Urgh, I'm going to have to tell DP I don't want another baby :(

[Titsalinabumsquash]

I have 3 children, 2 from a previous relationship and 1 with DP. We've always said we wanted 2 together and had planned to think about another in a couple of years time.

DS3 is 10 months, so I know still early days but I have had Apnd since he was born, I hate day to day life, I love all the kids but the day to day drudgery is destroying me, all I do I cry. I can't take it much longer.
My anxiety levels have sky rocketed since labour which isn't helping and I cannot shift this depression.

I don't know what will make it better but I do know I don't ever want to feel like this again which I would be risking by having another, but DP is dead set on it so I'm risking the relationship by telling him I want to stop now at 3.

He knows about the depression but he just wants me to tell him what will make it better but I don't know.

I've not seen a GP, I've never fund them to be helpful with this sort of stuff and I don't want to spend forever on antidepressants.

I was going to name change but I can't be bothered, I'm tired, fed up and miserable.

[northernlurker]

Oh dear. Look - feeling as you do now anybody would feel the same. Thing is though sounds like you've been suffering with depression and haven't sought medical help? You've been waitying for it to lift?
You need to see a GP. Ring up and ask the receptionist who specialises in post-natal depression and don't be fobbed off by 'all of them'. There will be somebody there with a particular interest in managing depression. Or go through the HV.
When you have this under control you can think about more babies or not, now is not the time.

[Titsalinabumsquash]

I have asked in the past for drs specialising in certain areas and always been told that it doesn't work that way they all do everything.my HV said it was due gods not sleeping well and I needed to try cc with him then I'd feel better, I am not even remotely strong enough to use cc with DS.

I have tried to think more positively and use the cbt techniques I learnt a few years ago but it's just not shaking this time. I just feel like walking out and never stopping.

[LisaMed]

Can I just say about ads, if you had a broken leg then you would get a cast and do physio to get it strong again. If you had high blood pressure then you would take tablets and then make lifestyle changes to not need the tablets. If you look at ads the same way then they can be helpful. They are not a cure all and they do not suit everyone but they can be helpful, particularly short term to find you feet to get to a stage where you don't need them.

hugs You must be exhausted dealing with three. How much practical help is DH with the housework etc? How much down time can you arrange? Has the HV been helpful?

Hope you feel better soon.

[sureitis]

I feel for you OP.

My baby is 9 months and I also have pnd. Have been "ignoring" it for months. I prob was even depressed when I was pregnant. It's now got to the stage where I can't ignore it any longer and I've a docs appt for tomorrow to get ADs and ask to be referred for counselling because I can't cope with it any longer. I made the appt last week after reading another thread on here about someone else who was brave enough to make an appt about her pnd.

You need help and if you need ADs for a short while to get you back on your feet then you can look at getting the tools to manage on a day to day basis so you can gear towards coming off them in the future. Right now I'd be happy to take them forever if it meant I didn't have to feel like this ever again.

Good luck.

[LisaMed]

x post do you know anyone else who goes to that practice who can recommend a GP? Can you convince your HV that you cannot do her suggestion?

I have been stuck in depression and it is such a grim place and so hard to pull yourself out of it, even with all the help. The depression itself makes it harder to do things that will make things better. Has your DH done any of the thinking/research/planning that would make things easier for you?

[northernlurker]

I see OP. Did wonder if that might be the case but it's a strategy that works with some practices so worth a try. In that case make an appointment and take along a written statement of the situation. Something like:

This is how I feel, I've felt like this since......
This is what I've what done......................
This is what I would like to happen............
This is what I'm afraid of happening next......

Then if you find you struggle to articulate what's haoppening you can give them that.

You have a medical problem. You need medical help. As Lisa has said - if you had a broken leg you wouldn't just drag it around for months expecting it to fix itself.

[Titsalinabumsquash]

DP is great when he's her but he works a lot. I don't think he understands how draining it is to pull DS down from whatever he's climbing for the 59th time that day.
I find myself resenting him working, I know it's unreasonable but when he comes home and says he's been out to lunch here or there with colleagues all I want to scream is "do you know what I had for lunch?" Fucking nothing because I was sorting the kids.

As I said I know it's unreasonable and I never say anything to him but the fact that he gets to use his brain, talk to adults, eat in peace really makes me bitter.

I don't have any friends but I see my sisters from time to time, we have a babysitter available occasionally but my anxiety is so bad I spend time away worrying.

I find the problem with ads having been on them before that you get labeled with it so anything you talk to them about is given a sympathetic nod and dismissed as me feeling low.

I think I was depressed for most of my pregnancy, I went from severe 'morning' sickness to bein wheelchair bound and loosing any dignity I had from spd, then DS was born in minutes without warning which was traumatic to say the least and then I was released from hospital and not bothered with again.

[Choos123]

Sympathies, I've had lots of anxiety since having dd, that all sounds awful. Things people have suggested include giving up caffeine, exercise (it helps me feel more in control a lot and oddly less tired), getting out more in general. Do you think your anxiety at leaving the dc will get better if the babysitter/child minder/nursery sessions were more regular? Do you feel the same if dh or a sister babysits? If you don't know up front, can you try these things for a period of weeks to see? Status quo doesn't seem like a good place to be. If you won't take pills (i can understand) do some research on taking control of anxiety/depression without pills (drs have ideas here too) and try some of the things that have worked for other people. Having another baby must be off the table in dh's mind already, surely?

[Titsalinabumsquash]

I have anxiety about everything even deciding what to have for dinner causes me anxiety incase I get it wrong (not that there is a wrong)

DP uses humour to diffuse situations a lot so if I mention not having another he'll just cheerfully say "oh you'll be fiiinnneee" or he'll make another joke to try and make m laugh or smile which I don't mind but it really doesn't help but then again I don't know what will help!

