After some advice please
I've recently been seeing a mental health nurse to help with self esteem issues that I dont want to pass onto my dd who is 8 months old. She believes and I sort of can see that I have been depressed for a very long time, way before my dd was born. She thinks it maybe beneficial for me to go on Antidepressants.
What my two questions are is 1. Has anyone been in antidepressants whilst breastfeeding as I am not willing to wean bubs until after the 1 year mark. And
2. I know that being depressed meaning there is a chemical imbalance in the brain but I feel by going on antidepressants I'm sort of cheating or failing as I couldn't feel better without them. Has anyone felt the same.
In saying what I have I am in no way judging the way others handle things, this is just how I feel but then if I had a friend in the same situation I wouldn't think they had failed. I hope that makes sense.
Thanks
4 Replies
Hi babe, I had post natal depression and my doctor prescribed me Lexapro which is in his words 'the safest anti depressant to take whilst breast feeding'. They took a few weeks to kick in but after that I felt really good. I still had off days where I would scream at my partner and daughter but in general the feelings of worthlessness, suicide, wanting to kill my baby, thinking I was a bad mum went away. Being on the anti depressants was really beneficial to me. I was able to get my head out of the fog and think clearly, which meant when I went to counselling I was taking in a lot more of the advice and coping strategies my counsellor gave me. I was on Lexapro for about 5 months before I slowly started weaning off them. I feel so much better now. Like before, I still do have the odd suicidal thought, sometimes my anger gets the better of me and I feel like hitting my child or I am a complete bitch to my partner but now I feel that I have the coping strategies to deal with my anger. I am glad I went on the anti depressants and I think they helped enormously. If you are going to take them, I'd say continue the counselling too.
You are not failing in any way. I too felt the same, I was a bad mum, I was failing my daughter. But you know what, we are doing everything right by our daughters by recognizing and reaching out for help! It's hard to see while you are still in the fog, but I promise there will be an end in sight and your daughter loves you no matter what xx
Same as other response I was prescribed lexapro. Best thing I did. Still breastfeeding baby (my choice) once a day and she's great (18 months old now).
There are some antidepressants that you can take while breast feeding so don't worry about that part.
Secondly if you had a different illness (depression is an illness) would you feel like you failed taking medication?
I don't think anyone is ever happy to take the medication, it is a necessary step to having a full and happy life, just like insulin is to a diabetic.
Hey honey, my little one is 22 months old and I am still BF. Have been on antidepressants since before I fell pregnant. I have really struggled, especially in the last 4 or 5 months, I can't imagine how bad things would be if I wasn't on them. I also exercise, eat well, abstain from alcohol but I know without the anti-depressants I would be a mess. I just think that I have to do what I have to do to ensure I am the best mother to my child and best wife to my husband. There is a pharmacist called Rodney Whyte who works at Monash in Melbourne, he has done extensive research into breastfeeding and medication. He really eased my mind during my pregnancy. Members of the public are welcome to call him, hopefully this is still his number 03 9594 2361. Good luck x