Did you have postpartum depression after a c-section and how did you cope?
Thursday, July 8th, 2010 at
3:54 pm
BirthDramaMamma asked:
I had a c-section 7 months ago and I’m having so much trouble finding help. I finally got an appointment with a counselor but it’s not for another month. I’m not so interested in taking medication; I just want to feel better about myself and what happened to me. Just wondering if anyone else had postpartum depression and what helped?
I had a c-section 7 months ago and I’m having so much trouble finding help. I finally got an appointment with a counselor but it’s not for another month. I’m not so interested in taking medication; I just want to feel better about myself and what happened to me. Just wondering if anyone else had postpartum depression and what helped?
Thanks in advance.
Tagged with: 7 Months • C Section • medication
Filed under: Depression
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My first was a c-section and was very anxious with my first born that my GP (a dumb male) insisted on meds. I refused and got through it after about 1 year. In hindsight I was a bit of a control freak, a worrier and feared I may make a mistake and harm my baby.
With my second, who was born naturally (yes a VBAC is very possible depending on the reasons for the c-section) my hormones went crazy and with my sleep deprivation and my daughters cows milk (from my own diet passed through my breastmilk) I went a little wierd.
I got through it by concentrating on the positive in my life and I would write down 10 things in my life I was grateful for. Within a month, I’m happier now than I have ever been. Give it a try.
Counselors often recommend combination therapies, which offer drug treatment and therapy treatment. However, many studies show that the cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) used to treat depression works as well as combination therapies. This is because drugs often create dependence, or when the person tries to stop using the drugs, they relapse more easily. CBT teaches you new methods of thinking that help eliminate the depression altogether.
Basically, you will likely be taught that you have depressive errors in your thinking patterns right now and what those errors are. Treatment usually consists of correcting these cognitive errors and substituting more positive thought processes. You may be given special activities to do as homework to test your faulty thinking patterns (hypothesis-testing activities). But it is really up to you and your counselor to work as a team and figure out how best to go about treating this because it is a very serious and a very real issue you are having. Let them know you prefer not to go on medications, and if you are breastfeeding then they will agree that is best.
Also, one other point is that it will only be diagnosed as post-partum depression if this is the first time you have had a major depressive episode before and if it occurred for the first time within the first four weeks after having your baby. Otherwise, it is just the common major depressive disorder.
Good for you for getting that appointment, try to hold out until then. There’s not a whole lot for you to do while you wait to meet with your counselor, but definitely find some support systems. Have close family or friends available to talk to when you are feeling down, and maybe someone who can help with the child care when you are having a particularly bad day. Keep reminding yourself that this is a real problem and you are a ***** mother, only a ***** mother would seek help for this. Take some time for yourself every day, even if it’s just 15 minutes to sit down and flip through a magazine or lay back on the couch for a bit. Exercise also releases natural endorphins that can help with feelings of depression.
And remember that you just need to hold out until you meet with your counselor, then you will find that things start getting easier! Best of luck to you and congratulations on your new baby! Keep taking care of yourself!