Dealing with Possible Depression, Definate Anxiety.

Hi,
I am 32, mom to 3 girls ages 13, 6 and 1 1/2. I have been on and off of meds for what seems like forever. My last bout was with depression and it was pretty bad. I had my tubes tied with my last little girl but the doctors put me back on b/c pills b/c of anxiety. It did help some with the anxiety but sent me into the worst depression. I threw them out. I am very sorry you are going through this.
I really believe alot of it is situational. I feel very stressed alot of times - I work from home and I am a stay at home mom too. I do all of the household things - which suffer most of the time b/c I am chasing a very rambunctious little girl around. Take a look at what is going on around you. Are you overwhelmed with general tasks? Alot of my trouble is I have no help from my husband. He works outside of the home so he feels like everything else is up to me.
Maybe ask for help from your husband if you are married or from friends and family. If it doesnt help then talk to your doctor. I dont have much faith in docs b/c they have not been able to help me so far.
I wish you the best of luck. If you can keep it between the lines until you have your baby do so but if not dont be afraid to ask for help from whomever. If you are feeling it your baby is too.
take care, B.

First I want to say, I am not a doctor, but I have lived with clinical depression my entire life. I have also given birth to 5 children. My heart goes out to you and what you are going through, and I will include you in my thoughts and prayers. I also, absolutely hate medicine and the thought of depending on it to "get by", when "normal" people don't have to. For one thing though, what is normal? Through all my years of therapy, I can tell you that every single person out there goes through bad things. Who's to say who's normal and who's not? I would rather be on medicine and deal with my problems head on than sit back, assume i could get by without them, and not do everything i could to help things - even if that means taking medicine, whether your whole life or however long you may need it. I don't know how I would have gotten by without the help of medicines. I honestly would probably not be here right now. Things got that bad - any many, many times. If I could give you any advice, it would be get on something NOW! If you're feeling this way now, and you're not already on something (to treat the depression), when you have your child, there's a good chance you could fall completely on your face. My experience was that however bad it seemed during pregnancy; boy, it was nothing compared to what postpartum added to it. And it takes most medicines 30-60 days to completely get in your system and take it's full effect. So, why not? What's the worst that could happen? It's definitely not gonna hurt anything. And there are antidepressants that have been proven to be okay for pregnant women to take such as Paxil. And unfortunately, sometimes, it's a guessing game with depression meds. You just have to be patient, until you find the one that works for you. I have never tried hypnosis, so I can't say anything towards that. The depression may or may not ever go away. I don't say that to scare or depress you, it's just a reality i hope you never have to face. If you do though, there is always hope. I am sure living proof of that. My absolute best wishes to you and your unborn child. I hope you find the answer you are looking for and get peace from it. And the best of luck for a healthy delivery. (Just keep tellin yourself they are worth all that pain, lol - cause they really are worth every second :) ).

I just wanted to include this response that I posted to another woman. I have had a lot of problems with these things myself. One thing that doctors are quick to overlook is the importance of diet. One big thing can be the amounts of Omega-3s and B vitamins. I've had a lot of problems with anxiety, and these vitamins in particular help to even out moods. Also, have you had his overall blood sugar, etc. tested? Another one of my problems was my blood sugar level, I have to eat a carb. plus a protien every three hours, or I cannot focus and get very ill tempered. Your body uses progesterone to make adrenaline when your blood sugar levels fall, the adrenaline kicks you back up after you get all drowsy from low insulin levels. When adrenaline increases, your seratonin levels decrease dramatically, I'm not sure why or how, but they absolutely do!! Seratonin of course is was keeps you calm and even as far as moods go, so if that is lacking, everything goes haywire! SO, this is what I learned from an excellant doctor in Raleigh, and it has really helped me. It's also better to eat complex carbs., b/c like we'e learned by now form all the popular diets and everything, the "good" carbs don't make the insulin spike way up. These are some things that are a little more difficult than medication. I am still on Paxil b/c I haven't gotten in the habit of eating properly, but when I do I notice a huge difference with my problems. No matter how much therapy, medicine, etc. that you try, if your core diet and nutrients are depleted of key elements, nothign will help! I hope you give this thought and give it a try along with other things. Your husband might need to try it also!! They probably are similar. Also, I was on Zoloft before and it worked while I was breastfeeding, def. safe!
Also, her is an article that helped me a lot to change my way of thinking- on my own without a shrink, b/c shrinks can help, but it also helps to work on your own some too.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/PTO-19970501-0000...

zoloft is proven to be safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding for depressiion. thats what i had to take and then when i weaned my one year old i'm now taking cymbalta. it works great. i wasn't so crazy about the zoloft though but atleast it kept me from crying and disturbing my children. i am 27 and have dealt with depression since adolescents and it seems with each child it gets worse. but with medication you can lead a normal life it's just finding the right one for you. the same one is not right for everyone. if your in the concord area or close in another city your more then welcome to join my playgroup. i have noticed since i started it i have felt better also b/c i have friends and my children have friends. we get out of the house more and thats always good. it takes your mind off of things.

my playgroup: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/knee_high_gang/

I've had depression and anxiety issues all my life, with the exception of during my first pregnancy (it had taken so long to conceive - 4 years - that my ecstasy at actually getting pregnant carried me through the whole 9 months!), and am struggling now to not become depressed. My due date is March 16th, and I have a lot of fears and anxieties about the 2nd baby and my marriage, which is falling apart. That said, I have found that exercise like prenatal yoga or walks helps connect me to my body and helps me let go of my worries and fears for a while. Bon Secours hospitals have a "Love and Learn" book of classes which includes contact information for prenatal yoga classes- I highly recommend them!

