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Anxiety after having my son

I am new to here and looking for some advice. I have a 10 day old baby and I’m struggling. I’ve suffered with anxiety before and have been on medication in the past. I have however managed the whole pregnancy without medication. However now he’s been born I seem to have gone into overdrive. My anxiety is through the roof and seriously effecting me. I am constantly in panic mode and so tense my jaw is hurting. My obsessive thoughts seem to be rearing their ugly head as well. I keep imagining I will drop my baby when I am carrying him. And it’s making me nervous to be around him. I have spoken to my GP and he’s put me back on medication but I know these take a few weeks to kick in. In the meantime has anyone got any advice or experience in this that they can share? I am feeling pretty scared at the moment

Replies

  • Hi honey. I honestly could have written your post when i had my first daughter. 
    BUT you did so right visiting your GP. Well done on going and talking to them and getting back on your medication - they will kick in soon! 

    Something i learned when the obsessive thoughts kick in, is to say out loud 'Stop!'. It helps stop the thoughts in their track - sounds silly, but it does work. 

    Also remember your hormones are here, there and everywhere right now - they will settle down, but in the meantime, say Stop to those thoughts, and try and switch your brain off (funny tv, turn the radio on, play with your baby)

    x

  • Thank you so much for your reply. When it happened to you, how long was it before it settled? It’s so awful isn’t it! 

  • You know, at first i thought it was baby blues - i was terrified of being left alone wth the baby, I couldn't eat - my throat would close up when i tried to, and so i went straight back on my anti-depressant (had been off it a long time) and literally a month later, i remember just feeling much calmer.

    My mum, who is not great with advice, actually said something really wise. She said 'you can't control every situation, you just have to understand things aren't always going to work how you want them to, esp with a baby, as they change all the time'. She was right - you just got to let some things go.

    Oh and a year later, she dropped my baby - but she was fine! I promise, you will come through the other said, and remember, when those thoughts rear their ugly head, shout STOP! x

  • Thank you so much for the advice. I will certainly give it a go and just pray the medication kicks in soon. It’s been less than a week sinne I started taking it so I think it’s going to be a while yet. 

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