Postpartum psychosis during labour

[Mirrorball]

Did any one else have PP during labour? My psychotic episode started when I was about 6cm dilated.

[Helen_84 Volunteer]

Hi Mirrorball,

Yes, I had PP during labour, for me it happened when I had an epidural. I had been in continuous labour for about 36 hours by then and hadn't had much sleep the 2 nights previously due cramping. It was quite instantaneous for me, I heard a 'zing' across my brain and both my mum and my husband knew something had changed in me - my husband said my eyes suddenly became 'wired'. My daughter wasn't born for another 12 hours.

I always found this quite interesting and when I was first diagnosed couldn't really understand it as technically I wasn't post partum when it happened. Xx

[flower12 in reply to Helen_84]

Hi Mirrorball,

Like Helen I felt a major change after my epidural. It took about a week for all the symptoms to come though.

Thanks for sharing.

[Revans86 Volunteer]

Hey Mirrorball, I was convinced that someone was banging on the door trying to get into the labour room while I was having my little boy. The midwife put it down to the gas and air which can do odd things, but looking back now I wonder if it was the first sign of my PP. She also asked if I was hungry as she thought I could be hallucinating because of that! I was extremely sleep deprived before my labour even started so it's possible it was all kicking off. Who knows! Xxx

[Cheekymummy]

Hi Mirrorball,

Interesting you say that. When I was in active labour I was laughing throughout it and apparently the midwife said to my mum afterwards that she'd never seen that before!

Xox

[SHaron154abbie]

No my pp came on two weeks after my daughter had to go to another hospital

[Kats88]

Yes, mine started as I was pushing and the first thing I said when she was born was "that's not my baby get it away from me". And it all snowballed from there.

[Ceew]

I didn't have psychosis symptoms during labor, but mania had set in by the end of it.

My son's birth took over 48 hours, so by the end I had been awake for almost 3 days. When I was finally set up in our mother-baby unit room, that's the first time I tried to sleep, and just couldn't. And that's when I really noticed that my brain was starting to get fuzzy and distracted, and I was compulsively talking and texting.

Things just escalated from there until I was taken to the ER 4.5 days postpartum.

[Chilliboo in reply to Ceew]

What a shocker! A 48 hour labour, honestly, it's no wonder you ended up with PPP 😕

[new-baby]

After about 8 hours and an epidural I thought I saw my Cat slinking around in amongst the legs of the monitors and beds, chairs in the delivery room. My husband thought this was hilarious as if, to top off being in labour, the cat needed feeding as well. Of course she wasnt' really there and I reckon I was missing her really or maybe she was missing me, you know what they say about cats being able to sense their owners from miles away! Not quite so funnily, I snapped at a consultant when he came to examine me as by then I was fed up. I sometimes despair of myself when I lash out even when it's totally uncalled for. Oh well, put it down to experience! And a humble apology to that consultant.