O.T. Thanks!

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone-

Thanks so much for all the wonderful suggestions. I'm trying out a lot of them.

There were so many though that it'll take me a while to work through them.

I did go to the doctor Thursday and he thinks I have post-partum depression. I

had it a little with my eldest but nothing this bad. He started me on Paxil

which is supposed to be safe for breastfeeding and wanted me to start the babies

on solids. I will go off of the Paxil as soon as I can and still hold it

together. Ordinarily, I'd never consider going on SSRIs because I don't think

they're well enough researched. The problem was, I wasn't holding it together

anymore. I HAVE to keep it together!

I'm getting a lot of help now from my retired dad. Both he and my husband

didn't realize this was so bad because I have a very hard time asking for help

and would always act like nothing was wrong. I did get to the point where I did

ask for help but since I still acted OK, they thought I was fine. They would

help me when they got around to it but they had their own things to do 1st.

There are definite downsides to always trying to be strong because then you

don't get help when you need it because those that you care about think that

you'll always be OK.

I started a downward spiral 2 weeks ago when we had a houseful of people stay

over the weekend for the babies' baptism. My sister-in-law doesn't watch her

own kids and I can't let them go unsupervised so I watch them (we have

rattlesnakes, coyotes and mountain lions up here). My sister was no help since

all she does is follow her only child (a 3 year old) around entertaining her.

Then I got the flu on the day of the baptism (I didn't act sick even though I

was throwing up and it lasted 3 days). Jeeps! I have infant twins plus a

demanding 7 year old. UGH! What are these supposed adults thinking?

I also was trying to breastfeed both the babies exclusively til they were 6

months old. Well, my little boy is a 16 pounder and it was getting to be too

much. I'd have to watch when I'd eat because I'm taking Cytomel 4x/day and then

I'd get hypoglycemic. If I didn't watch it and ate whenever I needed to I'd get

hypothyroid because the food would interfere with thyroid hormone uptake (both

iron and calcium bind with thyroid hormone). If I ate carbos only which don't

interfere much, I'd have a nasty rebound effect and end up even more

hypoglycemic. So, I started solids with the babies 3 days ago. I had this

artificial time limit of 6 months stuck in my head. Six months was only 3 weeks

away so I thought I could hold out. Then I started rationally thinking (with a

lot of prompting from dear friends and my doctor) that it was silly to not start

right now.

Anyhow, I'm going to save all the suggestions from everyone and try them a

little at a time. I already tried the FLYLADY site and found it useful and a

hoot!

Thanks again!

Take care,

dx & RAI 1987 (at age 24)

[Guest guest]

> I did go to the doctor Thursday and he thinks I have post-partum

> depression.

I think that we people with thyroid problems have to be especially alert

for PPD. I've given up playing chicken and egg myself but I'm sure I had

PPD before the Graves...or did the Graves make it worse? It seems pretty

clear that in my case - no family history, no prior goiter, developing it

within a half year of giving birth - that being hormonally stressed was

a, if not THE, major factor in my developing GD.

> He started me on Paxil which is supposed to be safe for

> breastfeeding and wanted me to start the babies on solids. I will

> go off of the Paxil as soon as I can and still hold it together.

> Ordinarily, I'd never consider going on SSRIs because I don't think

> they're well enough researched.

You made a VERY solid decision and I think I would have done the same.

Especially since the weaning process, however gradual it will be, has

begun and any change in milk production will effect you hormonally (which

means emotionally). I think you'll start feeling a lot better soon due to

all these factors - help, medication, that the twins' needs are less

intense in certain ways (e.g. fewer feedings and diaper changes; parents

of multiples really do start to see the light at the end of the tunnel

[NOT the train ;-) ] at about a year.

> I'm getting a lot of help now from my retired dad.

This is wonderful. I literally grew up in my grandfather's house - my

parents, who were house-hunting, moved in after my grandmother died. My

gf was a young, vibrant man who owned a business but was clueless about

taking care of a home. You'll all really treasure this.

Take care, Fay

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