Post-Partum Depression

Seven months pregnant: the black dog

I catch sight of two dark streaks on the car window only to realise with horror that they are big black stripes under my eyes. As I peer more closely at myself, I realise how bloated I look by this pregnancy, how tired, fed-up. Shocked by what I see, I wonder if I scare animals [...]

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Family life

With a newborn in the house and two pre-schoolers thrown in on top, time is at a premium. Add in school holidays and ‘me’ time becomes almost non-existent. I have been blogging at one site or another for nearly two years now. My tagline for most of that time should have been “WATCH ME FALL [...]

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Apparently we have a black dog in the family and it has been here some time

The babe and I had our eight week post-natal check yesterday. I’m tired but I have enjoyed the last eight weeks, enjoyed getting to know my new baby. I’m definitely in love. So it was something of a surprise when the health visitor assessed my Edinburgh Test and declared me on the borderline of suffering [...]

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Isolated parenting

On Monday I watched a programme called “Having a Baby Ruined my Life“. I would normally avoid programmes like this because having a baby didn’t ruin my life – although it made it bloody hard at times – and any programme broadcast on Channel Five is generally rubbish. But as I watched I found myself [...]

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Thirteen weeks pregnant: ante-natal and post-natal depression

Today I was called in to see my doctor for a “chat”. This is not a usual thing. It turned out he wanted to assess me for ante-partum depression and the possibility that I might succumb to post-natal depression after the baby is born. It didn’t go well. Doctor L: “How are you? Are you [...]

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Reasons to be cheerful, one, two, three

Last night I realised that my baby, my little cosy, sucky William, turned 21 months yesterday. In three months time he will be two. I’m thinking about this because we are planning a holiday and two marks the age at which you have to pay for their air fare, but also when they get free [...]

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