PND at seven months?

[littlelamb]

Sorry for this I don't want to bother anyone but all of a sudden I'm feeling down for no real reason. Had dd seven months ago, and have never been happier. But I'm on my own and I had a terrible pregnancy, they prescribed me citalopram at five months which I stopped taking after a few months. I thought I was over all these feelings but the last few days I have felt awful, just scared to be out of the house and worrying that my baby doesn't love me, which I know is stupid. Can PND happen at this stage? It could just be stress I'm at uni and it's exam week but this feeling is so scary and I don't want to be on antidepressants again. Any advice would be great x

Sorry to hear you're feeling like this . Feeling down due to stress, worry, tiredness etc is normal, but when it goes beyond that then I'm sure I remember reading that PND depression can occur any time up to 18 months after the birth (if it wasn't 18 months, then it was a long time). Why don't you give it a couple of weeks, and see if it goes, or if it gets worse? I thought I was heading for another bout of depression recently, felt it creeping in around the edges, but luckily it passed, so I wonder if a wait (for a little bit) and see approach might work, along with a bit of pampering yourself? I hope you feel better soon...

Sorry you're feeling so down. My own PND started at around 9 months, and I read somewhere that the average time for it to kick in is 8 months - so yes, it could be PND. Please go and have a chat with your GP or health visitor - they can really help.