Anxious about postpartum

[Babylove254]

Hi mamas,

I'm so glad to be in this community as I feel seen and heard.

I'm currently pregnant with baby #3 as we lost baby# 2 earlier this year.

Currently 6 months pregnant and already the insomnia has begun, and nothing seems to help me without leaving me completely foggy. Anyone tried something natural that has helped ? I'm in the U.S

When my psychiatrist was discharging me from care after having PPP with baby #1, he said if I was to get pregnant again, he'd recommend me getting on anti-psychotics before delivery.

Has anyone tried this and how did it work? Did it affect your child after birth? I'm not willing to expose my child to these kinds of meds.

I am willing not to breastfeed so I can take anti- psychotic meds after giving birth, so I don't expose my child to the meds.

Thanks for your advice.

[Redtap Volunteer]

Hi Babylove 254,

I also went on to have another baby after PP. Like you I was told that I may need to be medicated before the birth if I started suffering symptoms at that time. I was also told that they could prescribe me sleeping tablets if my sleep started to suffer before the birth and I did actually get the medication incase I needed to take it. Thankfully I didn't need to take it but it was an option.

Have you been offered sleeping tablets to help you sleep? This is something it's probably worth speaking to your psychiatrist about. It could also help to talk through possible effects this medication and your antipsychotic medication could have on your developing baby. I know that I did not want to take anything that might harm my baby when I was pregnant either but I came to the conclusion that if I needed to take the sleeping tablets to stay well and these were tablets prescribed by a doctor to a pregnant woman then taking the tablets and staying well was probably the best option for both of us.

Hopefully you will get a reply from someone on here who did take medication before the birth and they can reassure you. Just remember if you do have to take the medication please don't feel guilty about it. You are still acting in your child's best interests.

Wishing you well and I hope you get the help you need.

[Rachel_at_APP Partner APP]

Hello Babylove254,

Firstly I’m sorry to hear of your loss of a baby, that’s so sad and must have been very very difficult for your whole family.

Congratulations on your pregnancy, I hope you’re feeling ok, insomnia aside. That is a worry for you I’m sure. It’s good that you’ve got a psychiatrist who you’ve been speaking with. I know mine was very supportive in offering lots of options.

I had a second baby in 2020, following PP with my first. I did take antipsychotics from 35 weeks as was advised. It was a weighing up of options ultimately, to see what was going to be best for us.

I found it hard going onto medication during pregnancy, however, on balance we thought it was the best option to help (as best we could) prevent me getting poorly. I had to remember that it wasn’t just about me, we had an older child too who I had to do everything for to help ensure I could stay well.

I truly believe, that for me anyway, had I not gone onto medication when I did I would have gotten PP again. I am now extremely lucky to have a nearly 8 and nearly 4 year old. Neither of whom present any sign at all of my PP experience or effects of my medication. But of course do take advice from your own psychiatrist about different medications and options.

My youngest went to a ballet lesson this morning, getting involved and beaming the whole way through. Whilst my eldest is just off to a swimming lesson. They’re great. I feel extremely fortunate to have them, and to be well. I felt when planning my second, I had to take into account the bigger picture of medication and how it could support me in staying well. Not just focussing on them as babies, but on being able to be their Mummy for the long term. Take a look at APP’s planning pregnancy guide (link below) which may be helpful to read through.

Take care of yourself, keep talking to your family and professionals around you.

Rachel

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[Survivedwithcolor]

That’s a rough situation, and you’ve still got a few months to go. I think there are meds that will help you sleep that are safer than others. If it were me, I’d probably be like you and want to avoid the antipsychotics while pregnant. But I have not done it so am not a source of first hand advice. I avoided nearly all medications except acetaminophen (paracetamol) while I was pregnant and I admit I was absolutely miserable. My mood was very poor because I felt so ill most of the time and I probably could have benefited from an antidepressant. I didn’t do that and I did end up with PP. However I did take Prozac/fluoxetine after the birth and nursed the baby for ten months. She did end up with some hormonal issues when she got older but I don’t have any idea if it was something I did or if it would’ve happened anyway. I just don’t know and probably will never know.

You do have some very good physicians in the UK and they are probably your best source for a medical opinion.

[Buttercup12345]

Hi

During my recovery the thing that helped me relax, switch off and sleep the most was weekly sound healing I wish I had discovered this during pregnancy. Not sure what is said Bout using it during pregnancy but might be worth a shot? Once you check.

All the best xxx

[DoraDonig]

Hi Babylove 254

Congratulations on your pregnancy and I am so sorry for your loss earlier in the year.

I had Psychosis in November 2015 following the birth of my 1st daughter and I did end up having a healthy pregnancy and Postpartum with my 2nd daughter in March 2018.

