Any advice please

[BluntHazelBalonz]

Hi everyone, I am 4 days PP after giving birth to my beautiful baby girl. I was in shakes throughout the whole of my labour due to adrenaline and anxiety. After the whole birth everything just seemed like a dream and I was so out of it until they transferred me to the post recovery ward. Since being home I’ve been very exhausted as since delivery on Sunday I’ve only slept like 12 broken hours of sleep. I find it very hard to rest in the day so night time is the only hope but I’m so anxious around night time. I also feel like I don’t want to leave the house and I’m super scared of PPD. I just feel like a different person and I sort of forgot my old life, it all feels so distant even the pregnancy even though it was the most beautiful thing and I keep crying about how much I miss being pregnant. Does anyone know if this is normal and what to do and if there is any hope🥺

4 days PP = baby blues day probably, give yourself time to recover from the birth x

Do you reckon it’s baby blues if I for eg don’t want to leave the house or do my hair/put makeup on. I feel very anxious about trying to go to bed and about so much that has changed since having a baby?

4 days after giving birth I didn't do my hair or even get properly dressed. Sounds like your hormones are all over the place which is normal. Try to lower your expectations about how life should be. You've just gone through a really traumatic thing. Enjoy your little one 💐

I felt exactly the same, for around 4 weeks until it lifted. You should be due a midwife visit day 5, chat to them. They were amazing with me and kept me on the books a little longer, I was so worried about PPD too but all good now at 9 weeks. It’s a big thing to go through and the hormones hit like a tonne of bricks, he kind to yourself :)

Fairly normal to feel this way 4 days PP. All your hormones have to adjust.

One of my friends described it as the last 9 months PMT coming through in a 3 day slot. You should feel better in a week or so.

It’s normal and if you’ve never experienced proper sleep deprivation before it can make everything feel off and distant as you say. You will adjust to the lack of sleep.

Hi mums, please can someone advise me or at least tell me im not going insane ( it really feels like I am). Currently 6 days PP, had a very anxious and sort of difficult delivery (assisted delivery) even though I’m healing well now. I felt a bit off since leaving the hospital and it’s like when I look in the mirror I feel like a different person, I look like one zombie even though no one else realises this and says I look the same, it’s like my eyes look so different. Everything feels so different in life, I am so grateful for my baby she is so beautiful and sweet but I feel like all the things I’m feeling right now are preventing me from enjoying her and loving her as much as I can. I feel sort of out of it, finding it hard to sleep/I sleep maybe 5 hours broken sleep at night as everytime my partner helps with the feeds and changes I subconsciously wake up and it’s hard for me to get back to bed or even think about napping in the day. When I have some rest I’ve noticed I feel better and love her and have energy. I went to the shops with my partner today and felt so anxious and felt like one zombie even though I slept better tonight… i keep googling stuff and it says stuff about psychosis and it freaks me out so much, what if I’m actually losing myself. I feel very weird and not like myself since leaving the hospital, no desire to even listen to music or do things I normally enjoy as I feel like that life is gone now and I’m sort of mourning over it and over being pregnant as I really loved my pregnancy even though it was unplanned. I feel very weird in my body now and I don’t know if it’s really intense anxiety but there’s a CONSTANT fear or something so intense where I can’t seem to calm it down. Any advice, is there hope and is this normal as I feel like I’m going nuts !?!!

thanks guys x

The first couple of weeks are so rough and it’s so hard to adjust to the lack of sleep especially. Could you sleep in a different room from your baby for a couple of hours in the night? Maybe sleep on the sofa while your partner takes care of the baby? Did you mention how you feel to your midwife? She will have some useful local resources if things don’t improve after the initial few weeks. I think going to the shops 6 days PP is amazing - my first birth I wasn’t even out of hospital then! Try to take it easy and not do too much if you can

You're not going nuts. There's a huge hormonal change after you give birth, coupled with sleep deprivation, recovery, newborn anxiety etc etc. Lots of women feel how you are feeling. However if it feels overwhelming you should tell your midwife, health visitor or GP and ask for support. Nobody will judge you.

Just wondering, as you mentioned about not wanting to get yourself up and ready at 4 days post partum - are you putting unrealistic expectations on yourself? Instagram/TikTok etc are not helpful sometimes, don't compare yourself to others. Veg out in bed or on the sofa in your pjs as much as you can! Let others do the cooking and cleaning. Try to relax. You're doing great

I feel like sleeping is a struggle especially when I’m not near the baby or my partner I just feel so lonely and either way I cannot sleep… it’s like when I nod off I wake up immediately.

It could be a bit of anxiety - you’ve been through so much in less than a week! Please mention this to your midwife or health visitor. It’s so so common and you are definitely not alone!

I think you should raise this with your HV/midwife/GP asap. Yes everything you describe is normal and common but it does seem to be bothering you rather a lot, so perhaps it’s a form of PND. The only way to know is to seek professional advice.

4 days!! Only 4 days!

Why would you want to go out so soon? In some cultures people lie in for 6 weeks.

Please take all the time you need to recover, relax and get to know your baby. The house can be a mess for now, too.

@BluntHazelBalonz how are you feeling today?

Have you been able to speak to your midwife or health visitor?

Congratulations on your beautiful daughter