Intro ****Child mentioned/self harm/bipolar/anxiety***

[somebirdswalk]

Hi all, I'm somebirdswalk. I'm new to these boards and forums online in general, so please bear with me as I learn the ropes, I will do my best!

About me. I've been married to my DH for about 2 1/2 years and our DS was born end of February. I had a wonderful birth and no complications, PP has been relatively good except for a rib out of alignment and some mood issues. Okay-I'm minimizing the mood issues a bit. It's gotten rough quite a few times, especially when I'm sleep deprived or not eating (goes hand in hand).

More details about me include coping with social anxiety (unfortunately online communication doesn't seem to help with this, but I will try to work through it) and anxiety in general. I've also been experiencing some flares of depressive/self harming symptoms that I had had under pretty good control during my pregnancy.

Some days I'm aware that I'm in the midst of a huge transition and that it will take me some time to recalibrate my self care routine and other days I feel hopelessly overwhelmed and feel like the good days are gone for good.

I haven't been diagnosed with a PPMD but I have been diagnosed with Bipolar II. The self harming episodes and depressive dips I've had since baby came along seem to be conditioned stress responses where I lack coping skills and not a full on mood dive/cycle. Even so I'm having a tough time battling them back and/or coping with them. Didn't know how precious sleep was til now I had bipolar and a baby!

I hope I can be of some comfort and support others here in Mental Wellness as well as share some of my struggles and *hopefully* triumphs. Didn't realize how intensely lonely motherhood could be-I thought I was lonely before! Pfft! So I'm reaching out.

Thanks for being here.



Oh, went with "better safe than sorry" with the trigger warnings, hoping I get the hang of those soon

[Deleted]

Welcome.
Are you currently seeing a therapist to address your concerns? Also if you are taking any medications have you had bloodwork since having your LO to make sure you medication levels are within a therapeutic range

There is also a PPA/PPD board that you might find informative.

[somebirdswalk]

I am seeing a therapist and I do have regular blood work to monitor my thyroid, which is currently outta whack. My Vit D is a little lower than I like too... Otherwise I'm not on any other meds at the moment. Hoping to keep it that way, but open to meds if I need them. My doc and I think the thyroid could be contributing to the anxiety along with all the postpartum hormones.

Thanks for the tip, I will keep eyes on the PPA/PPD boards as well

[Deleted]

Jul 13, 2015 15:25:55 GMT -5 somebirdswalk said:

I am seeing a therapist and I do have regular blood work to monitor my thyroid, which is currently outta whack. My Vit D is a little lower than I like too... Otherwise I'm not on any other meds at the moment. Hoping to keep it that way, but open to meds if I need them. My doc and I think the thyroid could be contributing to the anxiety along with all the postpartum hormones.

Thanks for the tip, I will keep eyes on the PPA/PPD boards as well

If you aren't taking vit D supplements, try to get as much sunlight as possible. It will also help get you and your LO out of the house.

[yoshijo28]

Hi and welcome!

[icequeen]

Hi and I'm happy you decided to reach out to us for some extra support. I think it's great that you are realizing why you are reverting back to old behaviors especially now that your lifestyle has changed so dramatically. It's kind of inevitable for you to be the same person you were before having your baby, and I hope you can be patient with yourself as you learn new coping skills and recondition your stress response. My guess is your therapist is working on this with you. I think @wallflwr926 has a great point about medication and looking into that as a possible treatment option. Not trying to be a pill pusher, but it might be worth talking about for the future!

[URMySunshine77]

Welcome!

[somebirdswalk]

I was told I was cyclothymic years ago and didn't realize then that it was a sub threshold of bipolar and then nearly 10 years later I get told I'm bipolar II and while looking up that I see cyclothmia! D'oh Hope you find your answers, learning more about my "dealio" has helped me cope a lot better, though still tough at times.

Thanks for the welcome

And may we all get some good sleep!!