Fully recovered from poat natal insommnia and depression in 3 months

[Alicia26]

Hi, I just wanted to post as I have achieved the above and found this site and all the posts extremley helpful to me during this time. If anyone wants to get in touch who is struggling with the above please do and i will tell you my story.

Can you tell your story now? I'd like to hear it, and 'm sure others would too.

I had pretty bad PND and eventually wasn't sleeping at all ie not a wink (church clock near my window, heard each bong, including quarter hour bongs ). I had a toddler and a baby at the time and a hideous ex husband. It took me longer than 3 months to get well but ADs certainly saved my life (literally).

Yes it would be great to know your story
I'm sure it would be inspirational to others
So glad you got through it xx

Hi, yes of course I can post my story. I was not expecting to fall pregnant but when I found out I was delighted as I always envisaged having children in my life. I had a wonderful pregnancy and enjoyed every minute. My beautiful baby boy was 2 days early. I was quite a traumatic birth which needed intervention in the end but the first time I saw him I fell completely in love with him. I didn't sleep the first night in hospital as I was fascinated by him. I just wanted to look at him and hold him. We went home the next day and all felt wonderful. I still wasn't sleeping at night as I was waiting for him to wake up. The midwife told me that this was very normal. Then after a couple of days of no sleep I started to feel very anxious all the time - about everything and anything - my partners job, the baby's routine, my health, sleep etc. I knew that this wasn't right as I couldn't concentrate on anything - just these worries going round and round in my head all day and all night. After a night of no sleep whatsoever I decided to go to the Dr. He prescribed me 3 night of sleeping tables saying that this might kick start my natural sleeping pattern - I was so despondent when they didn't work but also quite pleased as I didn't want to get addicted to using tablets to get to sleep. I went back to the DR and he he referred me to a psychiatrist and I am so pleased that he did. The first night that I went to see the psychiatrist I was in a real mess. I had always wanted a baby and didn't understand why I was so worried about him, not sleeping, anxious. He talked to me and asked me lots of q's and then said that I have PND. I was surprised as I didn't think that anxiety and insomnia were symptoms of PND but he said that they were classic ones. He suggested that I went onto sertaline and had some cogitative therapy with him. I was anxious about taking the ADs but trusted him. They took about 2 weeks to start working. I am on a 50mg dose. The therapy had also helped so much. I didn't understand why he was talking to me about my childhood, my job, my life in general - how could this help deal with PND - but he made me realise that the decisions that I had made in life and how I felt about myself were the lead up to having PND. I would never have believed it until I spent time with him. I will never risk now making decisions or putting myself through anything that could impact on my mental health again. I feel stronger now, love myself so much more and am much more confident with who I am. I have gone from wishing that my baby boy would disappear to loving every second that I am with him. The psychiatrist said that my sleep would get back to normal but this would take more time as this is the last thing that sorts itself out following depression - he was right. My sleep is almost sorted now - I wake up a couple of times at night but go back to sleep very easily. I think I also helped myself a lot in this respect by not allowing myself to get anxious about sleep. If I wake I lie there peacefully thinking about nice things - anything apart from worrying about not sleeping. This was a really important realisation for me - that it didn't matter if I didn't sleep - that resting was just as important and that the sun would be shining the next day and I would still have my beautiful baby boy. So it was a combination of ADs, supportive therapy and my own positive thinking that got me through it. It was definately the scariest time of my life but I remember that my Psychiatrist said to me that people who go through this come out happier and stronger and that has definitely been the case for me. So please all of you that are suffering get the right help and believe that you will get better because you will. Take care of yourself and accept that this is part of life's rich tapestry that will make you into a different but enlightened and more experienced person.

Fabulous story OP! Really happy to hear things went well for you and that, although you plumbed the scarey depths, you have come out of it a stronger person. Lovely

ONe thing I'm curious about though: how on earth did you get a referral to a psychiatrist? NHS?

Lovely outcome alicia-i was exactly the same no sleep anxious unable to think straight. After seeing a CPN and changing ADs and quitting sleeeping tablets I was literally better within weeks!. As you are I am so very grateful to be alive and happy it is great-I love my kids and my life and for a couple of months I couldnt believe I would ever get back to the old me-I actually think I am a better me having come through the sheer horror of an illness that is depression. So good to hear another positive story-well done and take heart anyone currently suffering you will get better!.