Category Archives: Perinatal Mood Disorders

Studies about SSRI’s & Pregnancy

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Katherine Stone, who runs the Postpartum Progress Blog, recently posted about two new studies related to SSRI’s & risks to fetus during pregnancy. I thought I would post a link to her story here being that i mentioned meds & pregnancy in my last post.

Staying on your meds during pregnancy is a very personal decision and does have its risks – when I said I advocate staying on your meds – I meant it in such a way that you need to educate yourself about those risks vs. the benefits. The benefit being that if you stay on your med, you are more likely not to relapse during the postpartum stage. It’s also been proven that women who are depressed during pregnancy tend to deliver earlier than women who are not. This has been proven to me with my own two prior pregnancies. I was not depressed during my first pregnancy and delivered a week past my due date. With my second, I went into labor three weeks early. Not a scientific observation, but a personal one.

 That being said, the link to the story at Postpartum Progress is: http://postpartumprogress.typepad.com/weblog/2007/07/two-new-studies.html 

 Discuss the risks with your doctor. Make an educated decision. That’s all I’m advocating. You are part of the care team and these early decisions are just as important as the ones you will make once baby is here. Just because you become a mother does not mean you should stop taking care of yourself – if anything, it means that you have EVEN MORE REASON to take care of yourself….

2nd Trimester Burst

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So THIS is how the 2nd trimester is supposed to feel. Wow.

I’ve never had a 2nd trimester burst before…. I’ve gone straight from 1st trimester nausea into 3rd trimester I’m too daggum big to do anything with my previous 2 pregnancies. This is kinda nice.

I’ve managed to clean the front porch, straighten up the dining room, keep the living room clean, and as my previous post mentioned, get caught up with the dishes, and still enjoy life. I haven’t had the energy to tackle the bedroom yet but I know that’s coming.

Right now I need to focus on my presentation for a local mom’s group next Friday. My plan is to create a two-sided handout. One side will specify signs and symptoms of different PPD conditions (Once I get this typed up, look for it here and at my PACE site as well) and the other side will specify what friends and family can do to help a woman and family in need. I plan on just doing a round table discussion with the group that will cover the handout as well as my experiences with PPD – treated and untreated. I also plan to cover what you can do to help prevent relapse.

One of the biggest things that I advocate is staying on medicine during pregnancy – if you’re already on it. That decision is up to you and your doctor but if it is possible – your risk of relapse lessens GREATLY. In Women’s Mental Health (Kornstein, Clayton), there is a wonderfully written section on the risks of staying medicated vs. the risks of not staying medicated. I read it completely prior to my first OB visit and was ready to stand my ground if need be. Yes, I’m doing MUCH better than I was a year ago but as I have educated myself, I am aware of the risk of relapse – and plan to do everything possible to prevent another episode. I am aware that I may still crash and burn – but this time around I already have a therapist I trust, my husband who is awesome, and a great OB who knows the risks. I also have a lot of people in the PPD Support world that i can contact as well. PLUS I’ll have my group. I’m hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. I weathered it last time and came out stronger than ever so I KNOW I can do it!

I DID IT!!!!!!

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I CAUGHT UP WITH THE DISHES TODAY!!!!!!!!

My sinks were clear, my counters were clear… WHAT a GREAT FEELING!

 And yeah, I fried chicken for dinner BUT everything i used to cook is in the dishwasher right now… everything we ate off of has been scraped clean and is soaking, awaiting its turn in the dishwasher!

WOOOHOOOO!!!!!

I was a little freaked at first b/c my kitchen hasn’t been this clean since I was in the throes of my PP OCD but then I realized I felt SATISFACTION and it was different than what i felt when I had PP OCD.

Oh, and my husband finally got my lap top up and running. Yeeehaw! It’s just been a great week.

See.. that happy magnet IS working! :-)

It’s 943am, my youngest is napping…

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And my oldest is over at Nana and Papa’s. So the house is quiet – and I’ve nothing to do. I’m sure I could come up with a project or two – I’d really like to bake some bread but the dishwasher isn’t finished yet and certain things I’d need to do that are still being cleaned. So here I sit – unaccustomed to being solo at 945am in the morning. It’s an odd yet strangely nice feeling.

I had a cup of coffee with breakfast this morning. Split some peach yogurt with Charlotte. She’s really developing her own little personality and BOY is she stubborn! She does NOT do anything UNLESS she wants to. Hrm. Wonder who on earth she got that from? (Both her father and I are very good at standing our ground when necessary – or even unneccessary) This morning after breakfast she grabbed my hand and lifted it up – wouldn’t let it go until I waved just like her. We played in the floor for about 45 minutes and then she started fussing. She crawled over into my lap and promptly put her thumb in her mouth. Naptime! So we changed her diaper and then I laid her down in her crib. Not even a single whimper – and I walked out of her room not knowing what on EARTH I was going to do…. maybe I’ll just go take a shower and enjoy the hour or so of quiet I’ll have before Alli gets home.

Oh, and one last little tidbit – when I was in college, I got this mood magnet from the on campus long distance company. You know – the one with all those different mood faces and then there’s a selector box that goes with it so you can “frame” how you feel that day – well, the other day for the first time in AGES I moved it to HAPPY. And it’s been there since. And I reallly and truly mean it! I had been hesitant to move it there because I just wasn’t sure but then I thought – what the heck – maybe just MOVING it there will really boost my mood and it has! I’ve been working really hard to clean up the house – and it feels good to know that I’m making progress. I made some serious progress in the dining room yesterday – now if I can JUST get the daggum kitchen straight – problem is that room gets used the most and it’s so hard to keep it clean when it seems like a tornado has just hit it – guess that’s what I get for LOVING To cook – I ALWAYS have a full sink of dishes to be done. And when I get ALMOST done – I decide to bake something else! LOL! Housework – it never goes away. (BUT it can go AWRY!)

Good work feels…well… GOOD!

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Over the course of the past two weeks, I have had some really well, just “karma” things happen.

First, a couple of weeks ago, a mom here in GA emailed me just to introduce herself. At the time I thought it was quite random but appreciated her honesty and willingness to share her story. I shared with her that only great things would come of us knowing each other now.

Lo and behold, this past Tuesday, I received an email from another family in GA who was in some serious need of support. And guess what? They live near the FIRST MOM who emailed me earlier!

Today I finally connected them and let me tell you what – knowing that this mom is getting precious peer support that is absolutely invaluable is an awesome feeling. I am so happy for her and so glad to be a part of her recovery. I am reminded every time that I help a Mom just why I am doing this – it’s not for me, it’s not for money (because there is none!), it’s knowing that someone else’s life has been improved and they now are able to avail themselves of the support they so desperately needed!

I don’t need a paycheck – just the good hearty satisfaction that comes from helping others!