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Hi Lindsay,
can you put up with being a miserable cow for the nest 15 weeks? I would chose that over putting my baby at risk with the higher dosage...15 weeks will pass in no time but the repercussions of the meds might last a life time. What does your OB recommend?
I'm sure you mean well Chalalan, but the "risk" is impossible to measure and is different for every mother and child. It's also a lot more serious than being a 'miserable cow'. Before i went on medication (while breastfeeding - i was crying every day, too afraid to leave the house, had headaches and chest pains, unable to sleep.... for me the medication was a godsend and has had no effect on my son apart from him being so much happier as he has a happy healthy mum). Some people are at risk of harming themselves when not on medication, so the risk to the baby would be significantly reduced by taking medication. Depression is such a debilitating illness, and while i obviously don't think taking medication while pregnant is ideal, it certainly does help many women simply function in their every day life and if thats the case, then the benefits far outweigh the risks.
Mumma B - I have had experience of zoloft for the record, and by the sounds of things your son was safely delivered by the time you took up medication as a recourse to your depression.
I'm advocating that the fetus gets a chance to grow and develop away from these strong chemicals if it can be helped at all....and yes I understand the symptoms of depression since I have experienced them myself but I know that I would never put my own headaches or heart palpitaions above the life of my eagerly awaited and cherished bub.
I had anxiety not depression and yes with my first son i avoided medication during pregnancy. But knowing him as the child he is, i truly believe my anxiety had an effect on his brain during my pregnancy and whilst a happy child, he himself has a highly anxious personality despite my gentle parenting (breastfeeding/co-sleeping/everything child led). There is research which suggests the stress responses YOUR body creates during anxiety and depression DO have an effect on the baby's brain development in utero. Which is why this time i made the choice to be on medication for this pregnancy, NOT because i wanted to do without the headaches or stress but because i truly believe that daily panic attacks, hyperventilating and other extreme distress i wont go in to here would be more harmful than the effect of medication on my baby. Apart from that what you have to consider is that both Lindsay and I have other toddlers to look after while being pregnant and suffering depression/anxiety - it certainly isn't fair on the children that are already here having to witness and deal with that on a daily level.
Whilst i'm sure every mother would love to have her baby in the womb have the choice of growing and being born medication free, but we are the mothers and have to make the choices we believe best for us and them at the time.
Your right on the dot hun!!!:
There is research which suggests the stress responses YOUR body creates during anxiety and depression DO have an effect on the baby's brain development in utero. Which is why this time i made the choice to be on medication for this pregnancy, NOT because i wanted to do without the headaches or stress but because i truly believe that daily panic attacks, hyperventilating and other extreme distress i wont go in to here would be more harmful than the effect of medication on my baby. Apart from that what you have to consider is that both Lindsay and I have other toddlers to look after while being pregnant and suffering depression/anxiety - it certainly isn't fair on the children that are already here having to witness and deal with that on a daily level.
Whilst i'm sure every mother would love to have her baby in the womb have the choice of growing and being born medication free, but we are the mothers and have to make the choices we believe best for us and them at the time.
Chalalan- If you go back to my 1st post I listed my options... apart from what B said Im also having high blood pressure now so without upping my meds its not going to get any better.... having high blood pressure in pregnancy isnt all that safe either. Im increasing my risk of having pre- eclampsia which then will lead to me being induced early(as early as 32-34 weeks)and while the survival rate is high at that stage there is also alot of complications that can come with that.
Your right on the dot hun!!!:
There is research which suggests the stress responses YOUR body creates during anxiety and depression DO have an effect on the baby's brain development in utero. Which is why this time i made the choice to be on medication for this pregnancy, NOT because i wanted to do without the headaches or stress but because i truly believe that daily panic attacks, hyperventilating and other extreme distress i wont go in to here would be more harmful than the effect of medication on my baby. Apart from that what you have to consider is that both Lindsay and I have other toddlers to look after while being pregnant and suffering depression/anxiety - it certainly isn't fair on the children that are already here having to witness and deal with that on a daily level.
Whilst i'm sure every mother would love to have her baby in the womb have the choice of growing and being born medication free, but we are the mothers and have to make the choices we believe best for us and them at the time.
Chalalan- If you go back to my 1st post I listed my options... apart from what B said Im also having high blood pressure now so without upping my meds its not going to get any better.... having high blood pressure in pregnancy isnt all that safe either. Im increasing my risk of having pre-eclampsia which then will lead to me being induced early(as early as 32-34 weeks)and while the survival rate is high at that stage there is also alot of complications that can come with that.