He hasn't a clue how I feel because he adores every second with DS and can't understand why I would have a problem with doing the 24/7 care for everyone.

I don't even know why I posted tbh. I just feel so desperate all the time, I wish I had the right words to make the people around me sit up and notice the extent of te problem but I don't.

[lipstickstains]

My DH wouldn't listen either when I would tell him about not having another, so I just gave up trying to convince him and got the Mirena coil fitted (strings trimmed entirely so he could never detect it). I would never have wanted the chaos of another child but when men are at work all day they don't realise how difficult it is. You are the one having to cope with the day to day childcare and of course it's your body, so it doesn't have to be something you negotiate but rather something you tell them imo.

[Choos123]

Yes, I had that too, if you see dc for a couple of hours a week it's hard to see it from the other side. I get it though and most primary carers of small dc would too. My dh says he is not a mind reader (especially about feelings). I have to remind myself to be direct with him, not my default or yours by the sound of it. You're not doing a bad job of explaining it here, I do think my dh would again come back to 'tell me what I can do' as he's action based. You should post to the mental health board too, when I posted about anxiety, people were very friendly and they definitely get it. If dh says you'll be fine re another baby, you should say to him straight out that you need him to acknowledge its off the table and his reaction stresses you out. Good luck op.

[ballinacup]

Is there any way you could work? I know it's not possible with childcare costs as high as they are, but maybe a weekend job when your DP is around to look after the children.

It won't help you want another, but it might help you from finding the day to day grind so relentless. I had PND and only really felt better once I went back to work when DS was 11mo.

[Titsalinabumsquash]

I'd love to work but I was stupid, I had my first child at 16, he's disabled so I've been taking care of him ever since, I could do a few shifts a week doing something/anything but I've never had a proper job so who'd want me? My cv is non existent. I hate it, I feel so useless.

[wordyBird]

DP uses humour to diffuse situations a lot so if I mention not having another he'll just cheerfully say "oh you'll be fiiinnneee" or he'll make another joke to try and make m laugh or smile

This isn't very good, titsalina. It sounds as if he's just dismissing you.

Having a child, bringing another life into the world, is a huge commitment. It's not something to joke about or dismiss with a few soothing words.

You need to have a serious talk with him about your feelings - not only regarding this, but also how you feel about your life generally. Can you talk to him about these things?

[CailinDana]

I developed pnd after dd was born 6 months ago, felt exactly like you. I went on ads when she was 3 months and honestly I feel fine now. Forget about work and more babies for now and concentrate on getting well.

[Titsalinabumsquash]

I can talk to him about anything, he's always willing to listen but it always comes down to "what can he do to make it better?" and I just don't know,

[CailinDana]

He can't make it better except perhaps by going to the gp with you.

[Titsalinabumsquash]

I know he can't, if I can't work it out he's not going to be able to but that's what he wants to do, fix it. Without an answer its the same old conversation over and over...

[CailinDana]

When you next have the conversation could you say "I'm ill I need to go to the gp?"

[Titsalinabumsquash]

He wants me to go to the GP. It's just... I'm not sure how to explain it buy I can't physically get myself through the door.

I had a good few years after being on antidepressants of being labeled and being treated like I was fragile or that my motion or thoughts didn't matter because after all, I had mh issues. I just wish I could think of something that would make waking up in the morning seem easier.

[CailinDana]

Did the ads work for you?

[wordyBird]

Do you feel heard, and respected, when you talk to him?

It's good that he listens, but ....he doesn't seem aware of the magnitude of the decision about having or not having a baby (for example). It's not some trivial thing you'll come round to sometime. A child needs mutual consent, and mutual enthusiasm really.

I don't like the sound of your thoughts and feelings being dismissed simply because you have MH issues. Did that come from the doctor, or somewhere else? This kind of thing can make you reluctant to seek help.

[LayMeDown]

Hi. I know exactly what you mean about the relentless drudgery of it all. After my third I damn near lost my mind. I was a SAHM and my youngest was an incredibly easy going baby, but everything was so difficult with three. I hated it. I went back to work and it saved me. I was lucky I got a part time job.
You need to carve some space and time away from them. Any thing you can. Before I got the job I went to some classes twice a week. I insisted H came home (he works long hours) and I ran out the door as soon as he arrived. That helped a lot. Can you get some help in for a couple of hours a day during the week to help you?
You do need to consider the possibility of ads. I don't have any history of depression so I was fairly confident I was just plain old unhappy with my situation and not suited to being at home with three kids, and it proved to be the case. With your history it is more likely that as well as struggling with the general difficulty of it all, you have also developed PND.
It does get easier as they get bigger, but I know how you feel and its not nice. And a big fat no to another baby. DH knows where I stand on that to. Its OK to change your mind. Everyone has their limits (mine as it turns out was probably two and a half children!!)

[GettingStrong]

Do you think you are depressed, or do you think you 'just' have a lot on your plate?

Three children is a lot to cope with, especially when one has disabilities. You must feel exhausted.

Don't assume you must be depressed because you don't want another child. It's ok to just not want another, even if you said before you wanted another you can change your mind.

Could you ask him to stop the jokes? It is soul destroying for your husband to be joking about this.

[Titsalinabumsquash]

I always feel respected, DP really is very supportive but I think we're trapped in the cycle of not knowing how to move forward.

The negative thoughts about ads and drs come from drs sadly, and health visitors, medical professionals in general.

I don't remember if the ads worked before, I was on them from such a young age they just became part of life.

I miss life before DS3 so much but feel evil saying it because I do love him just like I do the others.