Does PPD include not wanting to be left alone with the baby?

[Anonymous]

THANK YOU for all the helpful responses. It is nice to know I'm not alone in this. I am the first of friends to have a baby and don't really have that support network of friends that all have kids the same age. I don't have much family here either, so am feeling very isolated. I will do my best to make one trip out per day and to definitely get out and enjoy the nice weather. I think it will be nicer when she has her first smile or laugh, but it's so true - right now she is a little blob and she is so helpless I find it overwhelming! How did that Duggar woman have 19 children? I find ONE extremely emotional and overwhelming! Goes to show we're all different.

[Anonymous]

My baby is 7w and my husband spend the first 10 days at home with us. I work as a nanny and have experience with children and even newborns, but the last day he was home I remember feeling so sad and overwhelmed just thinking about him not being with us the next day! In the beginning my baby wanted to cluster feed ALL THE TIME, so even though I was not scared of being alone with the baby per se, I loved that my husband was home and would just OFFER to take the baby while I catch some nap or just walk, stand up without having the little munchkin attached to my breasts.

I was also very sore still and to make matters worse, everytime I looked around and saw the mess my house was, I just wanted to cry - I remember thinking HOW am I going to be able to clean this house ever again?! Silly I know! Don't expect things to improve overnight, but each day is better than the last and you will feel more confident as time goes by.

[Anonymous]

Do you have friends who could come over and hang out with you? It seems like while you really want your husband's company, maybe any company would help a bit. Someone you feel super comfortable with, for example.

[Anonymous]

I completely understand where you are coming from-I spent the first 6 weeks of my baby's life exhausted, extremely anxious, and weepy. I felt like I had no idea what I was doing and I couldn't wait to go back to work, and then of course I felt guilty for feeling that way. At about 6 weeks three things happened: I went on a very low dose of an anti-anxiety medication, my baby suddenly started smiling, sleeping more, crying less etc, and we went away for a week to visit family, who were able to help out and generally provide some much-needed support. Within a couple of weeks I felt completely different about things, and really enjoyed the following 3 months of maternity leave. So, I think it will get better with time, but I would also consider visiting your OB to discuss things and possibly getting a presciption for an anti-depressive, and seeing if you can get some family members to come visit (or go visit them) and provide you with some help and support.

[Anonymous]

I would say that what you are feeling is totally normal and that if it does not subside in a week or so, you should definitely reach out to your OB for some resources. I would say for me, the feelings went away for a while and then came back around 5-6 weeks. Maybe at that point, it was more of reality setting in or hormonal changes. Eventually, things got better. But I did seek couseling for a while which helped. Also, I joined a new moms group, you can try contacting http://www.pacemoms.org/ about signing up for one. This can help also.

Good luck and hang in there. This too shall pass.