‘I never needed antidepressants until I had kids’

“I’m so overwhelmed all the time… what am I doing wrong?” the worried mum asks.

It’s a universal truth that kids change everything – your body, your priorities, the way you work, the way you interact with your partner – and it never goes back to normal.

Some changes are for the better, like the fact that you have a forever-bond with a wonderful little person, and others we try to accept with grace, like that Caesar scar or tiger stripes that will never quite fade.

But what about mental health? What if your kids change your mental health for the worse, and you can’t see a way back?

Mum-of-two Anita* faces this truth every day as she tries to navigate her life with the help of medication, and more recently, without it.

“I never needed medication before children. I had severe PPD/PPA after my first who is now seven years old,” she explained in a Reddit post.

“I also needed meds for a while after my second who is now three.

“I’ve been off them for nine months now, but starting to feel like I need them again.”

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Since having kids Anita had been on antidepressants. Photo: iStock

Mum needs antidepressants after having children

Anita’s experience will be familiar for so many mums.

“I’m so overwhelmed all the time,” she said. “What am I doing wrong?”

The Reddit community came out in full force, giving Anita words of support and encouragement and sharing their own stories.

“I’m on medication,” one person said. “I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong. Parenting is really hard and relentless for some of us, and I see my antidepressant as a crucial partner in being able to get through my days with a bit more ease.”

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“I suffered with undiagnosed, severe PPD after my son was born,” said another person. “We’re trying for a second and I’m deeply concerned a baby will throw me back into that place.”

“I get it,” said a third. “Definitely understand needing it after kids. It’s like a pressure cooker!”

*Name has been changed.

Originally published as ‘I never needed antidepressants until I had kids’