Gwyneth Paltrow Speaks Out About Her Experience With Postpartum Depression

I suffered PPD after the birth of my daughter 28 yrs ago. She was the most beautiful and wonderful baby, even slept the night through at 5 weeks. But I could not stop crying at the drop of a hat. My mother in law would say snap out of it already, you have a beautiful baby. My husband due to his mom thought something was wrong with me in the head so I ended up hiding a lot of my feelings and it was awful. Like being in a big black hole. I had a 2 1/2 yr old and a newborn and then developed colitis probably due to all the stress, it took months but then finally things just brightened but it may have helped to have been able to speak to someone without be made to feel I was mental.

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My second child had colic and being I had a 1 1/2 yr. old already I was going crazy. I even called the doctor to ask if they could take the baby back...that's how bad it gets with PPD. And the poor baby couldn't hardly get any relief from her colic, they didn't have anything back then for new babies to take. That's why she was my last child, I couldn't go threw that again. Like above it would have been nice if I had some one to talk to about this and help me. I cryed a lot.

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I also had a wonderful first birth and yes very happy about it and then I had my son and I was pretty bad. I thought I was all right and it went on for 2 years. When my mom died it was so bad that all I did was cry for months. I finally went and got medicine. I hated it but it did help me. I gave it up a month before I found out that my ex-husband was cheating on me and I didn't need to go back on it. It was different and I was able to cope the best I could. And yes Tom Cruise it really can happen!!!

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I also suffered from ppd 27 years ago- after the birth of my second child. I can remember how I just felt like I did not want to live any more. I was so ashamed of how I felt as there was no real reason- I had 2 beautuful children and a wonderful husband. When I finally told my mother how I was feeling she made me feel so guilty by yelling at me telling me I had so many wonderful in my life things that I should be grateful for. I finally was referred to a dr that prescribed antidepressants. After 2 weeks to the day of taking the medication, it was like I was my old self again. I was able to sleep, eat, and enjoy life again. I honestly don't know if I would be here today had I not been helped by the doctor who treated me. I had no idea back then that depression didn't need to be the result of something sad in your life- it could just happen. I am so glad that this is now discussed more openly so women can get help early. I would never wish depression on my worst enemy.

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My sons girlfriend has ppd and refuses help she expects him to work all day and care for the baby all night so she can sleep all the time

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I had PPD that became Post Partum Psychosis. My OB prescribed Zoloft. I would not take it because at that point in the psychosis I thought he was trying to poison me. I didnt eat, Could not sleep, Would not take any meds, And became an insane recluse. In my mind at the time everyone was "out to get me". My family thought that i could just snap out of it. It finally came down to me being alone and giving my son to his father for 1 year to get myself together, During that year I tried to commit suicide numerous times, I lived in absolute hell. I finally forced myself to take a combination of an Anti-Psychotic, Paxil, And Ativan when I signed myself into a "mental hospital". Those drugs ended up saving my life. I was no longer psychotic as soon as I took the anti-psychotic. And it took about 2 years 4 the depression to lift where i was semi able to function like my old self. This is 10 years later now. I still have a form of depression but it is managable with medication. I have a wonderful son and life is not that bad. I just recently got married again. I would love to have one more child but the thought of going through that again scares the living hell out of me. I dont know what to do? Does it always happen if it happened to you once before?

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I to have suffered from PPD. I have four beautiful children but I didn't always have the loving thoughts of a good Mom. I know my PPD was inherited because unfortunately my beautiful mother committed suicide 38 yrs. ago. She took her life one yr. after my little brother was born. I have had Drs. tell me that chances were this is what happened. I wish so much there would have been help for her like there was for me. I suffered with PPD after each birth but in varying degrees. It wasn't untill after the 4th baby that I tried meds. and I will never forget the feeling of happiness that I felt. I laughed for the first time in a long time. My older children referred to the meds. as my Happy Pills. They truly were! My advice to any one feeling down after the birth of a baby, even if it has been a yr. plz go talk to a Dr. and get help.

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I think if u talk to ur Dr. he/she could help elivate some of your worries. As I was saying in my post I suffered with each birth but in different degrees. I think with the birth of my twins it was worse. i had a 19 mth old besides them to take care of and a mother-n-law who said I could function on 4 hrs. of sleep! (she is no longer my in law!) I didn't suffer right away with my 4th baby, It was about a yr. after his birth and I was kinda shocked when the Dr. suggested PPD. I thought only new mom's suffered this but she said no and it can be beyond a yr. This is when I first learned that my mother's suicide may be linked to PPD. Now I ddin't think of my mom as a crazy lady anymore.

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I remember 6months after I had my first child, I was thinking what am I doing how can I good mother and work too? Nothing made me happy, not even my beautiful little girl who was perfect. It lasted about a year for me. I had no idea what it was. I was the first one in my group of friends to have children so they could not relate. My husband tried to help but eventually it lifted on it's own. This was before PPD was widely accepted. I did have a son 6 years later and another daughter 8 years after that and I was fine both those times. I could not imagine not having more children if I LET the first depession get to me.

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Many celebrities are turning to meditation to help ease their postpartum symptoms. Meditation is a powerful tool for women dealing with postpartum depression and other stresses that can follow childbirth. Mommy Meditations, was developed with the help of Dr. Kerri Parks, ObGyn, who personally battled postpartum depression and the grief of losing her husband days before the birth of her fourth child. Mommy Meditations can help new moms recognize distress and ease into their postpartum bodies.

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I'm writing a paper on postpartum depression and would like to talk to someone who has gone through this. If you are interested, please email me. Thank you!

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