6 days post birth

[tellmesomethingreal]

Please help
I'm 6 days past partum and am not coping. My husband is doing everything for our 3 year old and he's trying to look after me and baby but I'm just such a mess. I can't stop crying, can't stop thinking I've made a massive mistake. Everyone keeps telling me to ring midwife or health visitor but they told me to call 111 who told me to call GP who told me they'd call back on Monday.
I just want to run away. I'm in pain from giving birth, my vagina hurts like cystitis pain and so sitting is agony, I'm trying to breastfeed but my boobs are swollen rocks and I genuinely feel like death

OP I don’t want to frighten you at all, nor labour the point, but I think it is really really important that you phone 111 and tell them exactly how you are feeling and be explicit in the language you use. There is nothing shameful about admitting you are struggling, and the sooner you get help the sooner you can start to feel better. Feeling low and variations of it are very normal at this stage and usually passes in a matter of days, but the degree of your lowness and references to wanting to be dead ring alarm bells and suggests this is something that needs to be treated rapidly. If you get no joy with 111 then I would present to A&E. No-one would judge you for it and any health professional worth their salt will be well aware that rapidly declining mental health in a new mother constitutes a medical emergency. Don’t be fobbed off - no one deserves to feel that low x

Do you still have your green notes? There may be an emergency/ out of hours phone number there for the mental health/ midwives. Please call them, don’t wait until Tuesday.

Hi OP, how are you feeling this morning? I'm worried about you - your post resonated with me, and reminded me of me, 16 years ago.
Please keep talking to us! Xx

It will get better- just take one day at a time.
My elder son really struggled when DS2 was first born, but they get on so well now and he has no memory of it.

I felt very, very similar when my DD was born 3 years ago. She was my first, and I didn’t have a toddler to manage too!

My lovely GP started me on medication, and I started feeling better within a week. After 3 weeks, I felt really good.

Hi OP,

I’m so sorry you’re feeling this way. I went through exactly the same feelings when my LO was born last year. Was in fight or flight mode constantly and just wanted to run away. The midwives and GP told me that it was ‘baby blues’ but I knew it wasn’t that. You’re doing really well to admit that something is wrong and to ask for help.

Do you have post-natal mental health support team in your area? They were my saviour and I was able to self-refer, too. Someone came out to visit me straight away that day and I was on medication within 48 hours of that call.

Failing that, could you go to A&E? Most have a crisis mental health team there who can get you help quickly. It doesn’t mean you are going to be sectioned or anything - they will put things in place to ensure you get the support that you need.

Also, PANDAs are a post-natal mental health charity and have a helpline you can call to have a confidential, no-judgement chat with someone who can offer support. Their number is: 0808 1961 776 (it’s a freephone number) and is open 11am-10pm each day. I found them amazingly supportive when I was having rough days in the first few weeks of being on medication.

It will get better in time 💐

@tellmesomethingreal I am so sorry you feel this way. I really hope it passes soon for you and you start to feel more you!

Just wanted to say well done for reaching out, that's so important and I'm sorry you keep being fobbed off a bit!

I think I cried every day for 2 weeks with DS, found night times the hardest for some reason. Everything seemed really bleak and I felt like things would never be normal again! But it soon all fell into place.

If you want to introduce a bottle then at least you can get help in that respect with the baby and then maybe you can be a bit more freed up to spend some time with DD. Please don't feel guilty about anything though, you aren't doing anything wrong! I'm currently pregnant with no2 but all my friends with 2 already told me they constantly felt guilty at the start over everything when having to divide time between 2 but it will pass. I think it's just natural and shows you're a lovely caring mummy.

Sending lots of love and hugs, if nothing else please come on here to vent whenever you need ❤️

Just wanted to say I am thinking of you. Hope it goes well at the gp today. Please be honest and tell them how you really feel x

How are you doing today OP? Hope the GP was helpful.

How are you doing OP? Hope it has started to lift for you