I hope this can help somebody recognise the signs of PND.. (Post-Natal Depression)

Member Name: xjemloux

Product:	Post-Natal Depression
Date:	19/03/09 (202 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: you are not wrong in feeling like it, 1 in 10 women can suffer from it

Disadvantages: having to go through it

Post Natal Depression, or otherwise known as PND for short is a terrible thing for anybody to suffer. All people suffer this in different ways there is no common symptom to look for, as with depression everybody suffers it differently.

Post Natal Depression is a depression women can suffer after having a baby. I think the majority of mothers have the 'baby blues' after having their baby anyway. But there is so many emotions to comprehend when having a child it is quite overwhelming and can be hard to cope with.

As with any sort of depression there are different levels you can suffer it at, but there is no need to think you are on your own with it or feel guilty as it is quite common unfortunately as around 1 in 10 women suffer with it. There is no determined cause of PND but it could be many reasons, like I said the emotions and feelings you have to deal with having a baby are plenty, your hormone levels drop tremendously, and you have to adjust and get used to somebody new in your life and your life changing.

Usual symptoms I'd say to look out for from personal experience and to what I was told from the nurses in Hospital are tiredness, lack of motivation, generally unhappy, cry for no apparent reason, loss of appetite, feeling you can't cope or just not coping at all, feeling guilty and feeling anxious.

I suffered with it but luckily only for just a few weeks, but it can last from weeks up to years, and it can depend on whether you are being treated for it or not. Alot of people are too embarassed to go to the doctors or speak to people and admit they are feeling any of this, but often it can make it worse if you don't let anyone know and your condition can get worse. I knew I was suffering myself because despite my excitement for having my boys, and my rush of love that just flowed through my body when I had them, and even looked at them I still found myself crying all the time and just did not know why. I know myself all too well though, and knew I needed to talk to somebody. I didn't want any medication as I knew I wasn't suffering as bad as what some people do (and no I wasn't in denial I just knew me). My best bet was to just talk to a doctor and get my feelings out to a stranger. Talking about my feelings helps me, especially to a stranger. It helped me feel normal and realise I was not alone in becoming teary eyed at the slightest word anybody said to me.

However for alot of people it is not as easy as what it was with me to come out of it and medication may need to be prescribed such as Anti Depressants depending on how severe your depression is. This is not something to be scared of though, it is there to help you.

From my personal experience and from being around friends who have also suffered, I would say to anybody who is feeling any of these things and are worried, please don't be afraid to talk to somebody. Don't feel that you are the only one who is going through it and you are a bad mum as you are the best mum to your child but sometimes you just can't help your feelings. Whether it takes you months or years to come out of it, eventually you will start to feel 'normal' and things will start looking up for you. There is no shame in admitting you are suffering either, depression is something that people are more aware of now and it is not always looked down upon unless people are just being cruelly judgemental. It can be surprising though just how many women do suffer from it, and are going through exactly the same thing as you and feeling the same way you are, but at the time you just can't imagine anybody else feeling the way you are as it's you feeling like you are the bad mother and nobody else has ever been like this before.

I hope this review will help somebody at least, just to help them recognise the feelings you can get and not dismiss them as just being "baby blues", as baby blues usually pass within a few days or a week or two.

PND is depression and not something to be forgotten about and just hope it goes away as it won't unless you have support whether it be from family and friends or your GP, and you realise what you are going through. The hardest thing probably is actually realising you are suffering from PND and admitting it to yourself before anybody else. Guilt will take over and make you feel like you are wrong for feeling like it, but you are not wrong.

Summary: a brief review about recognising that you have PND