Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion breastfeeding and IQ

((hugs)) No! I think I was more scared of having PPD again with #2 than anything else...

Yep. I took Zoloft, too.

My depression, was entirely antepartum, as in the 9 months preceding the birth. I felt so good to have my abdomen back, it didn't bother me that I had to sit on a donut, I could barely walk and I had 7 migraines in 3 weeks. I was clinically depressed during, but not after. Antepartum depression is often overlooked because it is not as common as postpartum, but it still happens. For me, I am not sure about the chicken and egg thing with the depression and the constant nausea--at some point they probably reinforced each other. I am still amazed that anyone does this process more than once!

((hugs)) acs! I have huge amounts of sympathy for anyone who had to go through depression. It scared the heck out of me!

My labor was induced with pitocin and everything seemed to be going well until the heart monitor showed my son's heart rate dropping and my husband says it actually stopped at one point. The doctor ordered my sister to turn off the video camera, she told me we had to get the baby out NOW, and they put an oxygen mask on me, told me to push as hard as I could when I couldn't feel the contractions and they had to tell me when I was having one, and then they tried some vacuum thing that didn't work so they had to use forceps to get him out quickly and the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck possibly causing mild birth asphyxia.
My husband and I have always thought his difficult birth might have something to do with his sensory integration issues, hypotonia and motor dyspraxia since no one in our family has this.

Lori, your birth experience sounds like both of mine!!! I was induced with my first one and everything went great until nurses started running around, putting an oxygen mask on me and scaring me to death. The doctor had to use the vacuum thing to get him out as his heart rate was dropping. Luckily he was fine though. With my second one I told the nurse about my horrible experience and she assured me it wouldn't happen again, and wouldn't you know it, it did!! This time the cord was wrapped around his neck and the heart rate was dropping and the vacuum thing had to be used again. He got a horrible bruise on his head and developed jaundice so bad we had to rent the glowing light pack to get his levels normal. All this on top of horrible pregnancies where I was nauseated and/or sick for the entire 9 months!!!

This definitely helped make my decision not to have another one! But we were very fortunate that both of the boys were just fine in the long run.

Yikes! Oh, so scary! Glad you both wound up with the wonderful kids you have, Lori and E&C!

And sorry about the PPD (or APD, acs!) to all, too. I dabbled in depression at other times, but thankfully escaped it's pregnancy-associated form. I can't imagine how hard it must be to suffer from depression when trying to care for a newborn, too.

Ok I'll join in!

PG#1 - m/c
PG#2 - PROM 2nd trimester
PG#3 - bedrest at 15weeks due to contractions, possible cervical shortening, emergency surgery to sew my cervix shut (cerclage) at 21weeks, weekly u/s for fluid levels, baby growth, baby blood pressure, complete bedrest until 35weeks, low amniotic fluid, no growth, emergency c/s due to complete breech

PG#4 - cerlage surgery at 12weeks, bedrest started at 15weeks, home uterine monitoring for contractions, twice monthly u/s for AFI (fluid levels), went into labor at 36w5days, c/s

PG#5 - cerclage surgery at 12weeks, bedrest started at 16weeks (not as strict since I had to take DS to pre-K but I monitored contrax and rested most of the day), went into labor at 36w4days, c/s

Yikes, Dazey! {{{hugs}}} That sounds like a rough, rough time!

It was no walk in the park. Ha Ha Ha. Seriously, the perinatologist told me when I was pg w/ DS8 (pg#3) "Mothers' usually know. If you ever doubt the baby is OK, you head straight to L&D." I was doing kick counts 3x/day. If the poor kid was quiet for more than 30min, I was poking him to make sure he was OK. He had an enlarged umbilical vein so we were concerned w/ blood clots so they were constantly measuring blood flow in the umbilical cord as well as in his head as well as bone growth scans, abdominal circumference measurements, fluid levels..... It was tough emotionally dealing w/ the what ifs.

But I have 3 healthy kids so I can't complain!!!!