Is there such a thing as pregnancy induced depression and what can I do to get through it? I am 6 months into my third pregnancy and have never felt like this in my life. Everything started to go downhill when I fell pregnant. I feel as if I have failed my family, friends and myself. I have lost all of my self-esteem and am considering giving up on the degree I have been studying for 3 years because I don't see myself as an intelligent or worthy person anymore. I have lost my few friendships because I don't want to be around people anymore. I'm a stay at home mum and although my youngest baby is too little to realize what's happening, my 3 year old sees me crying throughout the day and has started to ask what's wrong. I have mentioned it to my husband but he isn't concerned. I was planning to just keep trying to manage and hoped that I would be back to my normal self once the new baby was born. But now I find myself feeling like burden on my husband and children, and that they would be better off without me. I'm too ashamed to speak to my midwife or GP about it. Has anyone had experience with this during pregnancy? Am I best to call one of the anonymous helplines? What should I try next?
Sudden depression during pregnancy?
Sudden depression during pregnancy?
Posted in:
Mental Health, Post Natal Depression, Anxiety & Depression, Pregnancy
4 Replies
Please speak to GP or midwife, this is VERY common. Depression can occur to anyone at anytime and there is nothing to be ashamed of. If you don't think you can say the words, get them to read what you wrote.
If you need to speak to someone, yes speak to one of those hotlines, but your health care team NEED to know how you are feeling, as they are the ones that can offer you ongoing support.
Oh hun I know exactly how you feel. Including being too embarrassed/ashamed to say anything to anybody. In the end I wrote it all down, how I felt about myself and life and then gave it to my husband. I knew I couldn't say the words to him. He sounds like your husband, knows something isn't quite 'right' but we get very good at putting on a front for others don't we? I would say your husband isn't concerned because he doesn't understand or see the depth of your pain.. Personally I found once I'd opened up to him I was able to then go to the gp and talk to him but if you can't, take your letter to the gp/midwife as well for them to read. I cried and cried in the doctors surgery, felt absolutely horrible and embarrassed that I'd cried but I left with a health care plan, for the first time in a long time I felt I had a small grasp of control.
This all happened before I had kids. I'm now pregnant with my second child. With my first I had a brief period of becoming depressed again but due to my history and being more open I was able to get on top of it a lot sooner.
Good luck. That you have coped this long feeling this way shows what incredible strength you have. If you would like someone to talk to please feel free to pm me x
I went through the exact same thing with my recent pregnancy which was a huge surprise and unexpected. I went crazy, I was miserable, lonely, isolated myself, lost all energy for my two older kids (8 and 3) and just had no want to even be around at all. I told my midwives that I was losing my mind and they took no notice at all, I disconnected from my husband and I couldn't recognize myself anymore.
Happy to say that bub is nearly 4 weeks now and from the moment I met him it all seemed to disappear.
I am finally back to normal, not saying you'll experience the same but I spent my entire pregnancy worried about depression and concerned it would become post partum depression and destroy my family but it never happened. I am so thankful because there were some really dark lonely days this pregnancy.
Take one day at a time, cry when you need to, scream when you need to, sit on your own and enjoy a quiet cup of tea when you're borderline killing everyone you come across. You're not alone
Very common. Please speak to your GP. Many partners just don't get it. I know I have been much more emotional this pregnancy than my previous ones.