Ppd wwyd

[puppylove64]

I’m not sure if I have ppd or my world has been upside down since March and I can’t get out of my tailspin. I’m sure I could use therapy but I also need help Now. What do you do? My baby is 7.5 months, I’m back to work, he won’t take a bottle, my period is back, my marriage is awful, I feel like I’m failing my other kids.

Is it too late for ppd? I haven’t seen the ob in months, a therapist is expensive and will take a long time to actually be seen. What am I supposed to do, who should I make an appointment with? I don’t have a pcp and can’t get in with them until Jan.
Pdq

[icedcoffee]

I'd call your OB. I don't think it's too late to have PPD. I'm sure others will come in shortly with better advice.

Huge hugs to you. You are not failing your other kids. Take care of yourself.

[jinkies]

puppylove64, I'm so sorry you are going through this. 7 months is definitely not too late for PPD. I would call your OB and tell them you have been struggling for months and that you think you need meds. If you don't feel like you can make the call, have someone do it for you.

I called my OB's office when my baby was probably 6 months and just burst into tears on the phone. They gave me the number for a therapist over the phone, and offered to have me come in asap for a prescription.

You don't have to feel like this. Make the call to your OB today.

[aprilsails]

Do you or your DH have access to an EAP through work? You could contact them to get set up with a counseling appointment. I know most people have better luck getting an appointment quickly through these programs. They could then help guide you on if you should pursue medical diagnosis or if therapy would be more beneficial.

I’m with you on All Of This. DS is 13 months and it has been one hell of a year. I’ve had my own concerns about PPD at times, but I think my issue is more of a situational depression and anxiety brought on by Covid and losing so much of my support structure. I was managing until Covid hit. Now, I’m floundering. Which sucks.

You don’t have to just shoulder through everything. Reach out and try to find support in any way you can. It is so hard but it is so worthwhile.

[chickadee77]

7 months is absolutely not too late for ppd. I think, actually, that a lot of people think this and ppd is vastly underdiagnosed due to it.

I second contacting your OB. I contacted mine at about 4 months with my firstborn, and she didn't bat an eye. She asked how I preferred to handle it (meds, counseling, etc.), and was happy to prescribe a low does of Prozac over the phone, immediately, without an additional appointment.

It's hard to reach out, but please do. Bring the light back into your life. You can do this!

[ktw]

7 months is not too late for PPD. And, does it even matter if it's PPD or situational anxiety/depression due to the shitstorm we're all currently living in? You are worth making the call (or having someone make it for you) to your OB. That's where I would start. Sending lots of good thoughts your way - this is HARD, and it's ok to need help and ask for it.

[jaycee]

I'm sorry to hear this. I'm struggling too. My sons are 7 and 9 but I've always said that families with kids under 1 year old are living purely in survival mode and deserve nothing but grace, acceptance, and understanding.

It's not too late for PPD. I suffered with it and it was debilitating.

[Susie]

I would not worry so much about self-diagnosing whether or not it's PPD.  If your OB is the only doctor you are established with that is remotely relevant to the symptoms/worries you have, just make the first call.  Describe the symptoms, and tell him/her you need help.  Go from there.  (But maybe also make that January PCP appointment because it is useful to have one for future stuff.)

A lot of us are floundering right now.  COVID has brought isolation, deprived us of support networks we relied on (and banked on having when we made family plans), taken away things we look forward to, taken away fundamental institutions and systems we rely on and need (school!).  It's not normal times.  All this on top of the baby/toddler years being some of the seriously in-the-trenches years.  It doesn't matter if PPD or just fucking 2020 is the cause, you deserve to get help ASAP however it comes.

[noodleoo]

I agree with reachign out your OB. The newborn year is exhausting, added on top of all the general world stress, I'm sure it is overwhelming and it is ok to ask for help. When DD2 was a baby my pedi had me take the questionnaire and I ended up crying in her office. She was so supportive and sent me some resources. It was really helpful, even though I felt guilty talking to DD2's pedi who isn't even my doctor. (One of the many reasons I love her.)

I will also add that you are not alone. Things are awful right now. I just started crying while eating lunch yesterday. Between the election, the coronavirus surge, the supreme court confirmation, my 2 year old not sleeping and all the other bullshit going on in the world, I think a lot of people are having trouble coping.

[magic]

I don't think it matters if it's PPD or something else. You stated that you need help now and that's what's important. Since you have an established relationship with the OB call them today and tell them exactly what you said here, you're struggling and you need help NOW.

Sending you good thoughts.

[aksinger]

I agree, call your OB and ask for help now. I’m not postpartum right now but five weeks ago needed immediate therapy services. I called about 10 different places (leaving crying messages lol) and was able to get in with 3 different therapists within the same week (one for me, one for my DH, and one couples counselor). I also found out that my super crappy insurance (Premera) is paying for telehealth services and so I’ve had 8 therapy appointments so far at zero cost.

