If you had PND with your first baby, are you likely to get it again with your second?

[Gemmasmummy]

All my friends say it will be much easier second time round but I don't want to be complacent. I scored 12 on the Edinburgh score (ie not bad enough for antidepressants) but this got better over the course of a year. The worst thing was not being able to get to sleep at night, despite my baby going through at 3 months! I found the whole becoming a mum thing much harder than expected but am now loving being a mum enough to do it all over again!

hello, I haven't suffered from PND myself, just normal depression, but do find the risk of recurrence less scary because I know what emotional triggers were making me feel hard on myself/repetitive thoughts, I did a fair amount of thinking through this with a counsellor, which was great. Also, I was worried about getting depressed after DS was born, but I had a list of symptoms agreed with DH and my (excellent) GP and we had agreed that they should help look out for warning signs to get help earlier rather than later. Plus I made special effort to take care of myself - getting help such as dishwasher and decent washing machine, DH was encouraged to do more housework etc, and I spent a bit of time arranging regular dates with friends to keep morale up.

I know how appalling depression can be but it needn't stop you from doing what you truly want to do. A book called Sunbathing in the Rain by Gwyneth Lewis is quite helpful to read.

Good luck

Thanks very much. I haven't suffered from depression at any other time, but I think the idea of looking out for "warning signs" is a good one. I've been remarkable calm and cheerful during this pregnancy so far and just hope I won't come crashing down when the baby is born, and I've got not 1 but 2 children to look after! If I do get the "baby blues" I know it will pass and I'll try and get as much help as possible.My hunch is that things will be easier because I know what to expect with a newborn, I have a network of friends with children the same age and am generally feeling more confident. Thanks for your advice.