https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 26 Apr 2026 12:47:44 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2456291 Wed, 10 Feb 2016 08:56:46 +0000 pachamama 2456291@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I was/ am struggling big time with PPD. What I've found that has helped is make plans for the future. I need something to look forward to!<br /> I also exercise a lot and call upon family for visits. Every day I either get out of the house to go to the gym or run errands or have a visitor.<br /> I also started taking 800mg(?) of Vitamin D as there is no sunshine this time of year!<br /> In the last week (I am 4 weeks post partum) I have felt a LOT better! there is light at the end of the dark PPD tunnel! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2454373 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 23:13:46 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2454373@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsSRS: ok, good feedback! From everything I have read there doesn't seem to be a downside for encapsulating. </p> <p>@catomd00: I brought up placenta encapsulation with one of the five doctors once and she was like whatever you want to do/ the placenta is yours to take. I think you're right I should probably find out now how the doctor office typically identifies and treats PPD just in case. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2454252 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 22:09:54 +0000 ShootingStar 2454252@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just another perspective - I didn't have baby blues/ppd, not everyone does. It's not necessarily an eventuality. Sure, I had some hormonal moments - I remember freaking out about my PP body a week after DS was born. And having a newborn is tough. But I was never depressed. I had situational depression years ago after a really awful break up, so I know what depression is and I was never in that hopeless place. </p> <p>But I think previous posters have some great ideas about identifying resources ahead of time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2454182 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 21:27:22 +0000 MrsSRS 2454182@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: No. I had my pills within 24 hours so I think taking them helped me avoid the standard three day emotion crash. It definitely helped with energy, milk, and baby blues, but if I had ppd and needed other medication the encapsulation wouldn't have been a replacement. I think I avoided ppd with my second baby for a host of other reasons. But I think encapsulating was worth it. I could tell days I forgot my pills. It's not a replacement for zoloft. Like milk isn't a replacement for a calcium supplement if you have a true deficiency. But it will help! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453953 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 18:00:48 +0000 catomd00 2453953@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'd recommend you talk to your doctor or a therapist about it, not try to self medicate with anything, including your placenta. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453934 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 17:43:55 +0000 youboots 2453934@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was at risk and started seeing a therapist as soon as I got the :bfp: I saw her once a week. I had a huge amount of fear anxiety about the pregnancy- it was awful. Shortly after she was born it resolved. We quickly went down to every other week now I see her 1x a month. I'm relieved I did not have any major symptoms after birth, and I'm happy I developed an awesome relationship with someone who could keep an eye on me prior to Ts birth. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453905 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 17:13:55 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2453905@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ldh112: aww thank you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453890 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 16:53:04 +0000 ldh112 2453890@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I think how you feel sounds pretty normal for an almost mom! It is such a transition. I remember going on a walk with my husband towards the end, crying about how our alone time was soon ending and was sad about how much she would change everything. I felt so torn sometimes, oscillating between excitement and so much love for her already and then utter annoyance and resentment about it. I think you should allow yourself to feel all the feelings you feel and not judge yourself for it. :)</p> <p>I, too, considered the encapsulation for similar concerns but my midwide/doula and I decided a different plan was better for my situation, particularly given the research. That said, If it gives you some relief to have it available, by all means do it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453883 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 16:46:57 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2453883@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ldh112: I don't think I have history of anxiety or depression- never been diagnosed as such. Although I tend to handle stress poorly and can be awfully moody. These are things other people close to me notice and want to fix although I would rather feel what I'm feeling until I no longer feel it. I don't know if that makes sense, but I don't like the it when I feel "managed or my feelings minimized."</p> <p>Anyway, I definitely think something such as baby blues or PPD may be in the cards for me since already I have been questioning DH if he will like me more than the baby. That's bad. And sometimes when I know I should talk to the baby I just don't feel like it. I acknowledge every kick and know I get more when I talk to my belly. That's bad too.</p> <p>ETA: for instance this thread or getting my placenta encapuslated is how I am dealing with thoughts of a potential negative postpartum experience. I make plans to reduce my worry. