Mood Swing Questions

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Permalink Reply by Darcel on November 17, 2009 at 8:21am

Having gone off the meds you are also pregnant. Your still at the beginning, so you might feel crappy a while longer. When did you stop the meds?
If you know your triggers, then you can prepare ahead of time so you don't explode in certain situations.

You would be surprised at how emotional you get while pregnant though. Lots of extra hormones running through your body right now.
Remember to take care of yourself. This is a website someone sent me and it is helping.
http://www.emofree.com/

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Permalink Reply by Jeannine Fisk on November 17, 2009 at 8:49am

I stopped the day I found out, which would be about 3.5 weeks ago. Triggers have always been confusing for me. Seems like anything can trigger it. Things just have to annoy me or upset me.

However, things today seem better. I'm letting my husband deal with the insurance company to try to get in-network coverage.

I'm a bit nervous because I might be starting a new job on Monday and I need to remain calm and collected if I do. Don't want to freak out on the first day.

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Permalink Reply by KM on November 17, 2009 at 8:51am

Mood swings in early and late pregnancy were always incredibly common for me. But I find that I am always more prone to have one if I'm hungry, tired, or I have a vit deficiency. Make sure you take extra good care of yourself, and if your feel yourself starting to react on impulse to a situation, just excuse yourself and take a few minutes. Don't think about the situation while you're taking a break, just take slow deep breaths and focus on your baby and your body. Then, if you still feel like reacting, and you feel it's rational, react as calmly as possible.

I think excercising is a great idea, but maybe try to join a pre-natal yoga class. Bear in mind that your feelings become your baby's feelings, so keeping your mood clam and even in beneficial to you both.

Hopefully you've informed your mid wife of your past dealings with depression and she can help you along too. :)

I'm going to touch on the subject of Postpartum Depression too, because I think it's VERY important you AND your husband know the signs, and ready to deal with it. It's common among women(more so than we think since most people suffer silently), but even more likely to occur in women with a history of depression. Mothering Magazine had a really great article on PPD a couple of years ago, I'm going to try and find it the link. But basically they were finding that in women who were suffering(some with Postpartum phychosis) they had a severe Vitamin deficiency. If memory serves me(ha!) I think in most cases it was vitamin B-12.

If you should need to go back on medication after your baby is born, Thomas Hale's Medication and Mother's Milk, is an excellent resource for drug side effects though lactation.

Lastly, if you are unfamiliar with plancental encapsulation their is a really good thread in this site that I would look at. Many women have great success postpartum in keeping their moods stable by doing this. There is an extreme adjustment that our bodies must undergo after delivery of the plancenta because we are losing all of the hormones the plancenta is responsible for. Taking it as a supplement is not only great for health but mood as well.

I hope this helps and wasn't too scattered(pregnancy brain) good luck and remember you can always come talk to all the women here! We all understand!

Oh and I couldn't find the mothering article, but here's one from the Mayo clinic about B-12 and depression http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-b12-and-depression/AN01543

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Permalink Reply by Sara on November 17, 2009 at 11:10am

I am bipolar and have been for years. I too have to go off meds b/c they are not safe during PG. My experience is:

Hormonal, moody, and emotional comes with being PG and can range from mild to crazy psycho :) regardless of previous mental health. So don't always assume that your mood is related to your depression. it might just be a normal part of PG hormones & mood swings.

I keep a mood diary, on a scale of 1-10 how anxious, depressed, manic, angry/irritated do i feel & I journal about how I am feeling and things that happen that make me feel better & worse. Every day I pick a highlight and a low point. Helps me remember that each day comes with good & bad, naturally. Some days I only get 1/2 page others I fill 2-3. It is very theraputic. Its a tool I learned in therapy.

Do take a walk daily w/your hubby. Sunshine & exercise help boost seretonin levels which naturally combats depression. Exercise also helps reduce stress and is the #1 thing you can do to help with your depression (PG or not). Maybe try to do some basic yoga, the deep relaxation helps improve your mood & your ability to deal w/ triggers (plus ups your seratonin levels). The book "Conscious Birthing: Yoga and Meditation for Pregnancy" by Theresa Jamieson is a great resource for doing self-directed yoga at home. Simple step by step instructions w/pics. It has made a huge difference for me in helping me level out my moods.

Find a therapist to see throughout your PG--even if its only 1 or 2 times a month. It helps to have someone to talk to, your husband is not an unbiased outsider and may not be able to fulfill your needs in this area. Some therapists specialize in PG but anyone will do. I saw one for 4 years and then no longer required the service. However, going off my meds for the PG & during the time I BF, I found that going back helped a lot. Kinda filled in the holes left by going off meds.

I was suprised at how well my body compensated during PG. Almost like nature took over, realized I needed to be OK and kept me stable throughout. While not true for every woman, for me I found that going off the meds while PG did not have the same effect as doing it when I wasn't.

Finally, there are some anti-depressants that you can take after your 1st trimester. It is not ideal, but being clinically depressed will affect your health and the babies. If you find that you are suffering from severe depression that nothing can help the benefit of getting on the meds will outweigh the affects/risks of not.

Be honest with yourself, your husband and your MW about your mood. Don't try to hide it or pretend to be OK. They are your resources and your support it is imperitive that you turn to them for help if you need it. My thoughts and wishes are with you for a happy mood thorughout. Stay positive.

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Permalink Reply by Michael R. on November 18, 2009 at 3:34pm

For a person who has dealt with depression in the past (while never being prescribed meds) -- this pregnancy was seriously hormonally challenging!

It seemed to even out for me around 22 weeks. At which time, the baby started producing her own dad-gum hormones. That was helpful. lol

Do you feel like maybe having a counselor to discuss feelings with would help you out? I had that with my mother and sister.

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