The closer I get to delivery the more I worry about my overall ability to handle two kids. I worry about things like PPD and anxiety. Do you think it is possible to "fix" those things yourself or if you are affected you really need outside help to resolve the situation?
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I don't have personal experience with PPD, but I do with anxiety and depression.
For me, the key is to notice my triggers, have my husband be on alert & give me a heads up when I'm not acting myself, and have a plan in place.
I worry about PPD and the stress of having two young children. My plan is to talk openly with my doctor and husband, be proactive in getting help if needed, and line up help for when the baby comes. Having a plan & visualizing the future helpse curb anxiety but certainly doesn't take it away.
But no, I do not think you can will it away.. Just have an action plan in place.
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I think you can help change your mood but I don't think you can will it away completely.
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No.
I was never diagnosed, but I think I suffered from. like PPD. I certainly didn't will it away but in time it improved (actually just as I was about to seek help). I would definitely never tell someone who was in a bad place to just wait it out though...better to seek help sooner rather than later.
PPD can be due to a chemical imbalance...that isn't something you can make better by trying harder.
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NO. Depression has to do with the balance of chemicals in your brain. If you could "will" it away, no one would have PPD - who would want to suffer like that? There are things you can do to help, but you can't will yourself out of real depression.
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I waited and tried to will it away. It got so bad I ended up having a complete nervous breakdown in a consult with a new doctor. He sent me to talk to someone right away. The first two visits helped SO MUCH. I haven't gone back because I think I'm doing ok, and she gave me tools to use in situations where I have an anxiety attack or a bout of depression. I remember my "tasks" and I try to accomplish them, again.
I agree that having a plan is far better and totally proactive. I don't think things can just be willed away.
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I think that having someone that you can turn to and a plan to take action on can't hurt. I don't know if you can will away PPD, but if it's mild you could probably wait it out... but it won't be fun and you won't be happy, and you won't be the best mom you can be if you're not happy. I refused to talk to anyone, and when I finally reached out to a group of moms I wasn't that close with when things got really bad (none of my friends had had babies yet, I was the first) just the flood of responses that everything I was going through was normal and they had all gone through it helped SO MUCH. If I had reached out to someone (or talked to a professional) from the beginning, I never would have spiraled down the way that I did. I never did seek help or get diagnosed, but I was really miserable the first year or so, and I really regret not taking action.
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@yoursilverlining: This. You cannot just think your way to changing a chemical imbalance, and the sooner you can get help, the better.
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Like @Mrs. Jump Rope: my experience is with depression and anxiety, not specifically PPD/PPA. But I agree with the other ladies, you cannot will it away. @yoursilverlining: is absolutely right-you can't change the chemical balance in your brain just because you want to
That being said, I think there are absolutely things you can do to be prepared. I'm at a pretty high risk for PPD/PPA, and I've tried to have a plan in place with my doctor and husband to help me mitigate triggers, recognize when I'm starting to struggle, and get me help as soon as I need it. Ultimately, it probably won't completely prevent PPD, but hopefully it will help to make it as mild as possible, should it show up.
I hope that you can find a way to minimize your stress and get the help you need with two kids!
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I'm going to say no. I had baby blues, not PPD, but there's no way I could have willed it away. It's not like having a bad day and doing some shopping therapy. It was weird. I would be having a perfectly happy day and then at 7 PM, like clockwork, I would fall apart. It was definitely hormones. It came with a hot flash. And I couldn't will away the sadness any more than I could will away the hot flash.
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No. But like others have said, what has helped me is to recognise the triggers, so when it happens I can try to redirect my thoughts. Doesn't always work, but it's getting better.
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No. PPD is very real, and in my experience, difficult to treat without some help. That being said, you can prepare yourself. I had a very strong suspicion that I would have PPD, based on my history with depression and anxiety, and I made sure that everyone around me was paying attention. That way, I got help as soon as I needed it, and not after I'd been struggling for ages.
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Depression and anxiety are very real conditions, as is PPD. I believe that it is really important to recognize that these are not just "mood swings" that you can "get over" or will away, in order to empower those who suffer from them to get the help they need. Recognizing triggers can help, but when it does set it the best solution is real treatment.
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No. And I think it's really dangerous to even suggest that one could will away depression. It's a serious medical condition that requires the treatment of a professional.
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