Comments on: Therapist appointment, torticollis, and some postpartum depression talk too

By: Mindykoob

Mindykoob — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:43:35 +0000

Jane, I’ve been an avid reader for a while now and had my little boy on 9-9-09. It was a very long and traumatizing labor, plus i had major breastfeeding issues, and i have no family where i live. thankfully i have an amazing husband and his family is great.

BUT when we got home, with all the trauma from the labor (28 hours of labor, 2 hours of straight pushing, to end up in an emergency c-section) I was COMPLETELY overwhelmed, especially with the issues of breastfeeding that i was having. He wasn’t latching, and when he would he wouldn’t nurse for long. My husband was about to go back to work so i was just beside myself with fear. For my first checkup with the doctor (a week postpartum) he diagnosed me with the baby blues, and went ahead and put me on meds to try to prevent it from going to PPD. I feel much like you do right now. It’s such a joyous time yet i’m completely overwhelmed and afraid and i can’t enjoy it like i want. He’s almost 3 weeks old right now and it’s still VERY hard, but the meds are helping a bit. If i can only figure out how to get him to sleep more lol

Hang in there sweetie. There are a few of us who can definitely relate to you and what you’re going through and I think we can help each other through these trying times )

By: avoiceofmyown

avoiceofmyown — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:27:21 +0000

I didn’t feel like a mom for the first few months either. I remember going to church on my 1st mothers day and there was a video for moms about being a mom and most of the moms were tearing up and I was thinking WTF is wrong with me? When other moms would tell me my son was cute, I would say he isn’t the cutest baby I’ve ever seen. What mother says this?

By: Kyelie

Kyelie — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:23:01 +0000

Jane, I’m also not a Mum but trying very hard to become one. I find your life insipring, the way you are handling things is amazing and I want to commend you and Tarzan on how you are dealing with these curveballs that are being thrown your way. Thanks for posting, I realise from what you have written it seems like the last thing you want to do. Tarzan has also been very quiet – how is he coping during this time?

Take care.

By: Rebecca (Ramblings by Reba)

Rebecca (Ramblings by Reba) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:31:11 +0000

I’m not a mom, but I have been dealing with anxiety and depression for years and years and YEARS — and have been in treatment for it — including therapy — for the last eight years.

I LOVED Brooke Shields’ book.

By: Liz

Liz — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 05:46:55 +0000

I am so bummed that things are still incredibly difficult for you but I know that they *will* get better with medicine and treatment.

I have a two month old so I’m just a little ahead of you. On the sleep front, we’ve had great nighttime sleep success by developing a consistent routine. Our little man LOVES bathtime so we do a bottle, bathtime, lotion massage and dressing, a little more milk and then sleep. It works like a charm for both getting him to sleep and keeping him down for up to 8 hours. I don’t think it matters so much what the steps are as long as they are consistent, soothing, and minimize distractions (e.g. after bath, we go to his dimmed nursery instead of being in a bright room with a TV on). We also swaddle him in the Swaddle Me wraps which I absolutely love and think help a ton. Just another piece of information that may be helpful to you as you guys continue to settle in…

Know that there are tons of us “out here” going through at least some of what you’re experiencing and rooting for you every single step of the way!

By: Jibbett

Jibbett — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 04:18:18 +0000

My son is 13 weeks and has torticollis. Really, googling it makes it sound so much worse. My son was evaluated by Early Intervention today and though he did not display any delay, he qualifies for in-home therapy services due to the torticollis diagnosis.

What the therapist told me is that it’s fairly easy to “fix” with massaging, heating, and stretching. I’d been doing some massage and was seeing a big improvement so I am excited to see what adding the heat and stretching will do.

Seriously, its not as scary as it sounds for most children.

By: ashley

ashley — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:17:44 +0000

I think you are such a brave woman for being so honest and open on your blog. It’s very inspiring to see you so dedicated to getting through the PPD. I pray that your clouds will clear very soon and you’ll be able to feel the happiness and peace that you’ve been waiting for!

By: Susan

Susan — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:14:11 +0000

Just saw your post about torticollis. We just did the stretching exercises and it seems like it was gone by about five or six months. No xrays, nothing. But seriously, get a new pediatrician.

Oh and by the way, I know it isn’t a contest, but my son hardly ever slept for the first three months. That was just him. He ate every two hours (he had acid reflux so we couldn’t feed him tons at once). He would not sit in a swing. We held him, swaddled, what felt like 24/7. You will totally forget about not sleeping for three months. I know I don’t know you, but in reading your blog you are way too hard on your self! Easy for me to say. Mine is now four, but another will be delivered next Friday.

By: Katelyn

Katelyn — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:49:17 +0000

My husbands step sisters son had an issue with his neck like this when he was born, or several weeks after. I don’t know if it was called this but I honestly don’t remember. He is now almost a year old and I am pretty sure that he no longer has this issue. I mean I don’t see him more than a few times a month and having a three month old now I see him less, but I haven’t noticed it in a long time. I know they had to take him to a physical therapist a few times and when they had him in his swing or in the bouncy seat they made sure in order for him to look at them he was strengthening the shorter neck muscle and not favoring the longer one. Don’t worry, you are doing your best to be a great mom! I am glad you are seeing a new ped though, good luck with that!

By: Melissa

Melissa — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:56:51 +0000

Jane – I’m so sorry you’ve been feeling this way. As a woman about to give birth in the next few weeks, I’m increasingly nervous and anxious as I follow your blog. I’m just as excited as you were for the little peanut to come out…but as I read these new posts, it freaks me out that you fell so quickly and hard into ppd. I know it’s a possibility for me, but I didn’t fully appreciate the consequences of ppd until your recent posts. Is there anything a new mom can do to PREVENT ppd? From the point of view of someone who has pdd, are there triggers for you or is there something that I can try to preempt prior to delivery? Thanks.