PPP

[Bluelady-sing]

Did anyone have out of blue with no previous mental health problems

[Jessi_D]

Yes, no history of mental health problems, then PPP after birth of first child.

[Jocelyn_at_APP Partner APP]

Me too. No history of anything. A great pregnancy but then lots of complications during and after the birth with a c-section.

[kcha Volunteer]

Yes the same for me. No previous history. X

[angviolet]

Nothing serious. I’d never heard of PPP. Id been on 10mg lexapro on and off for four years before I fell pregnant for anxiety which caused me to be depressed (the constant anxiety I mean). I have a family history of bi polar disorder though. My grandmother was hospitalised with it back in the day.

[Dani89]

no history for me either. lovely pregnancy, but terrible birth! mine was mostly caused by sleep deprivation- was too excited/anxious to sleep

[Chick44nzrn]

Yes I did , exactly that . I’d been a happy young woman with a solid nursing background , with no history of depression or any other mental condition so when it struck after the birth of my first baby along with a traumatic birth , emergency c section / fevers it was like the end of my sane happy world Terrifying .

Denise

[Bluelady-sing in reply to Chick44nzrn]

what happened how old was your baby when had ppp. Did your have services involved and all over your business

[Beckles30]

Yes same for me too!...just had anxiety before and a little depression...this completely knocked me down but slowly after a lot of downs I’ve picked up!

[Jessi_D]

I had a good pregnancy, some anxiety about being induced due to late pregnancy, but the birth experience was actually fine (painful, but manageable; and no tearing or intervention other than the initial sweeps).

[Gina139693]

Yes, no history at all and then after the birth of my third child.

[Bluebell24]

No history at all of mental health problems . Had 2 episodes of PPP now and been diagnosed with general anxiety disorder . Since learnt that 2 aunties on my dad side have anxiety and depression.

[Recoveringmama]

Always felt like my moods were a little more up and down than others but never had any sleep disturbances or needed extra support to regulate my mood until my daughter was born and then I couldn't sleep and became very manic. Started right after a traumatic birth that included rushing off to emergency surgery minutes after giving birth to repair internal tearing. I do have a significant family history of bipolar disorder. Since having PPP, I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

[Chick44nzrn]

Hi Pumpkins . It’s so often the case it seems PPP hits us like a meteorite without warning and there is a lot of general ignorance around it . Not so much with P n D that many have heard of as “ the blues” although it’s far more serious . Safety in childbirth has come a long way but mainly in physical health risks taking precedence but the mental effects are not as well known or addressed and often hidden . My baby was a newborn when it hit me but with my second I struggled with severe depression . I’m convinced that anxiety , extreme tiredness , traumatic birth etc all have a big effect increasing the risk of mental problems . I have thought of starting a support group here in Dorset for women . One of the worst aspects for me was the lack of understanding and having to keep it to myself and struggle through in a state of fear and failure.

This forum is excellent and I’m sure the women who subscribe all gain confidence from sharing experiences !

X Denise

[Mudgette]

I suffered with severe depression and mild anxiety before PPP. I think PPP is more common if you've suffered with some form of mental health problem but can occur out of the blue. How are you doing now?

Lots of love,

Natalie

xx

[Vee82]

Hi there, came out of the blue for me to after the birth of my first child. No mental health problems before or in the 34 years after, including my second child. Took me a long time to come to terms with it though. Best wishes to you all. Vee x

[Bluelady-sing]

I am looking forward to baby not to services, in my area anyone without a partner gets a social worker - it usually goes down hill there

[BlueVelvet51]

Yes me too. I had no history of mental illness, depression or anxiety and was fine after my first 2 children. I got PP after my third birth which had complications similar to my second birth and I had severe sleep deprivation.

[Gem169]

Same here with no history and smooth pregnancy. Relatively smooth birth too!! Anyone in the midlands want to link up to support each other??

[guinea1]

Mine was out of the blue and I got better, plus was fine with my second child with no medication or extra support. Noone could tell me why and after 20yrs got a trigger still asking the same questions about it all, plus I don't understand why out of the blue I have a relapse now. It makes me fill really sad, fustrated not know why.

[Hannah_at_APP Administrator in reply to guinea1]

Hi guinea1, sorry to hear that you are experiencing a relapse. It’s not surprising you are feeling sad and frustrated, especially after getting well

and having another child without being unwell again too.

