Thread: Help with writing information on PND

Good afternoon ladies,

I have asked MOD permission to post this thread.

I would like some help and information if you would be so kind.

I have started studying and have completed my first qualification in fitness instructing. The next qualification I hope to achieve is pre and post natal fitness. After I have had my baby of course

The church I attend runs three local support groups for women with post natal depression and are looking to expand further into the community.

I have been asked to volunteer by putting together some facts and information on PND, and how exercise and nutrition can aid recovery.

I am a mother to a gorgeous 21 month old girl, and currently pregnant with our second baby, due in December, so I know how exhausting motherhood is under regular circumstances. I am fortunate enough that I haven't suffered from baby blues or PND myself, however I have been advised by my midwives that my current situation does put me in a high risk group (recently separated from my husband, moved back to Birmingham, messy divorce etc) so have been doing a lot of research into warning signs to look out for.

Anyway I am digressing, in order to put across some practical information on how regular exercise and good nutrition can help sufferers of PND, I need to understand a little more about the condition, not just from a statistical point of view but also from a personal one.

I have read boards at Mumsnet, Babycentre et al, but I would like to propose that this thread be for testimonials who have suffered from PND and especially from mothers who have used healthy living, fitness and nutrition to help overcome it.

I would like, with posters and mod permission to use quotes, and inspirational anecdotes to add to the practical and statistical information we give to the ladies who attend our support groups.

I would be grateful for anything that I can use or quote to put in the information leaflets and the website. I am more than happy to post a link to the website, and perhaps to post a scanned picture of the completed leaflet so you guys can see the finished article.

Many thanks in advance


IVV

I've suffered from pre natal depression with both my boys but thankfully it has never developed into post. Although when i saw the doc about it whilst pregnant with toddler tree he claimed I had probably been suffering from post natal depression since I had my 1st and it had carried over into the second. i highly doubt this as there are five years between my boys and barring the usual odd life ups and downs I can't complain really.

With regards to the specific study thinking about it you could be onto something. With big tree I had low blood pressure that would drop whenever it felt like it and if i were stressed. It led to me fainting in the middle of a pub and having to stop and crouch for a while in the middle of an asda shop until the moment had passed amongst other instances. I found them all highly embarrassing so i stopped leaving my house unless it was absolutely necessary, Perhaps this was a catalyst for the depression as once I had big tree I was up and about as normal and never developed post natal depression.

Again with toddler tree throughout the pregnancy i had 2 infections running concurrently that left me bedbound, the low immune system they created left me open to swine flu which i contracted the week after I stopped the anti-biotics then the spd which had been mild got so bad i could barely walk all leaving my housebound and massively reliant on mr tree who is the only driver in our household. Again I got depressed. Again as soon as baby tree was born i was out and about walking at least 4 to 8 miles every day and i never developed post natal depression.

I definitely think the great outdoors have a lot to be said for them in any instance of depression. As hard as it can be to drag yourself up get ready and force yourself out of the door, i know from personal experience that it does you the world of good.

As for nutrition i have a ridiculous sweet tooth so i can't help you there!

Hmm, well, I had PND with my first and second and it was all very odd. No other way to describe it - I just lost my marbles. I could not read, write, follow a cookery book, I went out of the house for a walk and could not find the house to get home. I went shopping and paid for the wrong person's shopping (a whole trolley full). I went to Asda and came back in the wrong car (it was identical in my defence), that has had the most lasting effect as I have not driven since and can not even remember how to drive. I used the creche at Safeway and left the store forgetting my child (particularly bad day). I was paranoid and thought everyone hated me, but then I hated everyone, hated talking to people, was tired and then flipped and was hyper-active, decided to paint the entire house in day, dig a pond in an afternoon.

Treatment? Thanks to a shit GP nothing, and thanks to a even shittier ex-partner who just beat the abused me in everyway possible and beat the shit out of me on a daily basis. I only survived due to my fantastic Health Visitor - I owe her my life.

