Hey Sheila...... yep hormones can play games with women at the beginning of your child bearing years and at the end. I agree with several people here.... first ask your doctor just to be on the safe side. You don't want to start tinkering around with any meds if you might be anemic, low iron, have a mild infection or virus of any kind. But this is also the time of year when we get the least sunlight and it's been chilly lately, even for the westcoast. Try taking the kids out for walks in the sunshine, sit near a window during the daylight hours. That's a simple way to start. SAD (seasonal affective disorder) can cause depression-like symptoms at this time of year. Getting more daylight and stepping up your daily pace (instead of sitting and nursing every 2 or 3 hours) may help. Try the treadmill - not that you need excercise with kids running around - but just for a week or so to see if you notice a difference.
If you know for sure that you're not yourself, if your finding that you want to cry, you're sad about losing the face to face time from nursing, if you find yourself frowning more than smiling, then it's time to talk with your doctor about a mild anti-depressent. It does take a couple of weeks to really kick-in. And they're not one-size-fits-all, so it will take some tweaking to know if you've got the right one. Most, thought, make you a little sleepy for the first week to 10 days, so sometimes it's helpfull to start taking them at night so you get the extra benefit of drowsyness. But it's optimal to take them in the morning eventually. The newer ones give you a little boost to the norepinephrine, which could keep you up at night (i.e. Cymbalta). If what you have is really PPD it could snowball and get a little worse before it gets better. I believe there is a good and valid reason for some women to take meds for a couple/three months or so. And you don't ever just stop taking them cold turkey..... you have to slowly withdraw. It's a brain med and stopping cold can give you "brain-freeze" like little zaps.
So, start with sunlight. Add healthy foods, grape juice, pommegranit, almonds. No caffeine after 4 PM. Have some milk with a night time snack, warm relaxing bath before bed (if you can). Treat yourself to a small indulgence, if you're able. Try a facial, a massage, etc.
Good luck. It was a long time ago for me, but I remember it well. My baby started college this year.image