[Ivory]

I have a 4 month old baby, and just found out I am pregnant again! I had horrific depression during and after my pregnancy with my daughter. I already suffer from bipolar disorder and OCD, and the pregnancy hormones made my mental illness so much worse. It truly was hell, and now I am terrified at the prospect of going through it again.

I was fortunate enough to deliver my daughter vaginally, but for this baby I am thinking about a preplanned C section, to avoid the dramatic shift in hormones that your body goes through during labor. I know they say postpartum depression is higher among moms who had an emergency C section. But what about moms who choose to bypass the heavy duty hormones involved in labor and delivery and opt for a voluntary surgical delivery? I know recovering from surgery is never easy, but for someone with a mood disorder who is very sensitive to hormonal fluctuations, would this be a better alternative?

I already have decided not to breastfeed my second child. I feel bad about depriving my child of such a wonderful source of nutrition, and disappointed to miss out on the bonding experience of it. But unfortunately, the hormone prolactin involved in breastfeeding made my depression and anxiety a lot worse. ( due to its relationship with the neurotransmitter dopamine, I suspect ) I nursed my daughter for 2 months, and I felt a lot better once I switched her to formula and was no longer producing milk.

If anyone has any suggestions for me on how to minimize my depression during and after this pregnancy, I would appreciate it so much! Thanks for any advice!

[Jillian ~*Cohen's mummy*~]

your hormones still get mssed up witha c-section too, inf act oxytocin which is the hormone who have in labor is actually a hormone that is a feel good homone. i think if it were a c-section it would be worse. you would be in more pain after and taking care of two children. i know women who breastfeed arer less likely to suffer from post partum. also women who have c-section tend to suffer more from it for another reason. when you aheva c-section you don't get to hold your baby right away and that aids to PPD as well.

[kiwi mum to one and a bun]

The hormones produced during breastfeeding are knowen to actually prevent post natal depression. Also, Im pretty sure you still go through all the hormones with a c section. I know this is really really gross but its true so I will mention it. Eating your placenta can help fight post natal depression. I know that the idea of doing that is disgusting but you can actually get your placenta sent off and preserved into pills. I havent really looked into it but apparently some mums do this to avoid post natal depression. If you are desperate to try anything, it might be worth looking into.

[Skadoctor1]

you will need to consult your dr. about c-section. Most wont unless you've had one before for other reasons or, you are a medical risk. Its got to do with infection risk etc.

Bipolar is no fun while pregnant because you cant be on medications to help but you can be on medications afterward and, since you've been through it before, you should know by now what worked and what didnt and know when you are experiencing certain things so you can see 'warning signs'.

I would try to stay as relaxed as possible. If your mom and you are close or someone else and you in your family or friend network are close, I would ask for support during and immediately following your pregnancy. If they are able, this might mean that they should come stay w/ you for a while to help out.

Having kids 13 mos. apart is going to be overwhelming regardless, but knowing and identifying that you already have had issues w./ depression etc. can have you nervous. Try not to stress. This will only make matters worse. Take one day at a time. Consider seeing a councelor while you are pregnant to help w/ your feelings and to curb your bipolar tendancies until you deliver. Not all pregnancies are the same, so maybe if you think positive, things will remain positive.

As for breastfeeding, there are agencies out there that sell breastmilk from other women. Sounds weird even to me, but if you really want your child to have that nurishment but you are afraid of the hormonal response of providing it yourself, you can buy one of those fake boob attachments that a bottles go in (like the ones males are supposed to use to help bond w/ the child) in order to bond w/ your 2nd baby and buy breastmilk (unless you have a friend that will supply it for you for free). Good luck!

[Jessica]

I had a planned c section that went perfect, but I had horrible post partum anxiety. I think it was not only the hormones but all the pain meds you get after the c section. They also give you synthetic hormones after the delivery like pitocin and oxytocin. My post partum anxiety went away in about three months. I'm scared of having it again with this baby, but I plan on limiting the amount of pain medication and maybe since I've been through it once it won't be as bad. Since you won't be breastfeeding this baby can you take some type of anti depressent to help?

[ZenoubDon]

Thanks Luna ;-

I really like his approach.

As bad as my situation has been, he is right in saying that I just need to keep calm and get control of my mind and get my life back to normal. No meds needed. I hope there wont be, but well see. It is mild anxiety and depression and there are a lot of things that I can do to hopefully get rid of these feelings, just even simple life changes, and now get back to my daily life and of course know that physically I am OK so forget about that.

The situation was obviously just made so so so so much worse by locking myself in my apartment for 2 weeks thinking it was a virus - It was unfortunately the worst thing to do for treating depression and anxiety Without knowing it, I made it 10 times worse.

Im not going to fool myself and think that now I am going to stay like this every day and that everything is back to normal however.

The 2/3 problems I still had today were not being able to sleep, which is a big problem for me, especially seeing that once again, its like how I felt two weeks ago that there is a problem not falling sleep in this case BUT that mentally I feel totally empty and cant see or understand what is going on in my mind - I was laying there for all of those hours and didnt think I had any thoughts going on in my head. I couldnt feel/see them at all. They must be way far back its crazy
Second/third problem, keep getting light headed and feeling faint. Not sure about that as Ive eaten and drank today unlike the other 13 days so weird to be feeling that. Not sure why it can be. However, I wonder if its connected to something else which I am also not sure why is happening - I can feel that I am not breathing in and out fully/properly. Once again , its not like at the time I feel like I am anxious/stressed and dont think I have anything on my mind at the time of not breathing properly.. it just happens and I feel Im doing it and get a hold on it.

Wish I could understand myself better I really do