All that to say, call your OB, call a bunch of therapists and let them know you need help now, and have them run your insurance to see if they’ll help pay. Good luck.

[cherry1111]

Totally call your OB. Even if it’s not PPD your OB can help. My youngest is almost 4 and I just had my annual a couple of weeks ago. She always asks how my mental health is. This time I broke down crying because I’ve gone through some rough patches this year though I feel ok now. We talked though coping mechanisms, etc but she also reassured me that if I want or need additional help to please call her.

[cricketwife]

Yes, call your OB. It's not your job to diagnose yourself. You can just tell him/her how you are feeling and they will take it from there. It doesn't really matter if it's PPD, situational depressional, seasonal depression, etc. And yes, there are a thousand shitty things this year, any of which alone or together may have triggered this. It doesn't really matter the cause -- you are struggling and your OB can help you.

[Pilsy]

Sending hugs.

I'm so glad you're reaching out for help. I agree it doesn't really matter if it's PPD. Don't be afraid to ask your doctor to have someone in the office help you with the legwork.

Thinking of you and hoping better times are coming soon.

[mcppalmbeach]

I definitely don’t think it’s too late for ppd, but regardless you feel how you feel so I suggest calling someone. If you have a pcp established, I would start there instead of an OB. They’re better able in my experience to manage med adjustments And follow ups: When my pcp left the state and I only had an ob available they were happy to write my rx, but wanted me to follow up with a pcp for the future. If you have just an ob definitely call them though.

[kdubs923]

It's definitely not too late for PPD. Even if it's 'too late' for PPD, it's OK to still need help after that time period has lapsed.

I had my annual with my OB when DD was about 15 months old. I had a lot going on - DD was weaning, my Dad's health was declining, my marriage was terrible, etc. I burst into tears asking if it was too late for PPD. She said it might not necessarily be PPD, but with hormonal fluctuations with weaning, it could be related. But life was also just tough then, so it was tough to distinguish what was situational vs. PPD. I left with an RX for Prozac. She was willing to put me in touch with a therapist, but I was already drowning in obligations, another appointment to coordinate at that moment would have broken me.

Either way, without an infant, this year is shit and stressful. Do what you need to do to get through it. For me, it's been meds to get feeling more normal, then therapy to get better coping strategies going forward. Therapy can take a bit and if the situation is overwhelming now, you probably need something that will help quicker than therapy can provide. If you haven't been on meds before, it can take a couple weeks to feel more normal. For me, it's been eye opening once I start to feel better. Almost like it was difficult to distinguish how badly I was feeling until I was on the other side.

Good luck - hugs. We're here if you need help.

[statgirl]

I would call my OB and let him know. As a care provider, they should at least work on getting you to the next step. If you have a PCP, I would call them too (even if it is to beg for a call off appointment before January).

I know how hard it is to make the call—I was 4 months PP with a delightful baby who had severe health issues (which were mostly resolved). I didn’t have it in me to call anyone and I was struggling badly. I finally called my OB saying I needed Zoloft after I couldn’t stop crying because I didn’t feel well. I had to push back some because I didn’t have feelings of harm for the baby, but that is a crappy line to draw for treatment. They were willing to give me a prescription for six months but I had to make the transition to a mental health provider after that because it was outside their scope and they wanted me in with someone. I had been on Zoloft before so that was the first choice.

Call any doctor you have established care with. If you can’t get in or they won’t help, please go to a walk-in clinic and beg them to help you get in with someone or to help you get something to assist in the mean time.

[seeyalater52]

If you strike out with your OB and aren’t able to find a PCP or therapist/psychiatrist to help you sooner try calling your insurance company. Most of them have care coordinators/case managers that can provide support finding a provider that is taking new patients to refer you to if you explain that the situation could become emergent if you’re not seen for months.

[amandakisser]

I echo the others, but also want to chime in that, even if life is perfectly wonderful, it's still possible to have depression, anxiety, or some other mental health issue. You don't need a "reason," it just sometimes happens.

I went to my OB at just about the 1-year mark after having my first daughter and busted out crying when she asked how I was doing. She immediately gave me some meds and a referral to a therapist. Meds worked for me, and now I'm back on (a different kind now). Take care of yourself and don't worry about how you "should" feel. You're NOT ALONE.

[humpforfree]

Yes! Check with your OB! I don’t have a PCP and mine was more than happy to talk with me and get me on some anxiety meds when my (then) youngest was two!
Also, idk if you are like me, but the phone call was a huge hurdle for me. I was able to send my OB a message through the online portal and that was so much more manageable.

[sunshineluv]

Please make the call to your ob as step one. For me, making that first phone call was the first step to getting better. I needed meds (Zoloft) and after a few weeks I could breathe a lot easier. I was so glad I made that call.