Anyone who has gone through pregnancy with BPD?

[doricgirl]

Hi there

I am about 8 weeks with my first baby.

I have a diagnosis of BPD and although things have been very much under control for the past few years I am concerned about my mental health in the pregnancy and what I can do to keep things on an even keel.

I just wondered if there's anyone else who has any tips or could let me know the type of support they had during/after pregnancy?

My husband is amazing but I want him to enjoy this time too not just be worried about me.

Thanks in advance

[Monkeybabiess111]

Been threw 2 whole pregnancies (we also lost 2) I find being pregnant easy even though I had a terrible pregnancy with dd it's the baby part I struggle with.
I was diagnosed after ds was 18 months and I'm struggling now dd is 7 months I kept everything ok until she was 4 months and slipped back into my old behaviours and I'm slowly trying to push them away again.


Is there anything your worried about.

[doricgirl]

Thanks for replying - I can totally relate that the baby stage with lack of sleep is what I am most worried about.

Also that I can crash really fast but apart from that come across very articulate - did you have any issues with people not believing you could get unwell?

It's so hard not to just go back to those familiar ways of coping when it's tough though...

[MummySparkle]

I have 2 DCs and a BPD diagnosis. It hasn't been a walk in the park, but I was honest from the outset. I wasn't under a MH team during either oregnancy as I didn't need too at that point. My midwife referred me to the MH team for an assessment, even though I was well, so that they had me on file and I would be able to call them if I could feel things slipping. I found my health visitor to be a fantastic support. I think the pregnancies were okay, but it was the lack of sleep for me too that I found hard.

I would say ask for help as soon as you identify any of your warning signs of going downhill. There was quite a wait to see anybody from the mental health team, and during that time my HV was amazing and came to visit me every two weeks.

My second pregnancy was the hardest, looking after DS, with sleepless nights because of him and the oregnancy tiredness hit me hard, I was diagnosed with antenatal depression and then postnatal depression. My children's centre ran a support group for mums with PND which was a great support to me.

If you try and set up a support network early on and don't bury your head in the sand and pretend you're fine when you're not like I did then it will be okay

[Absentmindedwoman]

Hi OP, congrats on your pregnancy!

When you say BPD do you mean Borderline Personality Disorder or Bipolar Disorder? Sometimes these both get referred to as BPD so just checking!

[doricgirl]

Thanks for the replies.

By BPD I mean borderline not bipolar though I have had some hypomania in the past.

mummysparkle that's exactly where I am - been v stable for a while but referred to specialist midwife anyway.

Good to hear you got support when you were upfront. I think this is my biggest fear as it has been such a struggle to get help in the past and be believed- I suppose a baby in the picture changes the responses but I find being dismissed as an "attention seeker" almost unbearable and I guess it's this I am most worried about.

[swisscheesetony]

I've had two without incidence - physically I'll with both, and told my husband to keep a sharp eye out for pnd as I thought I'd be a shoe in! I wasn't ... Youngest is now three but looking back I fell apart when child turned two.

[lollipop28]

I've a diagnosis of bpd and bipolar 2.
I found on all 3 of my pregnancies dialectical behavioural therapy helped immensely