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453871 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 16:35:19 +0000 ldh112 2453871@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Screening in the first two weeks can be helpful for looking at what symptoms you may be experiencing and their intensities, but that is still technically the post partum baby-blues window (where depression/anxiety symptoms can be considered quite normal). PPD/PPA would commonly be diagnosed after this early adjustment period and even sometimes with a delayed onset of 6 months PP or later. As fellow therapist @silva: mentioned, if you have a history of anxiety/depression or it runs in your family, it's good to have a safety net that extends beyond those first few weeks. Encapsulation as you mentioned is not an evidence-based option for treating PPD/PPA. Most research indicates it has a placebo effect as @Silva also noted. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453782 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 15:34:35 +0000 gingerbebe 2453782@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I encapsulated and I felt like it helped, until the pills ran out. I was out by 6 weeks PP and that was when we were deep in my son's colic and reflux and he was never sleeping and always screaming and I was completely sleep deprived and exhausted. My OB told me I was borderline for PPD at my 6 week check up but said if I felt like it was more sleep deprivation then I should try to rest more, but in the meantime the RX would be in the system for me. After that point DS took a turn for the worse and I started having severe anxiety, stopped eating, and could not sleep even when given the opportunity and by 10 weeks PP (when my son was at his absolute worst) my ped, OBGYN, and DH basically teen interventioned me into Zoloft. </p> <p>I started taking stroller walks whenever I got anxiety attacks (usually at 10am and 2pm oddly), forced myself to eat, and within 2 weeks I was feeling more in control. My husband got militant about my sleep habits and once DS' colic peaked and we had his reflux meds right DH took over and sleeptrained him. </p> <p>By 6 months PP I was fine and so was my son. I think a lot of this was because I was predisposed to depression and anxiety and also because we just had a really tough newborn. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453774 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 15:29:18 +0000 erinpye 2453774@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Getting out of the house, seeing friends, asking for and accepting help, therapy, exercise, meds, and a creative outlet/ hobby. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453762 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 15:22:30 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2453762@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsSRS: that's definitely good to hear. Do you think encapsulating eliminated PPD and a need for Zoloft altogether?</p> <p>The mid-wives encapsulating for me will have the pills ready within the first week of baby's arrival. I think my doctor's office said I will have two appointments with them within the first two weeks. Either way I will be able to quickly start taking something while my husband or mom are there to help me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453686 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 14:45:27 +0000 PawPrints 2453686@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am pretty clued in to signs of clinical depression/anxiety because of the history in my family and my friends, so when I started to experience the symptoms, I threw myself into every resource I could get my hands on and within five days I had a bottle of Zoloft in my hand. It helped enormously and I felt completely better in no time flat. I had one friend try to argue that I just needed to give myself more "me" time for pedicures and Netflix and just stop trying to respond to every one of LO's cries (she was going through a ridiculously rough phase where eating and sleeping were both total chaos) and I'm so glad I ignored her. PPD/PPA are medical conditions that respond very well to medical treatment. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453671 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 14:38:39 +0000 JoJoGirl 2453671@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MsHangry: @LBee: Yes exactly this</p> <p>I have a naturally "high emotional set-point" so ppd seemed like an impossibility to me. I'm also "help-resistant" ;) as my therapist calls it, so anytime i'd get to rock bottom of wanting to throw baby/myself off a ledge, I'd immediately make excuses, write it off, say I was just tired and try to pull myself back. </p> <p>It never worked. </p> <p>I also fell through "cracks" in the system. A new midwife screened me for PPD at 6 weeks and just sat there saying she felt terrible I was having such a bad time, then gave me a long list of nurses who can prescribe to call. None of them accepted my insurance and I gave up. I didn't have a primary care doctor. I never saw my midwife practice again after 6 weeks and they never checked on me. I finally emailed one of them at 6 months pp saying "I am really struggling" and she wrote back and said to call my PCP. I had a therapist who I saw now and then but he couldn't prescribe, and insisted I find someone who could. I eventually found a new PCP by calling and begging over the phone to write me an emergency prescription until I could get in to see him - hardest call I have ever made.</p> <p>I started Zoloft at 10 months post-partum and am also angry at myself for waiting so long. I didn't bond with LO til she was over 6 months, my marriage suffered, and I was generally just miserable. Make sure you have a few doctors on speed dial who can prescribe the SECOND you think it's an issue. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453661 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 14:34:22 +0000 Silva 2453661@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: if you have a predisposition for post partum depression (personal history of mood disorders, or familial history), I recommend to clients that they creat a safety net: inform your doctors, and consider meeting a therapist for a few sessions during pregnancy and schedule one for 4 weeks postpartum.