TLC x

I was misdiagnosed and never had a correct diagnosis, until my first was 2. At this point, I was literally wacked of 20mgs of citrolpram and given 1-to-1 CBT. To be honest, I only went through 2 months of therapy (1 session a week) and felt like I had gained what I needed. Due to the support already around me, social services were kind enough to bring in a therapist, who visited me at home on a weekly basis, not to have a session but just to see how I was. She came round twice a week for an hour or so and sat with me for a natter, we had a fair few cuppas. I joined differenct types of mummy & toddler groups, made more 'me time' and focused on the positive (i know, sounds corny).

When I was at my worst, I never slept, I would be awake for 4-6 days at a time, no appetite, zero confidence, crying all the time, hated myself and I did have thoughts about not waking up and that my son would be better off without me. At my lowest point, I knew I had to get out (it was 10pm ish), i wrapped my son in a blanket, put him in his pushchair and hurried round to my parents. I remember banging on their door, in tears. Mum open the door to me (i was in my pj's, ugg boots and a coat) and I just said 'i have to go', left my son with her and literally ran down the road. I had no clue where I was going and I can't remember from that moment on what happened but I do remember the police turning up and I wsas sat on a log, in a farm field about 3 miles from my parents. It was then, I was given the help I desperately needed.

With a good support network around me, I snapped out of my PND within 4 ish months, a combination of antiD's, therapy and friends. But some of the thoughts I had were that bad that I just didn't trust myself.

I was literally put on shark watch by my GP and MW, in my 2nd birth & I think with all the precautions taken and family around me preparing for the worst, I've managed not to become a sufferer.

Wow, reading those 2 accounts I'm now unsure whether mine was PND, but it was bad for me at the time.
Hubby is Afghan, me in Germany with very few friends, uncle just seriously injured in Afghan and I went down hill. Littlest M was 6 weeks old when my uncle was injured, we were really really close so it hit me hard.
I would spend all day every day in my PJs, except if I needed to go to the shops or take eldest M to nursery. I would shout and scream at my eldest, she was only 2 at the time and it was horrible, she hadn't done anything wrong. Youngest was actually sleeping through at this point so I should've been getting enough sleep but I would probably only be able to get 1-2 hours a night if I was lucky.
I lost my appetite, and would live on a slice of toast and some chocolate each day. I felt very very isolated, paranoid, and generally alone and hopeless. I hid all of this from Mr M which probably wasn't the best thing to do.
It all happened gradually so I didn't really realise there was anything wrong, until 2 months later when I literally broke down at nursery when I dropped my daughter off, and went off to the docs.
The doc told me I just needed to sleep and prescribed me sleeping tablets. I refused to take them, and seriously questioned his conduct when he knew I was on my own with a 3 month old baby and a 2 year old! I then went to the Health Visitor and she was fabulous. I wasn't given medication, I was told I needed to eat more, which I started to do. She visited me at home twice a week just to chat, and then hubby came home and it felt like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders! I genuinely believe that I was suffering with PND until quite recently really.

Mrs_M, it can show in all different forms, from slight to drastic. You could well have been suffering from it, you'd be surprised how many mums are misdiagnosed

I suffered with PND, it took nearly 2 months for the doctors, HV, Midwifes and the OH to even realise i had it. But slowly i just couldn't keep things together, i'd cry at the slight little thing, My OH would come home and find me in our bedroom crying with the door shut and my son screaming, i lost over a stone in weight, i wouldn't leave the house. Final straw came when i went to our med centre and stood their waiting room for 45 mins with a screaming baby I just started crying and couldn't stop. All of a sudden everyone was there.
I was kept on regular contact with my health Vistior who came over every 2 days. I had doctors appointment every week to discuss anything i need to and the OH was given 2 weeks leave and put on light duties.
All in all i am alot better because of the care i got and i'm grateful for it. I still have my bad days and thats what friends are for.