Post partum psychosis

[anxiousmum1998]

Hi All
I am currently pregnant with second baby my first was born in 2019 and I was diagnosed with BPD and PTSD in august 2024.when I had my son I had post partum depression but not psychosis .I take antidepressants for the PTSD .since being pregnant with my second people keep saying my BPD could cause post partum psychosis despite having no history of this and have no psychosis symptoms as part of the BPD.These people are not mental health professionals ( work colleagues)so know don’t a lot about BPD but seem to believe all the stigmas .This has worried me so what can I do during my pregnancy,labour and shortly after birth to prevent this .Would I have to be sectioned or go to a mother and baby unit if had this ?I have an autistic son so being away in a hospital or mother and baby unit would be really traumatic for him .would there be a way I could get treatment at home if this happened .?Given I didn’t have it with my first is it unlikely it will happen with my second so should ignore those people trying to worry me ?I would definitely feel better if I knew me getting this was unlikely as I didn’t get it with my first and would feel even better if I knew treatment at home would be an option.

They are not MH professionals,that's all you need to remind yourself. Talk to your midwife if you're concerned but I imagine if there was any concern they would discuss it with you. Who on earth are these people who say such inappropriate things?!

https://www.app-network.org/ Have a chat with APP, they really helped a friend of mine.

Not a MH professional but from what I know from a mate who works as a MH nurse in one of these units for mother's with PN psychosis, it occurs often completely randomly in women without a serious mental health history. However the likelihood is increased with a previous serious mental health problem, this falls when it is baby number 2 and there was no psychosis with previous baby.

You need to talk to your midwife, psychiatric nurse, MH team about your worries not these absolutely overstepping work colleagues. I had to reply and didn't want to read and run as I could feel the anxiety your colleagues are passing on to you by saying this and it riled me. People can be so insensitive! Good luck with baby number 2, it sounds like you've been through a lot.

Th chances of problems aren’t super high, a bit higher because of the BPD though; but absolutely doesn’t have to mean mother and baby unit etc! Postpartum can be challenging for mental health with or without any previous history but there are things that can help really reduce your risks. Best approach is good care and planning in pregnancy and making sure you have supports around you, and as PP say, that planning will be best done with your own team. Midwife, psychiatrist (ideally as part of a maternal mental health team - have you had a referral)? Then depending on your overall picture they’ll be able to tell you so much more useful information than we can on here and hopefully make you feel more confident going forward :)

Hello, just a friendly comment as I had postpartum psychosis.

When I gave birth to my first baby it was in a hospital I had never stepped foot in before. I become pregnant again around 5 weeks after his birth. I immediately began thinking that Hitler or people working for him had inseminated me with this “twin” during my time at the new hospital. This twin would be aryan unlike me and my family like Hitler admired. I expected them to come and take the baby out of me somehow for the entire pregnancy.
Things escalated when the second baby was born and was white blonde with blue eyes. (Can’t make this up!)
I was terrified the Nazi’s would accidentally kidnap my first baby instead of ‘their’ second baby. I was seeing ‘ghosts’ that weren’t there and hearing voices that I thought was the neighbours taunting me. I believed they were real. My family and friends believed they were real despite never hearing them themselves.
Everyone knew the ‘dreams’ I had had while pregnant and my fear for my older son that ‘someone’ would take him.
However as I had never had any mental health concerns nobody at all picked up on it for all that time. I still didn’t need to be hospitalised away from my babies.
I actually feel like you are LESS LIKELY to have severe post partum psychosis, as you will be better monitored than I was as you have some history of mental health ups and downs?