To answer your questions:

Has anyone tried this and how did it work? Yes, small does of preventative quietapine to help me sleep

Did it affect your child after birth? No, no evidence of my baby being affected by the meds. I described in detail below how my care plan worked which I think helped overall with me staying well and having a great Postpartum 2 d time round.

I live in the UK and had a mental health team supporting me from the moment I conceived. What helped me 2nd time round was:

- quietapine 100mg from 37 weeks of pregnancy (there is no research to suggest this is harmful for the baby)

- my birth plan was to have a VBAC but I ended up with an emergency c section that I prepared could happen. Yet I was OK with it (mostly cos I was prepared this was an option)

- I stayed on the preventative quietapine for 6 months and I was taking in at 8pm every night after feeding baby, the milk from pumping as soon as I took the meds, I donated to Herts Milk Bank (local charity that helps provide breastmilk to mams).

- my husband was doing a bottle feed with my pumped breastmilk which I had an oversupply of at midnight/ 1am, so that I could sleep minimum 6 hours and by the time baby was awake 3/4/5am , I was able to feed her again.

- we had formula, bottles and all the gear at home in case I couldn't feed my babes, just as back up

- I stayed in the maternity ward for 72 hours post delivery so that the staff could look after me (I had a brilliant trainee midwife on shift during that time who used to take my daughter away to reception so that I could sleep).

- in the UK we also get a health visitor, who checked in on me every day for 2 weeks post being discharged. After that it became a weekly check in with my midwife and MH team for the best part of 3 months, then monthly for the next 3 (my first PPP was 3 months postpartum)

Breastfeeding was important to me and I completely understand why you would make a choice not to do it! Fed is best and you staying well is the most important- you can't pour from empty ❤️

Best of luck with everything, do not hesitate to ask any further questions on here. Do speak with your health professionals on what your preferences are, options and what helps you to stay well ❤️ I will keep my fingers crossed for your safe delivery

Dora

[EquineBeauty]

hi there! First of all congratulations on your pregnancy and to soon becoming a mum of 2!

I had PP in 2023 and recently made a decision that my husband and I will have another baby. I have 2 psychiatrists. One regular one and the other as a consult. Both of them reassured me that it is safe to take a preventative antipsychotic (low dose) in late pregnancy as the baby is mostly formed. And then increasing the dosage on the day of delivery. This is exactly what I plan to do. Me being well and taking care of my daughter and a newborn is most important. Just wanted to reach out in support and sympathy - I definitely understand your worries. Best of luck and many blessings your way with delivery and postpartum. I am sure you will have a much more positive experience postpartum this time around.

[Maria_at_APP Moderator]

Hi Babylove254,

Congratulations on your pregnancy. I am sorry that you suffered a loss earlier this year, that must have been very hard to go through. I am also sorry that you are now experiencing insomnia at 6 months pregnant.

I had pp in 2018 after the birth of my daughter and went on to have another baby in 2021, a boy this time. My psychosis started a few days after the birth of my daughter, but I was showing some signs of elevated mood at the end of pregnancy which I only see as such in hindsight. I was talking faster than normal and I felt as if I could do anything and solve any problem that we encountered. When we got the first out of range measurement on the last day of my pregnancy I brushed it aside a bit, and in hindsight I should have paid more attention to it. I did not have an easy birth with my daughter, and that may or not have played a part in me developing pp, but it did certainly masked some of my pp symptoms.

When I was pregnant with baby number 2, I was advised by my care team to go on a low dose of antipsychotic for the last 2 weeks of pregnancy. I felt hesitant on taking it, but I was very lucky that here in the UK, the hospital neonatal and midwifery team and my perinatal mental health team were in close communication and a care plan was agreed in conjunction. As part of the plan I stayed for 72 hours in hospital after birth while my baby was observed for any signs of the effects of medication, he passed his observations cleanly and we were discharged home. Certain anti psychotics are safe to breastfeed on, but I completely understand if you prefer not to, I breastfed my second one for a couple of months only. Breastfeeding was one of my fixations when I had pp and when I noticed that I was ruminating over the same thoughts with my second one I thought it would be better to wean off earlier rather than putting that pressure on me again. Know that as long as your baby is fed and you remain well, that's what matters.

I hope that the replies that you have got so far have reassured you that it is OK to seek for some help in pregnancy and you don't have to just soldier on with the insomnia. At the end, what matters is that you and your baby keep well. Seek reassurance from mental health professionals and also from peadreticians, to help you with an informed decision.

Take very good care, I wish you all the best in this pregnancy and your future birth. Write here if you have any other questions or anything you want to share.