Post natal depression

Agutka

Can anyone tell me when post-natal depression tends to hit new mothers? Is it soon after birth or 6 months on etc?

Becles

It varies from mother to mother. It can be a few weeks or it can be later.

If you think you or someone you know has it, please make sure they get medical help as soon as possible. It's a horrible disease to have, and you need help before it gets worse.

smileylunar

HI post natal depression can be experienced anything up to a year or so after the birth, a health visitor should be assessing you with your consent, with a tool called the edinburgh scale. this tool can help idendify risk factors only if you are honest with your responses, if you are identified as being at risk your health visitor can then discuss coping strategies with you. or refer you to an appropraite agency. hope this helps xxx

Savvy_Sue

I second what becles says. If you google postnatal depression some useful sites will come up, including the 'factual' ones like netdoctor, and the support ones like postnatal illness.

Broken_hearted

It can hit within the first three years, my mother started with it when I was 2 and had a full breakdown 5 years later. Seek help ASAP if you need it. Hugs

Ted_Hutchinson

Seafood consumption, the DHA content of mothers’ milk and prevalence rates of postpartum depression: has a chart where the amount of fish consumed is mapped against the rate of PND. While of course there are some who would argue you need a background in statistical analysis, and medical training to understand the significance of this chart, those with a modicum of common sense may work out straight away that as the essential fatty acid DHA is a major component in brain structure and is derived most readily from omega 3's in fish oil, the demands of producing a new babies brain depletes the mothers omega3 resources and deduce that those who eat the most fish will have the least PND as their resources will be highest in the first place and are also being continually replenished.

Supplementing with high strength such as omega3,Mumomega or Zipvit's Omega Juice would correct this deficiency in a couple of months and will have other beneficial effects on health generally but eating sardines (not tinned in oil) mackerel, herring etc at least 2-4 times weekly will have the same effect. The mumomega isn't actually that strong so you would need at least 3 capsules daily to get the same amount of omega that 1tsp of Zipvit OJ provides (probably tastes better though)

The uptake of DHA into astrocyte brain cells is improved, in the test tube, if vitamin d3 is present. We know that improving vitamin d3 status is effective (if taken at 4000iu daily) in dealing with many cases of depression so getting outside and sunbathing every day for at least half and hour (preferable nude or as near to as possible) will increase your vitamin d status quickly, otherwise BIO–TECH Pharmacal Inc. supply high strength D3 cholecalciferol. The average person uses between 3000 & 5000iu daily so the vit d3 tablets available in the UK are generally ineffective in raising vitamin d status unless taken in larger amounts.

It would also be worth checking your Calcium intake as that also is linked to PND and the uptake is related to vitamin d status. calcium: foodsources

Food for the brain

CharleneUK

Becles wrote:

It varies from mother to mother. It can be a few weeks or it can be later.

If you think you or someone you know has it, please make sure they get medical help as soon as possible. It's a horrible disease to have, and you need help before it gets worse.

I totally agree with this post.

Get help/or the person help.

I have it, a mild form but now have a mother and baby team helping me through it (I didn't want meds)

Agutka

I am sorry to worry you. It was a hypothetical question at the moment. It's just that we are wanting to start a family and having suffered from mild depression in the distant past I am concerned it is something that may affect me. And I thought maybe it would be best not to be going through it in dark winter months. But it seems there is no timescale, so I will just stop worrying and get help if and when I should need it. Hugs to those who are going through it.
Agutka

Nicki

I think if you have a history of depression, and you make your doctor and mid wife aware of this, they will monitor you very closely during pregnancy and after the birth, and offer help at the earliest opportunity. This was certainly the experience of a close friend of mine, who had depression as a young adult, but escaped PND completely.

I had very bad PND after number 2, with no previous history of depression, and was told that if I had number 3, with my previous history, they would give me a progesterone injection immediately after delivery as one of the risk factors in developing it is a very sudden drop of progesterone after the birth (a significant drop is normal, but if it is very extreme the body can't cope). I have however decided to stick at 2, so can't say whether this works.

In light of your history, I would say that after baby is born, you do need to be aware of your limits, and try not to let yourself get too stressed. If this means bottle feeding or using disposable nappies, or a dummy, or any of the other controversial decisions, go ahead and do what is best for you. At the end of the day, the most important thing for baby is to have a happy healthy mother. In the end it will all be worth it. I went through 2 years of hell, some of it in hospital separated from my children, but am now totally recovered, and looking at my lovely 2, it was worth every minute!

Ted_Hutchinson

Agutka wrote:

It's just that we are wanting to start a family and having suffered from mild depression in the distant past I am concerned it is something that may affect me. And I thought maybe it would be best not to be going through it in dark winter months. But it seems there is no timescale, so I will just stop worrying and get help if and when I should need it.
Agutka

Assessment of dietary vitamin D requirements during pregnancy and lactation shows the need for vitamin d during pregnancy and lactation so now is the time to start building up your reserves by getting outside in the sunshine regularly whenever possible.
This report shows the prevalence of vitamin d insufficiency in New Zealand both north and south islands, both of which are considerably nearer the equator than is anywhere in the UK so it follows that it is likely your vitamin d status is lower than ideal and that raising your vitamin d levels now through sunlight and from end of September with high strength supplements will reduce the chances of depression, allow fertilized ova to implant in the uterus and thus enhance fertility, and lead to easier pregnancy and less depression – lower prenatal and perinatal mortality, fewer birth defects, fewer infections, less diabetes, less psychiatric illness, less asthma, stronger bones, and higher IQs in the children.

wigginsmum

My sister has a history of depression and the doctor upped her dosage of amitryptyline while she was pregnant, to cushion her for those first few months. She did have PND but she coped fairly well because it was expected.