Post Natal Depression/Psychotic Symptoms

swugnireland.ie

Hi all,

My wife is suffering from post natal depression/pyschosis. We had a baby girl 5 and a half months ago. Just on Friday my wife had a breakdown and on Wednesday was taken to St. Brendan's Psychiatric Hospital. She was suffering from psychotic symptoms. A psychiatric doctor had diagnosed it. Maybe some mothers reading this will think I'm after going off the rails by landing my wife in there but a lot of things have come out since then such as abuse when younger etc which may have triggered this whole situation (along with countless other possibilities) and she needed/needs medication to prevent her from hearing strange things.

Has anyone suffered PND here suffered before and how did you cope? I'm sure 99% of people got medication or counselling and remained at home and got well but this is an extremely acute case and she is displaying psychotic symptons. My mam and I are currently looking after baby (thank God she's a great baby). We used always keep her in our bed and my wife would breastfeed a lot and we think this is a major contributing factor as it has sapped a lot of her energy. I in my ignorance didn't realise that it's so demanding. Baby is just gone on the bottle. As I type she's just after about 400ml in 10 minutes (usually she was drinking only 50ml in an hour.) For the first time she slept in the cot last night. Felt guilty about it but I guess I need to get her in the habit before her mam gets back.

Q.1 Should we restrict the amount of aptimal 1 that baby drinks or let her drink away to her heart’s content?
Q.2 Is aptimal 1 recommended by other mothers? I'm new to this game as baby was being breastfed all along. I know there are a few other brands but I imagine most are the same like nappies.

I've noticed she was getting rash/pimples on her forehead since she started drinking from bottle. Previously she'd just get a big red cheek from being so close to the warm breast which was funny when she changed breast as she had one white cheek and one red cheek like Santa Clause.

Baby and I am visiting mother/wife in St. Brendan's daily. Mother is a non-national which complicates things as her family are quite far away and don't speak English so I've the job of explaining to them what's up. Going to see if I can bring in the laptop today and let her communicate through Skype with them.

Q.3 Does anyone know much about St. Brendan's. Doesn't look great and the patients are much worse than my wife who after medication has calmed down significantly but still has worries about certain things.

Baby is doing well with us. Might sound odd but I'm happy I'm not working (I'm a mechanical engineer and have been out of work a year). Have been in FAS since August and they've agreed to give me time off. I've had plenty of time with baby so I'm used to it. Would hate to be landed in this without much prior experience.

I'm sure I'll think of loads to ask. Actually, one last question.

Q.4 What essential items should I bring into wife.
My list is: Socks, underwear, toothbrush, toothpaste, sanitary towels, clothes, book to read (although i'm not sure if she's keen on reading now). They’re the bare essentials for now.

Hope to see mother home in 2-3 weeks as it's a serious case so all advice is very much appreciated.

GB all.

Eoineo

Hi Swug,

So sorry to hear that your wife is ill. So first to the practicalities of the situation.

To bring into the hospital to her:

Underwear
PJs
slippers
dressing gown (with buttons preferably if there is psychosis involved)
Breast pads & nursing bra - if she has been breastfeeding then she will continue to make milk for a while yet
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Facecloth
Soap
Hand lotion
Personal hand sanitizer
Small hardback notebook - useful for helping with her recovery
A couple of pens
MP3 player with her favourite music
Magazines - no books as she will be medicated and not able to concentrate just yet
A photograph of your child in a frame and a photograph of you all in a frame - so that she has something positive to look at
Hairbrush
Favourite shower gel & shampoo

Ask permission to bring a pillow or pillowcase from home so that she can be comfortable in bed.

Ask about bringing the baby to visit her - if there is an appropriate place to meet with the child.

If you had private health insurance I'd be advising you to look into ST Patrick's Hospital as they do have a facility (as far as I can remember) for a mother and child if the mother has chronic PND.

The Baby:

The rash is a milk rash from the bottle - it will go down over time. Give the baby as much as she can normally drink. On the side of the box of aptimil there is a table with guideline amounts for a child's age. If the child is hungry then feed slightly more. Just ensure to wind her well because bottle feed is heavier on the stomach than a breastfeed. Also you will notice she goes longer between feeds now she is getting a bottle - bottlefed babies feed less.

The most important thing you can do right now is to reassure your wife that you are taking good care of your child. It is brilliant that you have the time to dedicate to the care of the child and her mother so don't beat yourself up over that.

