Depression during pregnancy?

lrowe70 · #1 March 19th, 2011, 05:39 PM

I'm at about 21 weeks with my first child and am experiencing severe depression. I haven't stopped crying, don't want to eat, and don't even want this (planned) baby.
My husband doesn't know what to do and I'm scared he is planning to divorce me. He was looking for a counselor for me to see, but hasn't set up an appointment yet.
I think I'm going crazy and don't know what to do with myself. Everywhere I look there isinformation on being depressed after the baby is born, but my baby isn't due until August. I don't know what to do.

LifesGood · #2 March 20th, 2011, 04:23 AM

Hugs hun. Can you get in to see your OB. It is very possible to get depressed during pregnancy as well. Maybe the OB will have experience with this. I will look to see if I can find any information today.

Sit down and have a very open conversation with your husband when you are ready to try to explain things. Men tend to want to help or fix things so maybe he can come up with some ways to help.

Mod-MeggysMommy · #3 March 20th, 2011, 08:37 PM

My depression did actually first hit me in pregnancy right around the same time as you. It is really hard but I agree that you should talk with your OB because there are things that they can give you medicine wise to help balance the hormones and talking with someone is a great idea as well.

lrowe70 · #4 March 20th, 2011, 11:45 PM

Thanks for all the support and advice. I'm trying to hang in here and have been having some ups as well as downs.

w292737 · #5 March 21st, 2011, 08:34 AM

I've been wondering how you were doing.

Have you gotten into a therapist?

lrowe70 · #6 March 26th, 2011, 12:56 PM

Thanks things are better but not great. Some of the problem is the fear that this will be much worse once the baby arrives.

LifesGood · #7 March 27th, 2011, 04:49 AM

this is one of the reasons why it might be a good idea to mention it to your OB now. Even if you decide not to try anything medication wise now, at least your doctor will be aware of it and watch for signs after the birth

Dynamita · #8 March 31st, 2011, 12:10 PM

I had a severe case of depression during my pregnancy diagnosed during my 4th month. I had no appetite, couldn't sleep, cried all the time, couldn't concentrate, and just felt a deep sadness. It was the most terrible feeling in the world. Please please ask your OB or family Dr. to refer you to a psychiatrist that specializes in depression during pregnancy. There is medication that you can take that is safe for the baby and that will help you.

Women who suffer from depression during pregnancy have a higher risk of going into labor earlier, have a low birth weight baby, and experience difficulty with bonding with the baby. Please know that if you have depression during pregnancy it significantly increases your chances of experiencing postpartum depression. A book you can read is When Baby brings the Blues by Dr. Ariel Dalfen.

Pregnancy Blues by Shaila Kulkarni Misri, MD. is a great book which deals with depression during pregnancy. It helped me make some tough choices about taking medication.

If you get help during your pregnancy, you'll be able to cope better once the baby gets here. With my first pregnancy, I was a mess. With my second pregnancy I felt was amazing. It was night and day.

Please get help.

Hailee&Nevansmommy · #9 March 31st, 2011, 10:13 PM

I got anxiety, obsessing, and also depression from the time i got pregnant till now but i always had it underlying in a mild form.

MsSilverSpec · #10 May 2nd, 2011, 10:19 PM

You can very much get anxiety/depression during pregnancy. I had PPD with my son and now have anxiety and am pregnant.

Please tell your OB! You will get the help you need and you will feel much better in the end. The both of you can come up with a plan just for you!

Hugs

Alv07 · #11 May 22nd, 2011, 09:10 PM

I was just dropping in, and wanted to tell you I was super depressed during my pregnancy. I didn't want to eat, a lot of times I had thought that I didn't even want my baby. I never felt really happy to be pregnant, or even really attached to the baby, and my pregnancy was also planned. I had my daughter this past January, and I have been incredibly attached to her sense then. I feel like I came out of my depression, but I now have anxiety of something bad happening to her. I really wish I would have asked for help with the depression, I was too much of a wuss to talk to my doctor about it. If you need anyone to talk to feel free to PM me. I know sometimes it can be hard when you don't really feel like you have anyone to talk to.

punkrockmommy · #12 May 28th, 2011, 12:14 PM

I'm 23 living in Las Vegas, and I just hit my 4th month of my first, unexpected pregnancy. When I first got pregnant, my boyfriend and I had just broken up and I was ready to walk away for good. Then I found out while I was visiting friends and family in California, where I'm from. We got back together and for a while I was trying really hard to be excited....and not insincerely, at times I really do get excited. But underneath every time I feel excited is this horrible dread that my life has ended. I don't see my best friend much anymore, she's young and living in that frame of mind, as are most of my friends. My boyfriend tries really hard to be supportive and to make me feel good, but I think sometimes he doesn't know how to handle my mood swings. I don't tell many people how I feel because it makes me feel guilty for not being as excited as I always thought I would be. I'm genuinely sad a lot of the time, wishing I could rewind time and been more careful to take precautions not to get pregnant. It's funny because I always wanted to be a mom, I always felt like I was put on this earth to do just that.....now I feel scared. I feel trapped. I'm not experiencing the lack of wanting to eat, but I am crying quite a bit and feeling like it takes all my energy to even lift an arm to wipe away the tears. I feel so alone because I have a couple other friends that are pregnant (who don't really hang out with me either anymore) and they are sooo excited. Everything seems to be falling into place for them and for me it seems to be just the opposite. Everything seems so hard. Sometimes I wish I had never told my BF and had stayed in California. I constantly feel like I want to leave my body and be someone else. My biggest fear is that I will continue to feel this after the baby is born and that I won't be able to be the mother this child deserves. Am I the only person feeling this way? I feel like I'm losing it.

sandel07 · #13 August 12th, 2012, 04:45 PM

I am currently 8 weeks pregnant, I have 2 older children and felt great during both of those pregnancies. This time how ever I have terrible anxiety and depression. I often think that this pregnancy is a mistake, I want to be happy but I just cant. I started to take fluoxitine last Monday and plan to talt to my OBGYN again to see if thre is something better I can try, I am also going to make an appointment for accupuncture.
I am just afraid that my feelings wont change and I will not be able to really connect to the baby.