Hello I am new to this group and was wondering if anyone had any positive stories of having a baby after PP? I had PP following the birth of my little girl back in 2020. I actually attempted to take my own life but now I have made a full recovery and actually feel better than I have ever felt in my whole life. I am now hoping to start trying for another baby but ofcourse my husband although he would like another one is petrified of me suffering again.
Thanks in advance
Hello Belle278,
Welcome to the forum 
My name's Jenny, I'm one of the peer support coordinators at APP.
I'm sorry you experienced PP after your little girl was born, and that you and your husband went through such a difficult time. It's great to hear that you have made a full recovery and are feeling so well now.
I had PP after my first son was born in 2012 - I had no history of mental illness and it was very much out of the blue, we'd never heard of PP. I recovered well but as I'm sure is the case for so many of us, found the decision around having another baby an extremely difficult one. Ultimately we did decide to try for another and I had a second son in 2016 - fortunately I stayed well the second time and it was very different and positive experience.
I wanted to share APP's insider guide 'Planning pregnancy: a guide for women at high risk of postpartum psychosis' with you, which I found very helpful along with the shared experiences here on the forum - app-network.org/postpartum-...
There wasn't a perinatal mental health team in my area at the time but I think there are teams in most if not all areas now. You can ask to be referred for preconception counselling to talk through your previous experience, the risks and what support you'd have access to should you decide to try for another baby. I accessed the second opinion service at Cardiff University Psychiatry Service and had a consultation with Prof Ian Jones which was incredibly helpful (app-network.org/get-help/ta.... We talked through my risk of having PP again with another baby (which was put at around 50%) and the things I could perhaps put in place to reduce this risk.
For me, the main things I put in place were to prioritise sleep, to formula feed after the initial feeds (not just to help with my sleep but breastfeeding became a major fixation when I was becoming unwell with PP and I just wanted to take it out of the equation so it didn't become a 'thing' again), and I took a low dose of antipsychotic that could be upped quickly should I start displaying symptoms (I stayed on this for 6 months). Once pregnant and booked in with the midwives, I was put under consultant led care for my pregnancy (I remained under midwife led care for the birth) and had some appointments with a mental health outreach nurse later in my pregnancy who helped me to put plans in place, including an advanced decision to set out my wishes and preferences should I become unwell again, which was shared with those looking after me (I think my GP, midwife, health visitor and the MBU I'd been admitted to with PP, who were made aware of my due date). I put a lot of plans in place then when comfortable that we knew what to do should anything happen, literally put them in a drawer - we planned for the worst and hoped for the best
It's a very personal decision and everyone has to reach a decision that is right for them and their family, but if you do decide to go ahead and try for another child, know there is a lot of support out there. You can access peer support through APP (here on the forum and/or 1:1 with a peer support volunteer - you can read more about our peer support here - app-network.org/get-help/pe... and would have the support of your local perinatal mental health team. The support I had ended when my baby was born, I'd have been referred into mental health services had I become unwell again, but perinatal mental health teams support mums for the postpartum year and in some areas for up to two years.
I hope this helps a bit. I'm very happy to share any further details of my own experience with you, and know others here will reply to you too.
Wishing you all the best and do write here any time
Best wishes,
Jenny x
Thank you so much for your reply I really appreciate it. It has really been useful hearing someone's else story and I'm so glad you got your happy ending . It is really interesting to find someone else who did not previously suffer with mental illness before as I didn't really either (although looking back maybe my anxiety was not quite normal but I didn't take anything for this). I actually have a pre-conception appointment with the psychiatrist who supported me last time so I'm hoping that will make my husband feel more at ease fingers crossed. It's strange because it almost feels that I was never ill but for my husband it's completely different as he lived through it.
Thank you so much again
My wife had PP following a difficult birth (undiagnosed pre-eclampsia) of our first daughter, Mary. That was before APP and there was very little knowledge about the condition. We were told by our GP that a recurrence was "a million to one". As you probably know, APP's research has revealed it's more like 50/50.
She had a second bout of PP following our second daughter, Lucy but this was less severe, I had experience of the illness, and she got admitted to what must have been one of the first Mother and Baby Units.
Lucy was a very outgoing child. Mary was more studious. It was OK by us that they had different personalities. What we didn't realise was Lucy wasn't studious because she found school work so easy. She became a star pupil at a very good school doing well in every subject. She went on to read Mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge and is now working in Financial Services.
You can probably tell we're very proud of her and don't regret our decision - even though it was made in ignorance.
Andy
hello Belle!
I feel a bit like the grandma of this group and even though my PP was a long time ago , 1988 I want to share the fact that I went on to have 2 more children without PP. Like you I tried to take my own life and had what was called a Command Hallucination.
There were a lot of contributing factors in 1988. Difficult marriage, a move mid pregnancy away from all friends and family. A very stressful time and a very difficult labour and delivery. No sleep whatsoever after giving birth then PP on the 5th day.
The main differences second and third time round were
A very positive new marriage
Epidurals booked in advance
An eating plan to keep blood sugar level. This was simply some carbohydrates every 3 hours
My mum moving in as soon as I got home and staying for two weeks insisting that I sleep as much as I could and I just had the babies to feed. My daughter from 1988 was also a little Godsend helping where she could.
I did liaise with specialists in the field . At that time Professors Brokington, Dr Kumar and Dr Dalton. Gather as much help advice and support as you can. .
I just knew the key thing was a managed labour and sleep afterwards and total support from friends and family.