D.,
First I want to say congratulations on your baby!

I went through the same kind of things when I was pregnant with my youngest. I had a lot of circumstances around my depression, the baby's father became very abusive and I was forced to move into a battered womens shelter when I was 4 months pregnant with her. I was put on Zoloft and it took some time but it worked for me. How long have you been on the Buspar? I was told that it can take up to a month for any antidepressant to get into your system and sometimes it can take that long for you to see affects from it. Maybe that is why your dr does not want to try any other meds. Maybe they are waiting till it gets into your system and has had a chance to take full effect on you. I can not say for sure. I would ask the dr why they do not want to try other meds. Tell them that you do not feel it is working like the last meds you were on.

I did not try any of the alternative treatments but only because I had other children that I would have had to take with me to them and I didnt feel that it was appropriate for them to be involved in that.

Knowing that you will be a single mom when the baby is born is hard to deal with. I can tell you that when my daughter was finally born, my mom was the first to hold her and I couldnt even look at her for a little while. When they finally told me I had to take her, I cried so hard I almost dropped her. I wish you the best of luck!

Hey D.,

This also happend to me while I was pregnant with my second. I was extremely depressed while pregnant and put on an antidepressant. Zoloft never worked for me. After I delivered I had severe post partum and was put on Effexor, for me this is the best medicine in the world. I have been diagnosed as clincally depressed and will probably be on Effexor forever. My parents, like you, were opposed to medicine but after seeing how much it has helped and brought me back to how I used to be they have since changed their mind. I don't know if you don't like it because you feel embarassed or not, but so many people take these now. God luck. Hopefully you have some close friends you can talk to, that helped me a lot just talking about your problems and laughing with your friends can really help you.

HI,D.!FIRST LET ME START BY TELLING YOU THAT I ALWAYS TYPE IN ALL CAPS,I HAVE A NERVE CONDITION AND IT'S JUST EASIER. SO,I'M NOT YELLING!WITH THAT SAID. I UNDERSTAND COMPLETELY,I HAVE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AND I CURRENTLY TAKE MEDS FOR IT.BUT IF YOU FEEL AS IF YOUR CURRENT MEDS ARENT DOING THE TRICK AND YOU'RE GETTING WORSE,YOU CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO CONTINUE ON THIS PATH.I AM A FIRM BELEIVER THAT A UNBORN CHILD CAN FEEL THE FEELING OF THE MOTHER.AND I WOULD HAVE A SERIOUS HEART TO HEART WITH MY OBGYN AND IF HE DOESN'T WANT TO PRESCRIBE ANYTHING ELSE THEN I WOULD ASK WHAT HE RECOMMENDS.GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND TO YOUR SOON TO BE NEW ARRIVAL!T.

Hey- I wish the best to you, first of all. I had depression and it was not diagnosed until almost a year after my daughter was born. Post-par depression, as well. Knowing what I know now, I would suggest seeing a therapist or just someone who "listens" well. Understand that you should not feel wrong or bad for these feelings of depression. Some pregnancies cause or even bring this out. However, don't be stubborn to ask for help. This is exactly what I think Mammasourse is about! I am an ear if you need one. Take care of yourself.

I agree with what Juy said in the first response (its the only one I read. But I am currently on disability for Deppression and am also taking meds. I would recommend seeing another doctor and maybe even seeing a pyschiatrist. This doesnt make you crazy! But I find myne to be very elp when it comes toneeding some to talk to about the thoughts running through your head. They are non-bais and can help you to see things a different ways. They also specialized in depression and anxiety meds and can let you know the options you have for making things better. I stayed off meds for my pregnancy, but going and talkig to my shrink really helped.

I was on 100 mg of Zoloft for depression and Xanax prior to my pregnancy. When I got pregnant I had to stop the Xanax but stayed on the Zoloft. The 100mg dosage quit working and we ended up having to double it prior to the end of my first trimester (my depression was causing danger to myself and others therefore we determined the risk was less considerable to the baby). I have stayed on 200 mg Zoloft since then and am still nursing my 20 month old son. He is rarely sick, never has had an ear infection, slept through the night after the first year and is a generally happy and well child. If you doctor refuses to give you any antidepressants, my advice is to change doctors. It's very possible neither myself or my son would be here today if it weren't for my meds. Also, being on the meds during pregnancy reduces the risk of post partum depression which you are at a bigger risk of if you're already suffering from depression prior to pregnancy. Feel free to email me if I can be of any help. :) Good luck.