PPD, 3 month old and drugs

[Dedev2day]

Hello all,

I just got diagnosed with PPD for the first time (this is my 3rd child) and am nervous about taking the meds. My baby is only 3 months old and BF is very important to us.
I feel like it is mild depression right now and am so hesitant to take meds.

We have alot going on right now and we are in the middle of a move. I have moved 5 times in the past four years (inlcuding three states) and have had 3 kids in that same time period. It feels to me like it is mostly external pressures that I am having a hard time coping with.

I'm researching the meds and nursing but it seems they DO affect nursing. Can anyone who is on them and has been with a very young infant please give me some resources where I can find research on the safety of meds in young infants?

Thanks

[Jish]

I personally wouldn't worry about the effect of the meds. It is commonly accepted that the SSRI's are fine with breastfeeding. There is an ongoing study at the University of Iowa in my town and some of my friends have participated (being on different meds.) Their results seem to show that, yes, the med does enter the breastmilk in trace ammounts, but when they check the babys blood, the med is undetectible.

It is a tough decision to take any medication while breastfeeding, but you have to weigh the effects of the med on the baby against the effects that the depression has on the baby. Your kids need a healthy mom.

Jane has posted some links that I will try to find for you. Let me go do some checking around.

BTW, I was diagnosed with clinical depression a bit less than a year before I got pregnant. I chose to go off my meds to conceive and have done great. However, if I need to go back on them after I deliver, I will with no question in my mind. I literally know probably 50 women who have come to my bfing support group who have been on an antidepressant, and about half a dozen of my closest friends have nursed while on one. And these are the ones that I know of.

[Jish]

Check out this thread. Jane's post is about three posts down and she lists three sites you can check out for more information.

http://mothering.com/discussions/sho...threadid=89718

I hope these ease your mind.

[gilnikche]

Have you taken the Self Assessment Survey mentioned in the Sticky post at the begining of this forum? It may help you get an idea of what's going on.

http://www.pndsa.co.za/ms-fc.htm