Antenatal/postnatal depression
Antenatal depression. Feel ashamed and scared to take medication.
BeachYogi · 06/08/2019 10:25
Hello. I had my booking appointment yesterday and I'm 8 weeks plus three.
I feel kind of ashamed to admit this but I think I am experiencing prenatal depression. I feel like a burden to my husband as I keep crying at such a supposedly happy time. My GP has written me a prescription for Sertraline but I'm scared to take it in case it hurts the baby. I've had a lot going on recently as my father died suddenly a month ago so some of the low mood could be related to that but it feels like more than just grief. I've had mental health problems on and off for the last ten years (depression and anxiety). SSRIs have helped me somewhat in the past. I've had CBT and counselling and I'm having EMDR therapy now.
The midwife has referred me to the perinatal mental health team but I'm anxious about seeing a psychiatrist there as I have a diagnosis of bipolar (type 2) on my records and I think they'll start trying to put me on heavy duty tranquillisers/antipsychotics even though I've never experienced psychosis or mania. This has happened before & I don't trust psychiatrists one bit.
BeachYogi · 07/08/2019 18:08
I guess I'd like to know if anyone has experienced similar/how they got through it... x
Squirrel23 · 08/08/2019 13:02
Hi, I was referred to perinatal mental health team at around 14 weeks. I am now 29 weeks. I would recommend you give it a go and maybe speak to them before taking sertraline if you are worried. I refused to take it at first but now feel a lot less anxious. The good part about the perinatal team is that they are specialists in pregnant women/new mums! Unlike a GP who may assume it's "pregnancy hormones" or to be expected. At the end of the day, you know how you are feeling and if talking therapy may have helped you in the past. I had a history of severe anxiety and depression, and medication had never worked for me before so i was nervous about what they would say. But my perinatal team involves a mental health nurse, who i meet with regularly, a psychologist who led a group i attended with other preganant ladies, specialist midwives, and a consultant obstetician who advised on the medication and that it was better to be a healthy mum in pregnancy than suffer without medication (your stress can potentially stress your baby) . They have all been lovely to me with no judgement or blame. And it is so common in pregnancy (otherwise these teams wouldnt exist). So i do recommend speaking with your perinatal team. Remember it's not your fault, be kind to yourself. Good luck.
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.