post partum depression?

Having twins, as you all know, is overwhelming. But how do I know if my emotions are within "normal" limits? And if it is post partum depression will it go away on its own? I cry and cry and when my husband asks what is wrong I have no answer for him.
Any advice would be great.
Helen

 

I have no "ppd" advice, but I know there are people on here who do and hope they post for you. But, even without ppd, I had my moments where I would cry for absolutely no reason (especially with my first child). It happened a bit with each pregnancy, those water works start so easily. If you are at all concerned, maybe you should talk to your doctor. It's something not to be embarrassed or ashamed about at all. Hormones are such crazy things.

 

s, many of them. I'm sorry you are feeling bad. I was the same way in the hospital and through the first couple of weeks after the twins. Because of my history with depression, I went ahead and got back on an antidepressant. After birth, your hormones are all whacked out, and with twins the sleep deprivation is awful. I would call your doc and tell her how you are feeling and see what he/she suggests. Hang in there! Congratulations on your babies!

 

I have PPD too. My doctor put me on Zoloft. I only cried every now and then...usually when one of my daughters would quit breathing in the NICU...so...I would have to guess you have PPD. I had it rather severe with DS..my first pregnancy. It seems that with first pregnancies you try to be so perfect that the stress gets to you. I would strongly advise you to contact your doctor so you can start feeling better. And...I nurse...so...you can be on meds if you nurse, too. Hang in there!! Oh...and get as much sleep as you can. It really makes a big difference.

 

Oh sweetie! I remember feeling the same way after I had my ds. I think being weepy is way normal, and the fact that your babies are brand new, your body is still just adjusting hormone levels. Keep an eye on it, stay in touch with your doctor about it, keep talking about it with friends/family, and cry as much as you want...and I would imagine you'll feel better as the weeks go on. For me, it was about a month after I had him that I started feeling like I had a grip again. We are all different, so don't for one second downplay what you're feeling. I gauged it based on how I felt about my baby. I could handle being weepy and emotional as long as I felt I had appropriate feelings towards him. If you find yourself resenting the babies, or feeling nothing at all towards them--then that might be a new level, and something to look into. You are normal. I'll be thinking of you!!

Reyna

 

I was very weepy the first two weeks after the twins (these were my first kids) and it was like "bad movie" weepy. We brought Becca home and I would look at her sleeping sweetly and start bawling feeling totally unworthy of taking care of her.

It's my understanding this is VERY Common and is not nec. PPD. As others said, you need to keep watch on yourself for a few more weeks to see if it's PPD. But if you have any doubt contact your DR. At the hospital, they warned me this would happen.

Miriam

 

Being very emotional is normal the first few weeks. I think what distinguishes this from PPD is that the Baby Blues go away after a week or so, PPD persists for much longer.

My symptoms were: uncontrollable crying, feeling desperate--absolutely knowing that I couldn't do it, scared to death to be left alone with the babies (because I didn't think I could do it by myself). I also had thoughts of death, not suicide but just death. It became very scary and the day that I cried for 8 hours straight I knew I had to get help.

My doctor put me on Lexipro which I would highly recommend, it has very few side effects, atleast for me.

I would say give yourself another week or so, you are still in the survival, overwhelmed mode. If you still feel the same way I would talk to your doctor.

Big hugs to you!!!

 

I agree with PP that the distinction between normal baby blues and PPD is if you are focusing your emotions on you (baby blues) or on the babies (PPD). It's completely normal to feel overwhelmed...you're exhausted and probably still in pain from delivery and your hormones are raging right now. For me, I knew it was PPD when I started just not caring if they cried. It literally did not phase me. Or, it made me mad that they cried so much. Which in my mind I knew that they were babies and couldn't help it, but when I was in the middle of it, I "knew" how people could cross the line and shake their baby. (Scary stuff I know, but I'm being honest here so you can tell the difference.)

Baby Blues = you're focusing on you... "I'm not good enough", "I'm so tired".

PPD = You're focusing on the baby(ies)..."Won't they just stop crying?" or "I wish they would just shut up".

My best advice...tell your hubby and your doctor how you're feeling and ask them to help you watch it. Give yourself another week and then reassess how you feel. Do that each week if you think those feelings are lingering. There really are some wonderful drugs out there that you can use even if it's not PPD. If you are struggling to get thru the days, you can still take meds then too, kwim? You don't have to go it alone just because you wouldn't label it as PPD.

I hope that helps. Shannon

 

I was like that for the first three months but I feel like I'm back to my normal bit#@y self again. I was told by my doctor that it takes about a year to get the hormones back to normal and if you become pregnant right after you have another baby that it takes about 3 to 3 1/2 years to get back to normal. Whatever normal is with twins!!

 

Give yourself some time. Wait till your getting a little more sleep. If they don't go away, see a doc. The biggest thing is, if you can't find joy in your babies at some point in the day, you might have a problem.

 

Helen big . What you are feeling is completely normal. Give yourself some time to adjust to everything and if you still feel this way I would talk to a doctor. I had to start taking Zoloft after my six week check up. I just thought I had "baby blues" but after talking with my ob she told me I had PPD. I felt like a bad mom but my ob reassured me that it was common and didn't make me a bad mother. She also told me it’s more common for mothers with multiples. Hang in there and I will be thinking about you.