TOPIC: Postnatal Depression

Hey Dads - we have found that lots of dads have partners who have (or are) suffering from postnatal depression. If that's you please see our article in the toolbox with link to Netmums who also have some excellent advice and support on this issue..

http://www.dadtalk.co.uk/articles/dads_and__pnd.php

Please also share your stories, tips or struggles here on the forum

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Hi Guys

Just resurrecting this thread as we would be keen to hear about your experiances of Post Natal Depression.

Did your partner suffer from this?
Did you?
How did you both cope?
Did it affect your relationship, your work?
Was your boss understanding?

Let us know your experiances

cheers

Hi.

My wife had PND with our first and third kids. (both girls though strangely not with our son who is in the middle!)

Things were so bad during her last pregnancy that my dr signed me off sick so I could take care of her and our other 2. This was a huge advantage to me as it stopped my worrying about work abd looking after 3.5 people at home.

Following the birth, she was prescribed with Prozac and offered therapy. She declined this and has instead relied on help from myself, family and our church community.

She stopped the medication several months ago now a d I believe things are going very well for us both. Long may it continue!

My wife has already been diagnosed with this. I was expecting it to happen to be honest. She has suffered from depression most of her life and has been off her anti depressants since we started trying for a baby of our own a year and a half ago. She had been on them for 17 years. The only downside to her having to go back on them is if she comes back off again. last time the side affects from coming off made her collapse and she did this in the middle of the night at the top of the stairs in our old house. All I heard was a big crash and it frightened the life out of me me as I jumped out of bed and ran to find her at the bottom of the stairs with a small pool of blood by her head. I thought the worse and started to panic, then she spoke to me and calmed me down. Had to call an ambulance and she had to have stitches in the gash on the side of her head. How she got away without any thing worse than that and carpet burns on the top of her head as well as bruising all over I'll never know.
We have moved since and now live in a house with a wider landing and the chances of it happing again are slimmer.
Anyway, she is much calmer now and managing to deal with each day as it comes, with the odd crying spell. The thing that made her worse was all they went on about was cot death while she was in the hospital and the amount of gumph she came out with when we picked her and Harry up was just stupid. It had frightened her so much to the point she had convinced herself it was going to happen with Harry.

Hi Lumpty - Gorgeous baby! Congratulations...loving your avatar photo.

Best wishes to you and your family. Sounds like you're a really supportive husband and dad, and surely that's the best way to help your wife get through these emotionally tough days.

HoodWink wrote: Hi Lumpty - Gorgeous baby! Congratulations...loving your avatar photo.

Best wishes to you and your family. Sounds like you're a really supportive husband and dad, and surely that's the best way to help your wife get through these emotionally tough days.

Thank you very much.
My wife keeps telling me how supportive I have been and how wonderful I am to her and both kids. Personally I feel I should be doing more but she keeps telling me I am being stupid as there really isn't anything else I can do.

Hi Lumpty

All I can add is that you are doing a great job, don't underestimate anything you do. Being there for support, understanding and listening really do help. It's not an easy time for you and your family, but I hope that things do continue to improve.

Hi Lumpty

My wife had PND when our second child was born. I think a mixture of number 2 arriving so soon after number 1 (they are 14 months apart) and a deeper sense of loss of independence meant she really struggled.

Our Health Visitor was FAB and pretty much picked up on the PND before either my wife or I did. The HV gave us some great advice and really made time for my wife. I spoke to my boss at the place I worked at the time and managed to change my hours around so I could leave at 4.30 and be home by 5pm as 5-8 was the time of day my wife found the hardest and having me around really helped.

We found that lots of our friends had been effected by PND and had some great advice.

I found it really helpful to off load with mates about how i felt about stuff (including how I felt about the Mrs!) so that i was able to sit and listen to my wife without my own crap getting in the way.

Keep ya pecker up bro.

All is good and well now. My wife has had to go back on the anti depressants but it was something I think we were both expecting to be honest. Thanks for the support.

Glad things are on the mend.