Hi April,
Thank you for sharing your story. First of all, we wanted to express our sincerest condolences for the loss of your daughter. Losing a baby is an incredibly painful experience and the journey to healing is not easy. Have you talked to your health care provider or prenatal care provider about your depression and your feelings? If you haven’t we encourage you to do so. It’s best if a team of providers treats your depression during pregnancy (like your prenatal care provider and a mental health provider). These providers can work together to make sure you and your baby get the best care.
We do not provide medical advice or referrals, however you may find the information in our “Depression during pregnancy” article helpful. In it, we list some examples of the various treatment options for depression during pregnancy:
www.marchofdimes.org/.../depression-during-pregnancy.aspx. We highly encourage you to speak to your health care provider to figure out a treatment plan that will help you manage your symptoms.
We also recommend that you speak to your provider about connecting you to a therapist, social worker or counselor in your area. You don’t have to go through this alone. Talking to someone who is trained to help provide the right emotional support is so important. A mental health provider may be able to recommend local SIDS support groups as well. You may find the following resources to be helpful:
• Resources for coping with loss due to SIDS:
www.cdc.gov/.../ResourceLinks.htm
• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA):
https://www.dbsalliance.org/
Information about bipolar disorder and treatment:
1.
www.nami.org/.../Treatment
2.
www.nimh.nih.gov/.../index.shtml
3.
www.postpartum.net/.../
• A forum for individuals with bipolar disorder:
www.nami.org/.../Discuss
• Online peer to peer support group, including SIDS support group
firstcandle.org/.../
We hope these resources will help provide some guidance and support in addition to the resources and support your provider may suggest.