Did anyone have PND with their first & not with their second?

[abitfunny]

So I’m currently 35 weeks pregnant with my second son. For the most part it’s been an ok pregnancy with lots of positive feelings and generally exciting to meet our baby. Of course there’s been anxiety too given what happened with the first..

My son is 3.5 and I became unwell pretty much immediately after birth. The birth was traumatic and we had issues with breastfeeding. Not to mention he barely slept for the first nine months! Didn’t feel quite right in myself and over the next 6-8 weeks felt worse. Lots of intrusive thoughts, lack of bonding with my boy and that constant feeling of anxiety never quite going away.

I have a really supportive family which helped no end, plus lots of therapy and a weekly support group for mums finding it hard. By the time he turned one I felt much better. I also lost the majority of the baby weight which also lifted my mood. I’ve since had up and downs with my mental health (no experiences previously to having him) but nothing I can’t manage.

So my question is, has anyone else had a second and felt relatively ‘normal’? I’ve been having therapy throughout this pregnancy which has been amazing, and I’ve got a great perinatal team supporting me. Just getting worried now as I approach the birth of baby, so fearful of becoming unwell again!

Hi. I can't comment from my own experience but my very close best friend has bad PND with her first, had her second 3 and a half years later and was completely fine 😊

I had PND on my first but didn't realise at the time just how bad it was , I then had severe prenatal anxiety with my second.

After she was born I felt more normal than I had been in three years , which is when I realised how bad I had been on my first. My brain just unfogged suddenly.
Hormones can be vicious.

Hi! I had pretty bad PND with my first son and have felt 'normal' with my second.
She's been an amazingly chilled baby but I think part of that is down to me feeling relaxed around her.
It still has its really tough moments but they don't seem like the end of the world and we get through them. Obviously everyone's experience is different but I think there's less of a shock the second time, you know what's coming you can be better physically & mentally prepared for it.
Good luck and I hope you have a happier experience this time around

With DS2 I still had the odd down day but it was no where near as bad. I was also regularly checked up on by a health visitor which helped (this included extra visits before baby was born). Have you talked to your midwife about it? That was what triggered the extra visits for me.

I think having an awareness will help you spot signs and seek help and support sooner. My problem was that by the time I sought help I was firmly in its grip. Looking back I had felt not like myself for months! Now you know the triggers and small changes I feel like I would be able to shout up sooner. Wishing you lots of luck with your new baby OP and happy times ahead.