Yesterday and today were grand. Getting out of the house for a few hours of work can definitely clear the mind and help me refocus. I love that Doodlebug misses me when I leave her in the nursery, but loves to play with the other kids and teachers there. It’s really nice for her to interact with someone other than me, or Dear Husband.
Yet today got hard. Screaming nearly constantly for a while. Fever. Constant runny nose. She’s either a little sick or she’s cracking teeth. It’s hard, because she only wants to be held–all day long. It’s amazing the things I can accomplish while holding her. Who knew I could heave a log into the wood burning furnace with a child on my hip?
Tomorrow we see a doctor to talk about post partum depression. We’ll see what she has to say about it. Just today there was an AP article talking about how first time moms have a higher risk of depression related illnesses. It’s astounding how many have had to be hospitalized within 20 days of childbirth. The signs of PPD are:
In particular, Sit said, women who’ve had past depression are at increased risk. Symptoms to watch for include: a loss of interest in the baby or in other once-pleasurable activities; feeling down or depressed; changes in sleep patterns; thoughts of wanting to die; new onset of anxiety or thoughts of wanting to harm one’s self or others.
“Be ready to seek treatment sooner rather than later,” Sit advised, adding there are both medical and non-medical options for the treatment of psychiatric disorders, and there are medications thought to be safe for breast-feeding mothers.
I’m not a big advocate for medicine in general because I think much of our society is way over medicated, but if there is something that will help me balance out these mood swings and still nurse Doodlebug, I’m game. Hopefully tomorrow will be the second step on the road to recovery.