So its not me just not wanting to be a miserable cow.
lindsay, i just wanted to support you in whatever decision you make. my situation is slightly different, i'm an epileptic and take valpro at what is luckily a low dose, but i know how much you weigh up the pros and cons of taking meds when you're pg. in the end if you don't look after your health, you risk depriving your children of a normal relationship with their mother. no one makes the decision to medicate during pg lightly, and all you can do is arm yourself with knowledge and professional support. you do what is important for all of your family
best of luck
Hi Lindsay hon, How you feeling at the moment? any better from 2 weeks ago? Im thinking of you, I know how hard it is to make this decision. I have been the one now to not take any higher dose and try and cope without it like you were saying. Im sorry to hear your BP is high hon.
I agree with MummaB, if we had a choice we try and be free of medication but some of us really need it, if I wasnt taking my Ciprimil I would end up in hospital with high anxiety and PND and OCD and that is not good for me or the baby inside me. I am doing what I need to make sure I can get through each day without falling apart, I have spoken to my OB, psychologist GP and soon to speak to my new psychiatrist in relation to my dosage of Ciprimil in the upcoming weeks before birth and after birth.:
Some people need to realise that none of us would choose to take meds if we didnt feel we need to. We wouldnt wish how we feel or have felt in the past on anyone.
Lindsay - thinking of you.
Bel
xxx
Thankyou Cateblu for your post!!
Hey Belle hun, still feeling the same as when I posted this thread as I was sick last week and didnt get to go to my Monday app so it now this Monday...and will be starting higher dosage then.
I hope your ok hun :comfort:
Hey hun,
Sorry i missed this until now - usually like to keep my beady eye on you ;) Dunno how i missed this one...
It sounds like despite your current low spirits and symptoms you have your head screwed on tight as ever! Your decision making is rational and sound and it sounds like you're making a silk purse out of the sow's ear life has handed you.
No, obviously medicating during pregnancy isn't ideal - but is having the depression/anxiety in the first place ideal!? Um...nope! Unfortunately all too often life doesn't present us with ideal situations but with highly complex ones. Whatever you do at this stage, medicate or not, your little boy will be your little boy forever. It is VERY hard to know whether your own incorrectly high anxiety levels will have more effect than a higher dose of your medication on your son, but it is a FALLACY to think these two things will make the MOST difference to his life.
You are a loving compassionate mother who takes her parenting decisions carefully and with consideration. Your son might not have chemically optimal conditions in the womb WHATEVER decision you make but by goodness, it is 9 months (at this stage let's remember it's only 3!) of his life. There will be 20 YEARS after that of your love and care. You are already preparing for him and thinking about how to reduce his potential difficulties after birth (like BFing etc.) and to be honest Linz, you got given him. If he was meant for someone who wouldn't have to make this decision he'd have gone to them. But he isn't coming to anyone but you.
He's too tiny to ask now, but i'd bet you if you could ask ANY child what they wanted natural chemicals and a deeply distressed unhappy mum or synthetic chemicals and a coping, happy mum, they would choose the latter.
Hang in there hun.
Bx
There is a third choice. Go on a higher dose for the next 10-12 weeks, wean down the meds in the last few weeks of PG. Then increase them again after bub is born.:
somethign I just wanted to add in response to something MumaB mentioned. MummaB, you mention that DS shows the some signs of anxiety which you feel is related to the way you felt during his pregnancy. This could very well be the case. But don't beat yourself up about that because I don't have any anxiety or depression issues, never have. BUT Evan shows ALOT of signs that he will suffer from this. He has many little things now, even as a 5 yr old that he obsesses over. He gets it from his Dad. DH has suffered for many years with Anxiety (as you may remember for our posts ages ago when you where deciding on what meds to go on while BFing). So while you didn't use any meds while pregnant it may have made no difference to the way DS is. I believe anxiety & depression are passed down. DH & his family are proof of it. Now we see it in Evan also.
I just hope that now the "dirty little secret" of DH's family is out Evan will grow up with the best possible chance on dealing with it with out the need for medications. DH manages his anxiety with out meds. He use to be on a very low dosage (his choice to keep it low, not recomended by the Dr as the idea of taking a addictive medication was actually adding to the problem) he hasn't needed anything for a number of years.
I know everyone is different & I am by no means looking down on anyone who needs to take the meds just sharing our story. Actually just rambling really LOL.
Not ever having experienced depression myself, I can't begin to imagine how hard it is. I have had anxiety though in the past and dealt with it through cognitive therapy. But it isn't always that easy is it?
Lindsay, this must be a tough decision for you.
Hugs to you :hug: hope everything works out for the best.
Bec- Thankyou hun :hug: you are always a great support!!!
Evening star- Thankyou, I have been doing cognitive therapy since DD was born... I find it fantastic but for some reason its not doing enough right now :(
Charlotte- The 3rd option isnt really an option for me, coming up to birth is the most stressfull time (Well in my case anyway) so thats when im going to need the increase the most.