Is this normal?

[cheerup]

Hello I am new posting here, I mostly lurk. I had a severe anxiety attack last week and since then I have been feeling rather off balance, like I want to faint........... anyone have any advice

[TracyH1975]

How long...

..has it been since you had your baby? I remember feeling the way you are during the first 2 months postpartum. It gradually got better, but I remember feeling off-balance & very anxious. I also tested at high risk for postpartum depression. My midwife thought it could be the lack of sleep I was experiencing. Please be sure to take care of yourself & try to get as much sleep as you can. Bring your little one to bed!

[cheerup]

Originally Posted by TracyH1975

..has it been since you had your baby? I remember feeling the way you are during the first 2 months postpartum. It gradually got better, but I remember feeling off-balance & very anxious. I also tested at high risk for postpartum depression. My midwife thought it could be the lack of sleep I was experiencing. Please be sure to take care of yourself & try to get as much sleep as you can. Bring your little one to bed!

yes i delivered May, I didnt know you can still suffer from ppd this far gone. My Dr. checked my heart beat was a little fast. It has been that way since the anxiety attack.

[happyhippimama]

Oh, yes, dear. PPD onset can be anywhere up to a year after the birth and last up to about 18-24 months.

Take the PPD "quiz" listed in the sticky above. That should give you a good idea.

I had very bad anxiety attacks after my dd was born last year. I had never had them before though. Very very scary.

Oh, and I was having these weird off balance kind of feelings aswell. I did not relate them to my anxiety or my PPD until I discovered while doing online research that it is indeed connected. I still have those feelings from time to time. But, only when I am not on my meds.

[goodygumdrops]

I didn't get a formal diagnoses for ppd until my son was 18 months. I had been in therapy since my son was 6 months but didn't have panic attacks. Well, out of the blue, I had one and couldn't calm down afterwards without meds. I asked my therapist if that is normal and she said that often times people don't even notice their anxious until they have a panic attack and then severe anxiety afterwards. Medication helps soooo much. Personally, I would probably be in the hospital if the meds didn't help so much.

Oh, and I had never had a panic attack before in my life so it was really scary for me.

I would go to a dr the specializes in ppd. I think you can find one at www.postpartum.net.

I hope your feeling better soon.

[cheerup]

Thanks so much ladies!

[BJD0709]

Postpartum Anxiety

I have been experiencing postpartum anxiety for about two months, I finally went to the doctor about two weeks ago and he prescribed Luvox but I am continuing to have extreme worry that something is wrong with me and can't stop thinking about it, then I look at my baby and worry that I will not be able to take care of him, I feel weird in different places in my body and even convinced myself I have MS but my doctor said probabaly not. Please help, I need to know there is someone out there like me.

Mother of 5 month old.

[goodygumdrops]

bjd0709 - Oh honey. I'm so sorry your feeling this way. When my ppd was the worst, I was having total paranoid thoughts about my medical condition, my family, etc. I am not familiar with luvox but I would be keeping in constant contact with your psychiatrist. If you went to a regular doctor for medication, I would make an appointment with a psychiatrist asap because their experience/training is more extensive. When I was first beginning my meds, I was in biweekly contact with my psychiatrist.

Also, depending on the medications it normally takes a few weeks for the medication to work. Again, I am not familiar with luvox but I know that some benzos can provide pretty immediate relief but may leave you feeling groggy.

I really hope your feeling better soon.

[dollyanna]

I was pretty emotional the first few months after DD was born but didn't think too much of it. Since then I have been getting panic attacks all the time. It's so annoying. DD stopped nursing, that's a whole other saga, but at least now I can take a pill when I'm freaking out.

Anyway, I've just been muddling through all this, DD is 6 months old now. I just got my period for the first time and I am ridiculously depressed. It didn't occur to me until now that it could be PPD.

[ShwarmaQueen]

Originally Posted by BJD0709

I have been experiencing postpartum anxiety for about two months, I finally went to the doctor about two weeks ago and he prescribed Luvox but I am continuing to have extreme worry that something is wrong with me and can't stop thinking about it, then I look at my baby and worry that I will not be able to take care of him, I feel weird in different places in my body and even convinced myself I have MS but my doctor said probabaly not. Please help, I need to know there is someone out there like me.

Mother of 5 month old.

Please do not ignore your intuition, even if you are suffering from PPD. Go back to your doc, reitterate your feelings, and if he cannot listen and provide help, then go to a different doc.

[nicholem]

Hi! I have an 10 month old baby girl and a 3 year old boy....and I think that I have had anxiety since having my boy. But, it is different and worse with this child. When I was pregnant with her I started to have very strange panic attack and felt like I was going to go nuts. I would find a way to handle it and the anxiety would manifest itself in different ways. It was/is awful. One of the things that I would perseverate about was that something was wrong with me or I would die and who would take care of my baby if I were sick/gone. Awful, intrusive thoughts. It is finally getting better. What has worked for me is a practicing yoga and meditation. Instead of thinking the negative thoughts, I focus on my breath and think positive things...especially things that I am grateful for in the the moment: like the beautiful baby girl I am holding...or the roof over my head, etc. Write in a gratitude journal (very nice way to keep track of milestones!) I also have a homeopath that has me taking a tincture of anti-stress, anti-anxiety, anti-depressant, and some other remedies, this helps A LOT!! My husband notices when I am not taking it. Getting out of the house helps too.

Don't ignore your intuition. Get yourself help and get around other mamas. It will get better, it just doesn't feel like it will!

Take care! namaste, Nichole

[texmommy2three]

postpartum anxiety can be different for each pregnancy. I had zero symptoms with my first and third pregnancies - other than the normal anxious tendencies I normally have. But with my third, the anger and stress just overwhelmed me. I didn't even realize how far off I was until my son was about nine months old - at that time my 3 yr old daughter asked me why I yelled all the time. I mentioned it to my sister (who is a nurse and suffers with anxiety issues as well), and she urged me to go to the doctor. I made an appt and within a week of being on the meds, it was like a heavy cloud had been lifted off of me and I could then see and feel how buried I was in it.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...ty.html?cat=70

[asoulunbound]

doesnt sound "normal"
i wasn't ever an anxious person but since having dd i have become one. I'd tyupe more but im nak and tryimg to feed myself lol.
please keep in touch w a dr or therapist.