Take care, the next couple of months are going to be hard but you will get through it.

Best of luck.

nesf

swugnireland.ie wrote: »

Maybe some mothers reading this will think I'm after going off the rails by landing my wife in there but a lot of things have come out since then such as abuse when younger etc which may have triggered this whole situation (along with countless other possibilities) and she needed/needs medication to prevent her from hearing strange things.

Screw that, if she's going through a serious psychotic episode she needs to be hospitalised for a while. (I'm a bipolar sufferer)


Feed the baby the recommended amount of Aptimil. No more. Do not feed her "all she can drink" as that will cause her to gain far too much weight.

littlebug

No one will think you're off the rails.... you're doing the best you can in a very difficult situation. Your wife is getting the treatment she needs.

Re feeding be aware that if your baby was fed on demand she may not slip into routine of having whatever amount every 4 hours or whatever it says on the tin. Formula will be heavier on her tummy than breastmilk so she might want less in one go but more often until she gets used to it. Aptimil is grand... I imagine they're much of a muchness but I do recall my phn recommending it when I was switching from breastfeeding.

I'm sorry I can't advise on PPD or St Brendans but I hope it all gets easier for your family as time goes on.

Eoineo

I reread what I wrote and Nesf and thought OMG have i told the OP to feed the baby too much!

Just to be clear, don't feed the baby as much as she will drink. She will only vomit it back up. Follow the guidelines on the box - an oz either way of the guidelines for her age is okay. If you have any concerns about feeding your local PHN will have a feeding clinic once a week in their public clinic. Just call and make an appointment.

I do have experience of psychotic episodes & stays in hospital. I know you have found this road very hard. She is in the best possible place she can be right now for her own safety.

Accept as much help as you are offered and don't be afraid to ask for some either. Take time out for yourself too.

CeNedra

If your baby is not sleeping well and is not happy, it may be hungry. I stopped breastfeeding at 6 months, and had to move to aptamil level 2 fairly quickly. Baby was just hungry. Also, did you say your baby is 5 1/2 months? If so, have you started on solids? It is recommended to start at 6 months. I found the Annabel Karmel (complete baby and toddler meal planner) book great for weaning. Sorry if you have to start this without your wife, but if the baby is hungry, milk may just not be enough anymore. I had started on solids at 5 months on both of mine, but they were obviously hungry. I would recommend leaving a bit of time between moving from BF to formula before starting on solids or your baby could get constipated.

I suffered post natal depression on both my kids and it went away once I stopped BF but not before. Myself and my husband were pretty miserable up to that point. I had complications with the depression on my 2nd and had to get councelling. It helped, but in reality, it was once I started getting some sleep and stopping BF and started getting exercise that things started getting better. Even though I knew the BF didn't suit me, I wouldn't stop until 6 months had passed as I wanted baby established on solids before I would switch to formula. Looking back, I should have stopped earlier. It would have made all our lives better. BF is very easy for some people, and those tend to be the people who strongly encourage it. But even though I BF both, I really wouldn't recommend it for women who are prone to depression. It is just too hard/tiring (depending on baby). I am happy I gave my kids a really good start from a dietary perspective, but I could have been a better mother if I wasn't depressed for their first 6 months........

Don't forget facial moisturiser for your wife and some makeup. If she felt like I did, then anything to help you feel/look better is a plus. I thought I was the ugliest, horribliest, fattest most useless person in the world and I though my kids should be taken off me I was such a bad mother (in my head) and nothing my husband said about me being a great mother made a difference. The mind can play horrible tricks on you. I feel for your wife and hope she gets all the help she needs, you sound like a great husband.

swugnireland.ie

Gone through your list and I really appreciate that. Brought in most of the items but wasn’t allowed leave the photos as there were glass frames (nurses worried they could be dangerous) so just going to bring in a few paper ones. The notebook is a great idea. Will pick one up in Tesco now.

I bring the baby over every day for about an hour and a half. That’s the recommended time by the senior clinical nurse. I go back myself then in the evening. She’s had a few other visitors also so that’s good.

Don’t have private health insurance unfortunately. Will just have to make do with St. Brendan’s but staff there seem very nice.

Have read through the rest of your advice and really appreciate it all. Not much time to reply to everyone but would like to say thanks to all who replied. Will try to reply individually. Thanks