Thank you for all of the questions and comments about the post "Baby Blues, Postpartum Depression, PMS or just a sad day?" I wanted to provide some more insight into my situation and a few resources that I find helpful.

Depression can fool us because we hear more about it with regards to postpartum. Depression during pregnancy is very real. Hormones shift and change during pregnancy and can cause depression symptom. Hormones are typically blamed for moods but those feelings can be a sign of depression.

About 10-20% of women will struggle with some symptoms of depression during pregnancy, and a quarter to half of these will suffer from major depression.

What are the signs of depression during pregnancy?

Women with depression usually experience some of the following symptoms for 2 weeks or more: Persistent sadness, difficulty concentrating, sleeping too little or too much, loss of interest in activities that you usually enjoy, recurring thoughts of death, suicide or hopelessness, anxiety, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, and change in eating habits.

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/depressionduringpregnancy.html, http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/postpartum.htm

If you are pregnant or know someone who is pregnant and they have any of the symptoms, don’t dismiss them. The women who suffer in silence are often the ones that need help the most.

I did not have symptoms of depression during pregnancy and had not experienced much PMS before becoming pregnant, so depression was very confusing to me.

Honestly, I didn’t know that I was in trouble or that I had mild depression when I was going through it. I kept down playing how I felt but knew in my heart that something was not right. I never had feelings of hopelessness or thoughts about harming me or my baby. What I did have was a sense of overwhelm, sadness and a virtual paralysis.

I don’t think that I had full blown postpartum depression but I did experience baby blues that lingered longer than I thought that they should. I feel that in my situation, it was directly related to hormones.

After giving birth, I found myself taking care of my baby, making sure that his every need was met, and let everything else, including me, slip. I took a shower, sometimes, cooked dinner, sometimes, and did laundry when I absolutely had nothing left for my son to wear. I sat in one spot on the couch for most of the day. I did not feel comfortable changing spots on the couch. That is why I call it paralysis; moving seats seemed impossible and uncomfortable. The simplest of task somehow felt overwhelming for no apparent reason. The effort that it took to get up off of the couch and make something for me to eat was not an option. I did force myself to eat what I could find and took my prenatal vitamins while I was breastfeeding because that was for my baby, not for me.

Joe was incredibly supportive but didn’t have any way of understanding what I was going through. I didn’t tell him all that I was feeling because I was embarrassed and felt that I should be able to handle this too. He knew that I was sad, held me as much as he could and did more than his part around the house. We talked about it but there was really nothing to say, I was sad, didn’t feel like doing anything and was getting more and more sleep deprived. Trying to separate sleep deprivation from depression can be hard and may not be possible. Lack of sleep can make the most normal person go nuts over time so I believe that it plays a role in depression.

I wish that I had taken it more seriously 4 years ago, after my first son was born. Experiencing any form of depression should not be taken lightly. I didn’t start my personal voyage until my second son was born; I lived with it and tried to get over it on my own. Depression is hard to understand and can show itself in so many different ways.

I researched what I was feeling, spoke with my doctor and began my quest for some form of treatment that met my needs and goals.

I opted for nutrition as a way to handle my symptoms. However, if they get worse, I guarantee that I will look for further assistance. Feeling depressed and paralyzed is horrible and I never want to feel that way again. I found a supplement that works for me, have more routine in my life and am now feeling stable with the exception of a sad day. Sad days are now sporadic and not the norm as they had been in the past.

Women are intuitive and we know when something is wrong, especially within our own bodies. Sometimes we just need a little nudge to make a change.

Off to make another Mommy Milestone.