There’s so much about mood disorders like pp that isn’t yet known and much more research is needed. The FAQs part of the APP website mentions “am I likely to have an episode at other times” at the bottom, which might be helpful for you to read: app-network.org/what-is-pp/...

I hope you’ve been able to speak to a health professional and get some support with your symptoms? Sometimes there aren’t any easy answers but asking for help and reaching out to others is a positive step. Take care, xx

[guinea1 in reply to Hannah_at_APP]

Thanks Hannah, this has been going on for the past 3 years, it was triggered from needing a hospital procedure and then a follow up appointment with a very stressy consultant who told me I had nothing wrong with me and didn't know why I had pain and sent me on my way, making me feel like rubbish they had to get my gp to phone me as it upset me so much, things went on while til I got a new gp as old one had retired and everytime he mentioned the hospital would freak out.....finally after sometime with tummy problems he realised that I had anxiety and then everything started coming out about the PP and being scared I would get it again at menopause as was told by a social worker it could come back so things became pretty terrifying and the fear of psychiatric people unbearable as the treatment in the psychiatric hospital was really bad, back in the day and I terrified all the time whilst there, i am being treated for trauma and PTSD, have a very supportive GP, who got me counselling until the EMDR treatment came up which I am about 1/2 way through, but there are so many questions unanswered, the treatment was unacceptable and my GP keeps saying he is sorry on their behalf but it is for him to say, he has always been there for me. So things are pretty hard and confusing at the moment.

[Hannah_at_APP Administrator in reply to guinea1]

That all sounds really hard, I'm sorry you have been through it all. It's good to hear you have a supportive GP. That can be at least part of the battle. I hope things get easier for you soon, take care, xx

[Pikorua Volunteer in reply to guinea1]

Hello guinea1,

I am so terribly sorry about your struggles and sudden challenges...

I have had inappropriate treatment, I was handled unreasonable, which caused shoulder injuries on both sides and put into isolation for many days on end, without accessing facilities for primary needs.

I have had no gynaecological support, despite having given birth to my son. I was misdiagnosed at the beginning and my partner suffered so much heartache with members of staff in the mixed psychiatric gender unit in 2010. In other words we experienced 39 days of hell until my partner managed to get me out.

We both have suffered ongoing PTS. During my recovery I was misdiagnosed with agora and social phobia as I have ongoing fear and anxiety. Luckily through APP I found Professor Ian Jones, who helped my partner and I. Since last year I was diagnosed with Bipolar 1.

Flashbacks do come back occassionally, especially when I visited the new MBU in Exeter...(volunteering for Devon Partnership) but I believe the confrontation of some aspects of the clinical surrounding helped me in a sense, which is a bit like "exposure therapy".

I believe your suffering and possible unreasonable treatment has been so immense that you may have kept things deeply buried. Here I am just assuming as we are all unique and very complex.

I share greatest compassion for you and hope you can find some therapeutic avenues in order to overcome those emotional obstacles...

Wishing you well

x

[guinea1 in reply to Pikorua]

Thanks Pikorua, you are right the treatment was very frightening, other patients with anger issue ripped a door off, woke up and having blood taken, noone really spoke to me and just wanted to go home, but they refused to let me just kept me sadated was there for a month until hubby got me a home visit and said I wasn't going back as it was making me very unwell me staying there...so waited another month at home until I went to a psychiatric clinic only patient with pp but a very safe environment for me and baby where they help me to bond and care for baby....and yes had locked everything away, as it was too painful to go there, but looking back it had been pushing to get out but I had been able to handle it until now, noone has ever talked about it and my GPS then never saw me when I came back home for good, so there wasn't the trust or relationship with my drs that I have now, though it is still hard to imagine that I am going to get to the other side of all this and get off this carousel but wherever this journey takes me, I have a understanding doctor and this helps a lot

[guinea1 in reply to guinea1]

I feel it is very important for mothers to have the opportunity to go though what happened and talk to there gp after they are all though this terrible experience so it doesn't sit around for years to fester, also think it would be a good idea for the GPS to approach you to come in for a chat about everything once you are home again, but maybe this happens nowadays

[Arae007]

Yes, no history

[Bluelady-sing]

Thanks guys...Good to hear your storied