How did you avoid PND the second, or third! time?

[janie85]

I got PND with my 1st DC nearly 3 years ago. We left having a second baby for this amount of time mostly because I was anxious about going through that again (amount other reasons, we moved and DC1 is hard work!).

Anyway I'm not blind to the fact it may well rear it's ugly head again, but would love to know stories of how ladies have avoided it in subsequent births?

My plan is to:

• generally feel less stressed in general since I've lived to tell the tale after the first time
• take pregnacare new mum vitamins this time
• eat well and balanced
• baby is due to be a summer baby, DC 1 was January
• get out in the sunshine/garden
• tell DH as soon as I started feeling bad
• prioritise sleep more

Any other tips would be most appreciated! Xxx

Hi OP, were you on medication the first time round ?
I had medication after my second baby ( I wouldn't say I had full on PND with first DC but had been flagged as possible for the second by my HV) . If I had had a third , the plan was , I was going to go onto antidepressants as soon as the baby was born. I absolutely didn't want to go through it again, and antidepressants saved me and helped me bond with my DD.
So I would look at that , and midwifery/ HV support also you haven't mentioned what support you will have ? Family or friends ?
I think it's really vital that people close to you understand that you may need support.
I don't know how likely it is to have it again , I really hope it's ok for you next time .

Therapy

I had PND & PNA after Dc3, not diagnosed until 6 months post partum and treated with medication and CBT, group and private lessons. I had Dc4 20 months later (contraceptive failure) and it didn’t come back. The biggest difference was the birth, dc3 went into neonatal, I was studying with 2 under 2, DH was busy with new business it was all too much. Paired it back, slept more, consciously ate better, walks etc and DH was more involved and supportive, it made a difference. I also felt it was a bit of luck too. I hope it’s ok for you going forward.

@LeafHunter yes that too , get some before the birth as well !
I think mine was triggered by no sleep and past trauma , so I think if you figure out what it was that set it off before then you are more forearmed .

I didn't avoid it with baby 2 after having it with baby one. I still struggled with pnd, but the difference was I knew what to expect, and I reached out for help and medication much sooner, and that made a world of difference.

Thanks for your reply! I should've mentioned that I am still on ADs since I started taking them 6 weeks after my son was born. I continued taking them because I know that I have always been someone who suffered with depression and I guess having a hard work toddler had kept me on them!
I take it you weren't on them between births? I wonder in that case if I could increase my dose (I take the lowest dose currently) after the birth as a method of prevention? Xxx

Yeah I think you could...talk to your GP about it .
Looking back on it, I had mild depression after my first , but I put it down to ' baby blues' and it wasn't so bad , so wasn't on any meds when I got pregnant with my second DC .
The second time, it was so different , I was so ill I couldn't even take the meds at first , I became obsessed with breast feeding and thought I was poisoning my DC!
Can you take them during pregnancy ? If so then I would suggest talking to your GP about the dose , and as other poster said get some therapy lined up . Do you know what your HV services are like in local area ? I know it varies .
Maybe if you can get a place on a baby group for support after . I had the best HV , I feel like I owe her so much .

I'm going to have a birth debrief. I'm sure PND was caused by birth trauma and having a debrief will help me work through it.