had lots of food in the freezer, hired a cleaning lady a couple of times, had phone numbers for people to talk to, etc.

Have you ever been on meds before?

[mmkmommy]

Thanks for all of the input, it is nice to know I am not alone. After resisting antidepressants for the first couple of months after my last delivery, I took Zoloft, it was either that or they wanted to put me in the hospital. It did help and I stayed on it for 6 months. I felt great after that 6 months when I started exercising and eating healthier.
My concern with the antidepressants is there effects on the baby. I have read a lot of articles saying they have to go through withdrawl. But, I realize I have 3 other young children here who need me as well and do not want to put my family through what happened the last time.

[Surfacing]

About baby and withdrawal -- my midwives said they rarely have seen it with respect to an anti-depressant, and when they did (once) it was a newer one starting with "C". The baby had rapid breathing for awhile but it resolved. I had a pediatrician present at my birth due to my SSRI use and there was no problem. Dd was born healthy, beautiful, big, and wonderful. Perfect. She was a very chilled out baby, cuddly and huggy, adaptable, a good sleeper, calm, nursed well. No problem. No withdrawal. (FWIW) I was reassured by my midwives and reality that she was really okay.

ETA - I hear you on the fact that you have other children to take care of. That was why I went on it in the first place.

[mom0810]

There are two new studies out (sorry don't have the links) but they showed that zoloft did not cause any more trouble after birth than placebo. They both came out summer of '07.

I took zoloft through my entire pregnancy with ds2. He was fine at delivery, is totally fine now, and is ahead of himself as far as learning milestones.