Hope this is encouraging and do ask if you need to know more
Kind regards, Helen x
Hi Belle278,
Welcome to the forum, I hope that reading some of the replies here have been helpful already. I don't have too much to add to the already great responses. I had pp in 2018 and went on to have another baby in 2021 without pp, though I did experience some depression 3 months post partum.
The decision took a lot of thought, and you raise an important point about partners. I remember parts of being very unwell, but my husband remembers all of it, so the nerves are quite understandable. Being under a perinatal team the second time around, and followed up closely, helped to limit the uncertainty around what could happen if I were to become unwell again.
The guide that Jenny mentioned was a very good read and I also read a book about becoming a second time mum that helped me to get in the frame of mind to receive my new baby. Pp or not pp it is quite the transition for everyone.
Whatever you and your husband decide at the end, do take the opportunity to ask as many questions as you want to the perinatal psychiatrist and here on the forum. Everyone's experience is slightly different and it is good to get a wide view of it.
Take very good care, happy to answer any questions, wishing you all the best
Maria
Hi Belle278,
It's great to hear that you are feeling back to your old self and are thinking about having another child. I had PP back in 2002 after the birth of my first child. Like others I had not had any issues with my mental health so it was a bolt our of the blue and at that time it was even less well known than it is now. It took a while for the correct diagnosis to be given and I was on medication until my son was 2 years 2 months old. By this time he was at the really cute stage and I really wanted another child. The thought of not being able to have another one was so upsetting. I remember holding a friend's second baby and thinking to myself that I would never hold another baby that was my own.
We went back to speak to the psychiatrist at the MBU that I had stayed in to seek advice. She gave me my own individual risk of relapse and practical advice on how we could reduce this risk. I started medication the day my second child was born and my husband did the night time feeds for the first month or two - I really can't remember now how long it was for. We also moved closer to my in-laws who would be able to help if I was unwell again.
I was very fortunate in not having another episode of PP but we did like Jenny, plan for the worst and hope for the best.
Having another baby gave me a second chance to have those firsts again,(the ones I felt I'd missed out on with my first child - we were separated for the first month as I was in a general psychiatric ward). This time it was completely different and was a healing experience for me. I had assumed that I didn't like babies as I'd really struggled with my first child at that stage. It turns out I was wrong, I loved all the stages, I was just very ill with my first born.
It is not an easy decision to make and you do need to have your husband on board. I wonder whether you could get him to post on the forum or speak to one of the other dads on here. My "kids" are now 21 and nearly 18 and I could not imagine my life without having had both of them. It is a brave (some would say foolish) step to take, my husband thought I was brave for putting myself at risk again and I thought he was brave for putting himself potentially back in the same position of having to deal with it all again. Our gamble paid off. You need to find out what your risks are and if you're both willing to take the risk.
I wish you well on this and really hope you can both agree on where you go from here.
Thank you for sharing this amazing story! It gives the rest of us much hope. I too am hoping for a second child. (Had PP last year out of the blue; well perinatal depression turned into psychosis on day 5 with no prior mental health problems). Question for you (you don’t have to answer if it’s too personal). How did you manage anxieties around possibly having a relapse? Have you experienced any bouts of mental ill health in the past 20 years? I’m struggling with this (I feel well now and all things considered recovered pretty well after the first time around) but I don’t know how to ease my anxieties for the future. Any pointers are appreciated - especially from someone whom it happened awhile ago.
Congratulations on raising two amazing children!
Hi Equine beauty,
In terms of dealing with the anxiety of a possible relapse, I think I made the decision to have a second child and had to accept there was a risk. At the end of the day I had done it once and if the worst happened I could do it again. I made a full recovery from PP so the chances are I would make a full recovery again. I just kept reminding myself of that. Sort of a what will be will be attitude. Once you have all the precautions in place ( know your signs of a possible relapse, know who you would contact, they know what medication they would put you on etc) you can't do anymore.
I also think that with having 2 little ones running around I didn't really have a lot of time to dwell on the possibility of a relapse. I suppose I put it to the back of my mind once I'd decided that course of action.
I have been very fortunate in that I've not had any mental health issues since my PP so far. I think you do need to take account of the fact you have had this illness and may be more susceptible to issues caused by stress etc so I have always tried to exercise regularly. This is more difficult when the kids are small but you can combine activities. I remember my husband and I would jog while the kids cycled and so on.
Also I've tried to remove myself from stressful situations where I can, for example when suffering from brain fog going through perimenopause I got signed off work until the situation was resolved. I may have struggled on before my illness.
Just listen to your body, I suppose and try and generate a positive inner voice that says 'I've got this, I can do this' or surround yourself with positive people, that always helps.
Hope that's helpful.
Best of luck.
Hello again! And thank you for being so encouraging. My husband and I are both on board. And between my mom and mother-in-law - someone will be staying with us for at least 3 months post birth. I will work out a relapse prevention plan like you suggested (what emergent medications worked last time, which hospital I prefer, etc.) and I guess you’re right - what will be - will be. I did get over it once, I will again if I have to. But hopefully we can catch any little sign early and intervene.
Like many on here are saying - trying to minimize stress in their lives has become somewhat of a priority - even if it wasn’t before. That’s a good point.
Thank you again for your encouragement & take good care as well.
Ps. I’m over the moon for my daughter (she is my first and Im 40 so I’ve waited for her a long time) and hope to give her a sibling soon - they’ll keep me busy like you said so less time for worries and anxieties 😇
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