Postnatal Anxiety

[Geminiblue]

OK so this is FYI

So, pregnant with my son I suffered alot, Sickness throughout bleeding a lot threatened miscarriages...so when he was born I didnt feel an overwhelming love, I felt "if you take a step near my child I will be forced to kill you". I was anxious immedately about people having clean hands holding him, him not being passed around to all and sundry incase he was stolen. Id have images of people climbing in through his bedroom window to take him. I wouldnt leave him for 5 mins in case he died....this has lasted up until recently. Its got less and much better but still I dont like him being with other people other than me. It took a lot for me to get a job for 1 day a week and for him to go to a childminder, its been hard...

All of that was made worse by the fact that he came out crying due to horrific labor/birth and didnt stop and the fact that i was breastfeeding under all that stress I dont think I was producing any milk so he wasnt getting much....I was waiting for someone to give me permission to feed him formula and he had colic, ....I was so scared of doing anything wrong and that I was already a bad parent as he screamed so much..... still I wasnt depressed I was so happy to have my beautiful little boy I would gladly die for him still, to watch him at times breaks my soul

So when the health visitor came round yesterday to do the usual check up after my daughter was born....we started talking and it came out how quiet and calm she is compared to my little boy and I started telling her all of the above. She said Postnatal Anxiety...... I have researched so far and everything Ive said above indicates postnatal anxiety....the solution is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.... or anti depressants like it would be for any anxiety disorder

Do I feel the same anxiety about my daughter? I dont know as yet. Would I leave her with anyone else at this moment in time....no. I hope it gets better but I am now aware that its there waiting for me to get over tired....think I will speak with the health visitor some more

 

[Sarah13]

I've never heard of that before, must have been really hard for you. Hopefully you won't suffer this time with your daughter, it's good your speaking about it now though. I think well all have a bit of anxiety with our newborns as it's natural, Ive only just started leaving Kynon for small amounts of time with my hubby, not anyone else though yet. I'm also a bit funny about germs and my hands are getting dry and sore from all the washing! Going to sleep at night is probably the hardest thing in those first few weeks, you constantly check them, not sure I slept at all the first few nights! I've even missed a few girls nights out as I can't bear the thought of leaving him for that long!

 

[Geminiblue]

Yeah thats normal and to be fair thats really good that your LO is almost a couple of months old and your trying to do things already. The definition Postnatal Anxiety applies when it has a detrimental affect on your life apparently....so feel anxious all the time right up until not that long ago...but funnily enough weve moved house and I feel the most relaxed than I have done since I had Jude....I dont think someones going to climb in his window and steal him, nor do I think hes going to get out the front door and get run over... nor do I have to keep checking on him and that started when we moved here and my little girl I am really relaxed with...not stressed at all, I check on her but not obsessively. I wont leave her as yet but am considering going to the cinema and leaving her with my husband....within the next 4 months at least ha ha and thats an improvement for me he will be left with full instructions as well ha ha.

I just thought so many people wouldnt have heard of this condition...and I didnt want anyone to have to go through

 

[suzzi]

oh my god i have this, i think it comes from the fact that i had panic attacks and anxiety before i was pregnant and took tablets for it, i stopped taking them while i was pregnant and was fine, when id had lo i couldnt stop shaking and midwife said it was adrenalin making me shake, well this also causes panic attacks and has kicked mine off again, i have butterflies in my stomach im scared of anything happening to him, and im a little scared of being on my own with him, mixed with baby blues makes it worse, on monday i was in bits all day x

im off to speak to my dr tomorrow as he said to see him if it started again and he understands me and how i feel x might ask him about the therepy as dont really want to be on tablets again