Hallucinations post birth. PND or lack of sleep?

[phoneyjoanie]

I had a few hallucinations after the birth of DD1.
As she had colic and we both didn't sleep at hardly at all, this is what I put it down to.
I'm now thinking that maybe it was a symptom of PND.
Anyone else?

Lack of sleep itself can make you more prone to depression. What sort of hallucinations were they?

I can't even bring myself to write it. I've just buried it away as it scares me now.

Have you had them since?

I had a few hallucinations after ds1 was born and I think it was a combination of stress and sleep deprivations.

I had a lot of auditory hallucinations, thinking I heard the baby when the baby wasn't making a sound.

Had hallucinations here too..... definatley through lack of sleep for me.

Could you get partner/husband/slave to do one of the night feeds for you so you can get some proper kip?

Did you have, like, video images of awful things happening to your baby? Or of you doing awful things to your baby?

i had those too, not so much hallucinations, but very persistant ideas that wouldn't go away.

Nothing to do with hurting or doing awful things to DD1, but believing she was someone else in DDs body.
I haven't had them for ages.

DH says I need more sleep.

Sleep is very important for normal brain function, but if you are worried there is another problem such as depression, please go to your doctor.

Could be sleep- i think it depends how much it affects you and if it goes away. I also think it is vital that you know they weren't real, iyswim. When I had problems like this (which started after the birth of DD1, but don't let that scare you as most people don't end up like I did) it was when i started to believe them (or believe that they actually meant something, if that makes sense) that it was a problem. I often knew afterwards that they weren't true, but not at the time. They didn't always seem like real life though, kind of like a magical thing that only I could see/hear...

I am completely better now, but did get quite ill, so I would recommend mentioning it to a doctor if it happens again.

hallucinations are really common, particularly when sleep deprived, but also in general population and not necessarily a sign of mental illness. Approx 10% of population report them, and most are absolutely fine, no mental health probs at all.

Intrusive thoughts are very common after having a baby too and also very normal e.g. "I might harm the baby". Loads of people get this but most feel to scared to talk about it, but again very normal.

phoneyjoanie, I had something similar as well. Very briefly, once or twice. It wasn't hallucinations just a weird thoughts of DS being someone else in his body. I wasn't getting much sleep at that time so I definitely put it down to that.

I also used to get quite frightened when woken up in the night I had to go downstairs to get a bottle. Had a feeling somehting horrible is going to happen or that someone is watching me through the window...

I think your DH is right, re you needing more sleep.

You used the past tense, do you think you might have, or had, PND?

Combo of sleep deprivation, traumatic stress caused by mismanaged labour, enforced stay on nightmarish postnatal ward meant I could hear babies crying where there were none and was completely wired, so even though I was desperate for sleep, I couldn't. It's also the time for those baby blues they talk about. PND seemed to develop seamlessly afterwards but was of a prolonged nature rather than just baby blues, although baby blues are horrid.