So Lisa talked about her action plan for baby #2 here. But, I wanted to talk more about actions plans.
I don't think just because we suffered after a baby it means we have to be done having babies! If you want to be done, then that is one thing, but if your heart desires more children, by no means should your PPS stop you. Heck, you might not even have any problems with your next child.
When I was about to have Nathan, we (meaning my family, husband, and I) put together an action plan. And it went a little something like this...
1. I talked with my Doctor about my previous "issues" (oh boy, yep, I have issues) and told him the different medicines I had tried and asked if he would pre-prescribe Lexapro for me. He was more than happy to do that and told me to let him know right away if it wasn't working or something. (I like my doctor :) About an hour after I had Nathan, I took my first pill. This was a great plan for me.
2. I made the decision to stay in the Hospital for as LITTLE a time as possible. It was the hospital that started me off bad with Thomas (baby #2). I do not sleep one second (and I mean one second) in the hospital. It is too noisy, they are checking you a thousand times, and my adrenaline is much too high. I had Nathan (baby #3) in the afternoon and was home early the next morning.
3. I had my "crew" waiting for me a.k.a. as my madre, padre, and hubby. I do fairly well in the day, but as night time comes, that is when I panic (for lack of a better word). My mom (who miracle of miracles came all the way from AFRICA see Here.) helped me in the night. I would nurse the baby and head to bed around 10. She would give the baby a bottle at around 12:30ish and then come get me for the 2:30 feeding. She saved me. Literally. When I would go to bed around 10, I would lay awake for hours with the PPA/adrenaline pulsing through me...but I would eventually fall asleep and because she didn't come get me until 2:30, I was able to get around 3 hours of sleep...it made ALL the difference in the world.
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| When my parents came home from Africa to help with Nathan! |
So that was my Plan, and it worked. While I didn't eliminate the anxiety, and certainly had moments of depression, I was SOO much better than with Thomas.
Now, this plan is probably not YOUR plan. I know Lisa's plan was completely different than mine and it helped her tremendously as well. But, having a PLAN was awesome. It felt like it put ME in control, instead of making me feel victimized.
So whether you are planning for another baby or about to have your first, put a plan in place.
-Who is going to help you/support you if things start to turn south?
-When are you going to call your doctor?
-What can you do to make things easier/happier for you?
"If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear."
And I hate fear...so preparation was key for me!
-Over and out
I totally agree with having a plan. And because for me at least, most of the issues revolved around not getting any of that emotionally restorative sleep (only happens in stretches of sleep that are 3+ hours, otherwise sleep is only physically restorative), I think every plan should include a way to make sure every mom gets at least 3 solid hours preferably every night, but at least as often as possible. I pump before bed and my husband takes the first feeding. It is so helpful!
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