<br /> Placenta incapsulation might have some placebo effect, which is great. But post partum depression is a serious illness and can compromise your safety and the safety of your baby.<br /> As for "baby blues," which I guess is some kind of mild sadness or trouble adjusting to the stress of caring for a newborn? Self care, and time away from the baby. Postnatal yoga can be great and you can often bring the baby. Making sure you make space for your husband to be primary caretaker so you can have a break. </p> <p>I experienced perinatal anxiety, and have a history of depression. I was relieved to discover that the postpartum period was in no way sad or difficult for me. I felt a million times less anxious by the time we left the hospital. But I had a therapist appointment already scheduled with the therapist I saw during pregnancy, and she did some extra screening. And my doctors were on top of asking about it too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453660 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 14:33:37 +0000 yoursilverlining 2453660@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was honest with myself and my husband about feeling "not normal" "not right" and needing some help. I called my OB immediately (literally, I called her within the first week of LO's life because my gut told me what I was feeling/experiencing was not normal) and got help immediately. </p> <p>What helped me was Zoloft and therapy with someone who specialized in PPD. They were great in conjunction, but the Zoloft was the most important step. </p> <p>Separating, in your own mind, PPD from being a "good mom" is important IMO. If you have PPD it doesn't define you as a mother. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453636 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 14:24:38 +0000 kiddosc 2453636@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think there's a big difference between baby blues and PPD. Baby blues are much more common and less severe than PPD. I just kept communicating with DH and other family that was around to help. Accepting help when it's offered is a huge thing. I was not one of those people that needed to be the martyr and do everything myself the first month. DH took the baby for long drives so that I could get sleep, my mom would help get the baby to nap so that I could nap also. DH, my mom and MIL all worked to keep my house clean and all of us fed. Be honest and open with the people that are there to help you, and remember to take care of yourself... Eat, sleep, bathe, get fresh air. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453624 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 14:16:30 +0000 sarac 2453624@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I use my light box, take vitamin D and fish oil, keep my blood sugar level, get out of the house by noon each day, and get moderate to hard exercise 3 days a week or more. Those are the things I always need to do to keep my mood level, but I have to work much harder at them post partum. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453543 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 13:22:24 +0000 blackbird 2453543@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't have PPD, but I had a few bluesy days/weeks. I communicated with DH about it. Got out with some friends when I could (sometimes I just needed OUT OF THE DAMN HOUSE). Acknowledging when my hormones were being jacked up helped. Knowing they're making me nutty helps me chill a bit, always with the caveat that if it didn't improve/go away, there was a bigger problem. Mostly relying on DH to let me know if i seemed out of sorts for too long. I still have these days--life is overwhelming sometimes. And i find that now that I"m finally getting some damn sleep, I feel 100x better and less "rat in a cage" when i can work out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453534 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 13:13:48 +0000 BelugaBean 2453534@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I tried to make myself believe I was just overwhelmed with two kids. Then I realized I was in denial. I went on Zoloft last Monday at 3.5 months postpartum. I also have the number for a counselor if I need it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453532 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 13:13:33 +0000 MrsSRS 2453532@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Second time around I encapsulated and I do think it helped. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453529 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 13:10:37 +0000 LBee 2453529@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I coped by becoming a mommy martyr and refusing to treat it until I was done nursing (despite the numerous studies regarding the safety of Zoloft when nursing). I pretty much limped along and was the worst version of myself for awhile. I hugely regret it and now see that it was my PPA that was contributing to my anxiety surrounding treating it.</p> <p>ETA: @MsHangry: Just seeing your comment... pretty much the same answer. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453526 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 13:08:06 +0000 MsHangry 2453526@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I tried ignoring it and making excuses for how I felt....finally went to the doctor at 6.5 months pp. Now I am on Zoloft and can't believe I waited so long. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-for-baby-blues-amp-ppd#post-2453516 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 12:58:44 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2453516@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Quite a few moms have shared they experienced baby blues or PPD. If you did, what did you do to cope?</p> <p>The reason I ask is that for several months I figured I would encapsulate my placenta and take it as a supplement. However, I can only find anecdotal evidence that it provides energy and helps with PPD. </p>