Post Natal Depression 2nd time round?

[Ghosty]

We would dearly love to try for another baby (ds is 2.9) but are a little worried as I suffered from PND for 18 months (and still have the very odd wobbly now). Would love to hear from anyone who a) had it once but not with the second? b) had it a second (or third) time and how you dealt with it and c) has advice and theories on ways in which to try to avoid it?

I had a pretty bad time with ds and thought that I would never have another but for some strange reason I really really want to!!!

Help!

Hi Ghostly, I have 3 children 12,9 and 22 mo. With my first I was 19 and had terrible PND. I couldnt even barely take care of our baby for the first month or so. My mom did all but sleep over to help me in the beginning. This was also because my dh had 2 jobs day and night which I think did contribute a little to the problem. I never thought I could deal with this again in the future but I eventually had a 2nd. The 2nd one was not anywhere near like the 1st. I was able to do everything on my own. I felt very little depression and so much more confidence. I think having a child already and knowing what to do already helped me alot. I did not have so many fears if I was doing everything the right way. Also having my 1st born around helped me a great deal. Now with my 3rd it was a different story. It was not as bad as the 1st but I had minor PND. We had just moved into a new home and hadnt even begun unpacking. The house was a rental and the owner had noone in it for a long time so it was filthy dirty. I was only in it 1 day and I went into labor. My mom tried to do as much as she could while in the hospital but when I came home I had to face a house full of boxes everywhere. My dh worked so many hours and it took a very long time to get organized. I think this put me into a depression because I had to deal with so much unexpectedly along with the post pregnancy problems. I dont think everyone goes through it after each pregnancy. I think it depends on the person and the whole situation. Of all mine 2 were not good at all and 1 was like heaven. I recommend having as much help as you can in the beginning. I think having company like my mom alot or a close friend around helped me get throught the beginning. Good luck in the future.

Dear Ghosty

I really sympathise. I also suffered dreadful PND for at least a year with my first, and received no treatment for it. I am now pregnant again and haunted with concerns. I am worried about the delivery and getting PND again. I think I also had Pre-natal dep last time and feel quite frequently down this time round as well.

I will follow this thread with interest, although don't have much exprience to contribute.

Good luck and go for it, have an accident and deal with the consequences later!!!

Thanks for the answers so far! Sorry that I have not been back to you but as I am in NZ we have an 11 hour time difference!

ks, I did have experience of children/babies - I have loads of nephews and nieces and I am a primary school teacher! I didn't think it would be a shock but it was. I was working full time but was looking forward to stopping for good - in the end went back to get some sanity! I had a very traumatic birth followed by a poorly baby that needed an operation at 4 weeks followed by continuous screaming until he was 16 weeks! I know that I would be very unlucky for those things all to happen again.

My support system was strong - close, sympathetic family, very supportive dh although he still can't understand what I was going through and why when we had such a beautiful baby.

When he was 4 mths and I went back to work part time the nursery he went to was FAB - they knew the whole story and were great at letting me ring them 100 times a day and humouring my obsessions! I will always be grateful to them.

Since I got better we made the life changing decision of moving to NZ - I am now a full time mum and am very happy. I wonder whether not having family and homesickness will be a factor?

ks - I am sorry you feel it is too late for you. Is it really or do you just feel too much time has gone by? (sorry if that is too personal!)

Gotta go dh needs to take laptop to work but I will be back to read more later (tomorrow am for you, tonight for me!!!)

Hi Ghosty - I also had PND with No1 and took a yesr to gor better - just in time to get pg with the second!
I have had pnd again, but have coped much better this time. In fact, I was put on antidepressants (I take Sertraaline, also known as Lustral) a month before ds was born, to try and head it off at the pass! It didn't work complretely, but it did make it milder second time round. I also found I coped much better with the depresssion as I knew what to expect - I had more help lined up so I wouldn't get too tired (much harder with the second) and had longer term help organised with a childminder arranged for dd 2 days a week.
I don't know if you can avoid it, but these were things that made it easier 2nd time around. I would really recommend talking to your doc about preventative treatment, if you have had an awful time already.
Hope everything goes well - you can ask for my email from mumsnet if you want to talk about it more. All the best!

I have met a woman who was advised to breastfeed and have progesterone suppositories/injections post delivery immediately. Can't remember the details but it was after referral to a specialist in London. She had the medication with her.
Maybe someone else has more details.

Thanks for the support guys - susanmt, I might just take you up on your e-mail offer!

I think that the docs here are good at monitoring your pregnancy if you have suffered PND already. From what I can gather they have quite a good system here - which is one of the reasons I have become quite keen for No 2 since we moved.

They have a fantastic organisation called 'Plunket' (I know, very strange name - something to do with the name of the guy who started it 80 years ago!). They are fully trained midwives and nurses that are totally devoted to ante natal and post natal and child health. A much more together system than the HV system in the UK (I gave up on my HV totally!). They have their own budget and have separate surgeries in every borough and town in NZ. I have had a couple of chats with a Plunket nurse since I have been here and have a lot more faith that I did a year ago.

I'd like to think that the only reasons that I had PND were external factors rather than just hormonal so I hope it won't happen again but who knows - I might have had a 2 hour labour, natural birth and the model child and still got it!!

What I do know is that if it does happen again I will recognise it more readily and deal with it more quickly.

Anyway thanks again for the messages!

Hi Ghosty, I have had 2 babies and had PND with both, my ds is 16 wks and I am on Prozac, it works for me and helps me to cope with day to day things and more stressful times.
The only comfort I can give you is that 2nd time around you recognise the symptoms early on and do something about it rather than allowing the situation to worsen. I would also advise counselling, this may help sort out the root of your problems.

Please do not stop yourself having another child due to PND, it really is not as bad 2nd time, I too had nightmare labour with dd, but it was not nearly as bad with ds, only 4.5 hours.

The one thing that always puts a smile on my face is watching my 2 and marvelling to myself that I could make 2 wonderful children.

Hi Ghostly

I have one DS (15 months) and suffered from PND quite badly after he was born.

We are currently trying for no. 2. I was quite concerned about the PND coming back after no. 2 arrives and discussed this with my HV/Doctor. We have agreed that I will have Progesterone suppositories immediately after the birth to try and combat the PND. My HV tells me that they used to only be available when prescribed by a Psychiatrist but now they are readily prescribed by the GP. Perhaps you could discuss this with your doctor as a possibility.

HTH
Dejags

Thanks dejags - will do that as soon as the line goes blue

Ghosty - feel free to get in touch!

Hi, have just posted a message on a different discussion page re PND and found this one. I am a second time sufferer with a new 16 week baby who was totally unplanned as I was in the middle of my nightmare with baby no 1. I never got over my first bout of depression so cannot say whether the second pregnancy was a factor. However, i have now found that it is a little easier this time round because I do not feel as stigmatised and have no problems whatsoever taking anti d's because I am relating better to my second child as a result. Life is not easy but I am enjoying motherhood this time which helps with my first child too. Hope this helps.

Thanks Abbey!

Dejags

Was really interested in your post as I have just found out about these progesterone injections/ suppositories after birth. I haven't yet talked to my GP as still very early in pregnancy.

Do you know if it is OK to breastfeed etc/ or if there are any other side effects? What if in fact you do not have too little progesterone - do you think it is then dangerous to have too much?

Am really heartened to hear about this though - makes me less anxious to know there is something that may help prevent PND second time around.