Pnd at 6 months?

[BalaRua]

I've always felt overwhelmed by having ds since he was born and occasionally asked 'what have I done' but we are in a nice routine now and getting a bit more sleep and I've always loved him.

I am always anxious and feel butterflies regularly. Sometimes to the point that I can't leave the house. I am irritable and if someone says something I even vaguely don't like I can't talk to them anymore. I don't find jokes at my expense funny anymore whereas previously I may have, now I just take it as a personal attack no matter how obviously a joke it was. I am regularly on the very edge of tears.

I love my son, I love looking after him and bfing him and weaning and all the cuddles and the nappies. I love being his mum. But I don't feel good about being me anymore. I feel like there's a massive character flaw in me and that I'm just not good enough.

I would like to know if I went to the drs with this would they diagnose pnd? Particularly 6 months on? What would that mean for me and my son? Would the health visitor assume I wasn't looking after him properly and check on us more? Fwiw he is very well looked after, clean and fed and so so loved. Thanks for your help, I'm unsure where to go from here.

Hey bala. I was diagnosed with pnd when my ds2 was about 7/8 months old.

I felt a bit like you. I just didn't like me very much anymore and didn't recognise myself. I lost the joy in things I used to love doing. Still loved the dses but because of how I felt about me I thought I was failing them.

How are you sleeping? And eating?

When I went to the gp he put me on fluoextine. He did inform the health visitor and at ds2s regular checks she spent a little longer discussing how I was feeling and coping. And if I had good support. But there were no assumptions that I was a bad parent or negligent.

Kinds hugs to you.

Hi jacob thanks for the reply. So sorry you feel this way too.

I often find myself lying awake worrying about stressful things but manage to go off eventually - until ds' night feed. I eat all the wrong things so I can just grab them quick because there's other important things to do than faff round making myself food.

I don't want to go on medication because I am bfing still. Is there a way round this without medication?

Thank you bala. Ds2 is almost 2 now but I'm on a very even keel and enjoying life.

Do you have real life support? A dp or family/friends nearby?

I'm not sure, the gp may be able to refer you for cbt. But I found the fluoextine helped give me some equilibrium and balance. So I had the energy to make positive changes wrt to diet and exercise. And I was bfing ds2 with them.

I did find the hardest bit was admitting something was wrong and physically dragging myself out the door to the gps. Do you feel able to do that?