Are there any other mums to be that struggle with anxiety/depression?

[Sprockerdilerock]

Hello, just reaching out to see if anyone is in a similar boat to me?

I'm almost 11 weeks now and came off anti depressants when I had my positive test at 4 weeks. I still have weekly counselling so I'm coping okay but I still struggle in general with low mood and being panicky/anxious so I sometimes dont feel like I fit in with all the excited chatter on here!

I am looking forward to being a mum of course, but this whole journey seems very daunting at this stage!

Congratulations on your pregnancy 🥳

I am 22 weeks and have a loooong mental health history. I have been put under consultant led care because of this and my midwife team and the consultant are really supportive and helpful. Is this something you could ask about or if your team has a mh midwife you can chat to, they can offer support/counselling or just explain to you what extra support is out there if you’d like it at any point.

I was absolutely petrified until I had my 12 week scan and then after seeing a healthy baby I was able to get a little more excited. It’s still incredibly daunting and there’s lots to worry about but I’m coping much better now I can feel baby and we’ve had another ok scan at 20 weeks.

Take care of yourself :)

Hi, congratulations on your pregnancy and well done for coping so far - it's a super challenging time anyway and if you've just come off medication that's an achievement!

I am another mum to be who struggles with anxiety and depression and found the excitement overwhelming - on MN and in real life! I do find my weekly counselling sessions help but I'm far from perfect. I'm 31 weeks now and I still panic! For me a lot of my mental health issues had felt resolved in my teens but re-started when we had fertility issues and losses so I know what you mean about pregnancy being daunting. Why can't we just lay an egg?!? (OK... I know I'd worry about the egg...)

I will say that it goes faster than you think! There are new worries around every corner but I found it gets a lot easier to cope as time goes on. 12 wk scan is a big milestone, 16 wk MW appt you might get to hear heartbeat and then 20 wk scan and feeling baby move. I've found it so much easier since he's started kicking me on the daily! Now I'm worried about premature labour... give me a few weeks and I'll be worried about induction no doubt!

Good luck with your pregnancy

My kids are now grown but I really struggled with depression and anxiety throughout both pregnancies.
Both mine are now successful lovely adults. You will be fine. Just don’t get too sucked in by all the “perfect” mums stories you see and hear. They are not true. I wish Mumsnet had been around when mine were little. It’s a great support

@Edelweiss2020 and @BlueberryPancake21 that is brilliant that you are both coping so well now! Thank you for your kind words and congratulations on your pregnancies too.

My midwife is fantastically lovely so I will definitely mention it at my next appointment and see if there is any extra support.

@Viviennethebeautiful I'm so glad it worked out well for you I will definitely try to take all the perfect mum stuff with a pinch of salt.

@Sprockerdilerock

Hello, just reaching out to see if anyone is in a similar boat to me?

I'm almost 11 weeks now and came off anti depressants when I had my positive test at 4 weeks. I still have weekly counselling so I'm coping okay but I still struggle in general with low mood and being panicky/anxious so I sometimes dont feel like I fit in with all the excited chatter on here!

I am looking forward to being a mum of course, but this whole journey seems very daunting at this stage!

I'm here and I feel exactly the same. Although I've continued taking my antidepressants just in a smaller does. I think the pandemic isn't helping as we're all stuck at home with no social interaction only our own thoughts. My anxiety has been in overdrive since finding out I was pregnant.

@theonlyisup thanks for commenting How far along are you?

I stopped my ADs cold when I found out which I now regret, especially as my midwife told me the one I was on was quite safe. I just panicked, and now it's been over a month I'm scared to start them up again because I had a terrible time adjusting to them at first. It feels like catch 22.

I agree that the pandemic makes things worse. Sometimes it feels like all I do is sit around worrying about things and I wonder if it would be different if things were normal!

Hi, I’ve had recurrent depression/anxiety for a few years. I started taking citalopram about a year ago and it made a massive difference for my mental health. I am 5 weeks+5 days pregnant (first time) and decided to continue with the citalopram. I’m a healthcare professional and have seen the evidence that it is not thought to cause problems in the development of the baby. There is a possible risk of increased postpartum bleeding if it’s used near the due date, but for me personally I think it’s worth continuing it. I was quite depressed and anxious in 2019, and I remember feeling at the time that my body was under so much stress that it would not have been a good “environment” for a baby to develop. I decided to delay trying until 2020 when I was feeling much better.

It’s a very personal decision and it is important to talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of each option in your case in particular- this will be different for each of us.

I also had psychological therapy, which was great (I stopped a few months ago as I no longer needed it) but it was not enough on its own when I was unwell.

Hi,

I have generalised anxiety disorder, and currently 30 weeks with second baby. I had severe PNA, PND and PTS after my first, and found quite early on in this pregnancy that pre natal anxiety and depression hit hard and quickly.

I just couldn’t be excited about being pregnant (was also unplanned!)

I’m with a specialist midwife for MH, and having an elective c section so have a dedicated midwife for that also. I also paid for private therapy as what I had from NHS was good, but needed more in depth and didn’t want to feel a time limit in sessions.

The private therapy has helped enormously with the anxiety which has largely lifted the depression (for me depression comes from a high state of prolonged anxiety). I’ve learnt a lot on how my brain works, as well as coping techniques and practicing these daily.

Keep talking to your midwife and discussing any worries you have with her, and practice any techniques that work for you to bring anxiety down.

I also recommend hypnobirthing

Good luck

Just to say that I had bad anxiety with CBT for years and getting pregnant was actually hugely beneficial for my mental health, somehow maybe the hormones ironed everything out a bit but I felt far more calm and relaxed than I had done before.

Hopefully that’s useful and I hope someone else experiences this too

@Mcmcmcmc congratulations on your pregnancy and for doing what feels right for you

Also congratulations @MrsG30 I'm glad you have found a good range of things that help. I also find private therapy hugely beneficial and would recommend it to anyone with the means who is struggling. My midwife also mentioned hypnobirthing which I will look into, thanks!

@ShirleyPhallus ah that is really lovely and encouraging thank you!