PND after 6 months?

[Hippster]

I’m wondering if it’s possible to develop postpartum depression 6 months after giving birth? My DS is 6 months old, lately I’ve found myself feeling very teary all the time. Im also extremely irritable and sometimes feel a big rage inside me. Obviously I would never hurt my baby but I feel so flat and emotional.

Is it possible to develop PND after this amount of time? What would the treatments likely to be? Im worried if I tell my gp they will take my baby from me.

Someone will be along with more complete advice in a moment, and I don’t want to pretend to know everything, but yes you can absolutely develop PND later on. Yes, go to the GP. No, they don’t take babies away from mothers who are suffering from a common condition like this and it’s a positive, proactive thing to have reached out and sought help.
Sending lots of love your way OP - it can make you feel like you’ve totally lost yourself, but you haven’t.

I only realised I had PND when I went back to work when my baby was 9 months old. I was aware the way I was feeling wasn't normal but thought going back to work would help. In fact it just made things a million times worse. I went to the GP and they were brilliant, I had some talking therapy and a period of time on anti-depressants and felt much better. The therapy was group based and just being with other mums who felt like I did was so useful. There was never any hint of judgement and they absolutely don't separate you and your baby. Going to the GP about it was the best thing I did.

I would absolutely encourage you to talk to someone, I know how scary it feels but as the above poster said, the fact you are seeking help is a massive plus and PND is something they deal with a lot. Take care.

It could be hormone issues, or PND but the best thing to do is talk to your GP. No-one is going to suggest taking your baby away because of PND. I had PND twice, had therapy the first time and antidepressants both times.

The other thing that worries me is I think my baby really hates me, he cries a lot with me but will be an angel with other people. He’s just screamed when I tried to put him down for a nap but settled straight away with DH.

Yes, it absolutely can and it happened to me at 7 months postpartum. I was complaining to the health visitor about my baby not eating anything other than milk and how he had refused all the baby food I had made him.

She asked how my mood was generally and we established that I was feeling quite depressed. She referred me to a talk therapy service for parents and asked me to talk to my GP about increasing my SSRI medication.

I think the first 6 months of being a first time mother are simply magical but exhausting. It’s when they’re no longer tiny and you feel nostalgic for that newborn phase. At least that’s how it was for me.

Don’t suffer through this alone, go and talk to your health visitor.

If anyone has spoken to a HV or GP what have they said? I feel like it would be dramatic if I went in and said I thought I was depressed!

I had this it's so so scary. But please do go to your GP. They will have heard it all before.

Anytime in the year after the baby is born you can develop post natal depression. Go to the GP and get help.

In my case, they were very caring and kind. It’s the depression telling you not to go to the HV or GP. It’s not as dramatic as you might think, medical professionals are trained to detect PND in mothers and to direct them towards the right service for them x

I’m concerned if I tell them about the rage then they will take my baby away. I don’t feel any rage at him, to be honest it’s more directed at my partner and even inanimate objects! Something as simple as stubbing my toe makes me feel so angry, it’s awful. I’m comfort eating a lot too, I was a size 8 before pregnancy and am still a size 12 but it just doesn’t bother me like it should. My past stress relievers like exercise are more difficult to access as my DH is working and I’m just at a loss of what to do.

I would suggest that you don’t mention the rage or at least reword it as feeling very sensitive and irritable at your partner or other adults.
You are right to be slightly concerned about that, they do sometimes blow things out of proportion.

Yes it is. Mine peaked at about 7 months and I got treatment at 9 months. Don't wait. Ask for help - there's a lot of support out there

Personally, I found PND quite a moveable feast in the sense that when you're in it it's difficult to recognise it and you often only recognise it once feeling better. Definitely think that you can have it at any time, birth and having a young baby is such a huge life change. Seeing your GP is great advice. Can you drop your baby into childcare or can DH look after for an hour while you go for a run, something like that. If exercise was good previously I would definitely try to find a way to do that, it releases so many feel good chemicals and will help with body issues etc.
I used to feel sensitive about my baby settling with other people rather than me, however looking at the bigger picture, it's likely that they just didn't have a tummy ache/were sleepy/caught at the right time and settled more quickly because of that.

Agreed. Wouldn't use the word rage, perhaps just say irritable or on edge. Lots of women have PND, so the GP will be very much used to offering good advice and support.

How are you getting on @Hippster ? Feeling a bit similar but at 16 months!