Depression in Pregnancy - anyone else? Advice please!

[concernedfriend6]

Hi, I am a fairly regular poster but have namechanged for this in case anyone in RL who may know me sees this but I am genuine so please help if you can.

I have a very good friend who is currently pg with her second child. She had depression after having her first child and although she was offered tablets she turned them down and managed to work through it herself. She is now just coming to the end of her 2nd trimester and is beginning to feel quite low. She often has panic attacks while she is out and although she says she has good days she also has bad ones too. She is also worried about getting post natal depression after the baby is born.

She is very concerned about going to the doctors or MW about this but is aware she needs some advice.

Does anyone have any advice which could help her? Are there any anti-depressants which are safe during pregnancy? Any suggestions or your own experiences would be appreciated.
Thank you x

anyone?

I suffered a similar thing during my pregnancy and after a particularly bad week I ended up seeing my GP.
She advised that I could take Prozac as the risks to the baby were probably less than the stress I may cause the baby with my depression.
I would get your friend to go and talk to their gp. They aren't going to think badly of her, just offer some advice.

Thanks Chocoholic, will let her know it is okay to take something, did you find they helped you? Any negative points?

I'm so glad I took them.
I look back now in shock at just how depressed I had become and the ADs transformed me. My DS was so much better off being born to a happy mummy.
I can't remember the exact details, but there are some possible side effects of a baby being agitated / fidgety when new born. I never noticed any difference between him & other babies though.

Hi there, up until the panic attacks bit you were practically describing me!! Not that I've told anyone but I've been feeling very low and my temper is shorter than anyone I could name!
I didn't take meds for PND the first time round and was helped a great deal talking it through with the HV but it's starting up again (?)
Anyway, my advice is to start blurting it out to whoever will listen!! I'm not doing too badly coping by myself (I'm quite strong when it comes to things like this but not everyone is!!)
I just take myself into another room and calm down a bit before taking on tasks (yes, that means the DD gets left in the front room behind a safety gate for 5/10 mins but. . . .)
I'm not sure about meds during pregnancy (I'm dubious about doc's full stop) but she could try chamomile/lavendar/chai tea's etc (I know I know, bloomin' Hippy!!)
I've been on Earl grey lately and even that helps!!
Anywho, hope that of some help! Whereabouts does she live? There might be a half decent support group in the area!

Hi. I have just been diagnosed with PND, my DD is 9 months and it has taken me this long and to get this low to do something about it. I think I started getting depressed during the last couple of months of my pregnancy and I just put it down to my hormones etc etc. I went to the doc a few months ago and he perscribed my anti d's but I didn't take them and have only just gone back now and I have been diagnosed with pnd now. Sorry, not really anyone help but just wanted to say i think my depression started in my pregnancy. hth!

Hi,
I have a 3 month old and have PND myself, and have been banging on in another thread about my great HV. I would really recommend this to your friend as well as GP- they will see you in pregnancy if you have problems I think- or a good MW. They are even more used to dealing with preg.depression/PND than GPs.
Of course they can't prescribe,but if your friend feels she needs ADs why not- there's bound to be some proper research she can look at online if worried. I found some good scientific research on ADs in breastmilk, and many are considered safe even when breastfeeding, so would imagine even more so in pregnancy? Things are mostly weakened by crossing the placenta I think? Anyway if she needs them she shouldn't feel guilty.
Mainly wanted to say that PND, even if she does develop it, needn't be the end of the world- not to lessen people's bad experiences but I was SO terrified of developing it, but even with a very high score on the PND test I'm surviving and still able to bond with and love my boy. I've refused to put a brave face on it and whined and cried and grabbed all the help I can get! The best thing has been the 6 'listening visits' you can get (hopefully nationwide) with your HV if you rate highly for PND (they will assess you.) If your friend can nip the depression in the bud now, even better of course.
Lots of love to her and to you for being such a good friend- that will help a lot too.

PND, AND and just general D. Been there, done/doing it all.

I hope your friend gets the help she needs, it is out there she just has to pluck up the courage to make the admission to a 'professional'. It's the hardest part, so so hard.

Agnes