Falling

Since the babies could walk, I’ve had this overwhelming fear that they will fall down the stairs or off a high place (like the top of the slide) and something very bad will happen. It’s gotten increasingly worse, to where I’m almost out of my mind when they are standing near the stairs at all.

A few weeks ago, within the same week, I heard from two different sources that this was an effect of postpartum depression, which came as something of a surprise. Interestingly, and unfortunately so far, understanding this has not yet proven useful.

January 21, 2015

Filed in: Just life, you know?

10 responses to “Falling”

Pam Kocke

January 21, 2015

We still have the gate up at the top of the stairs. I still have huge anxiety about it too. Hmm.

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Ryan Markel

January 21, 2015

FWIW, I as a dad have had since the very beginning a horrible and paralyzing fear that this will happen with our kids. Like, I have nightmare visions of it while we are out with them.

I try to trust them with these things and stairs don’t get me anymore (I fell down the stairs more than once as a child, which may explain a few things) but I’m still very nervous with say the second level of a mall.

Highly doubt my fear is postpartum though.

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1. Zandy Ring
  
  January 21, 2015
  
  I have heard from other parents (but just moms) that basically everyone fears their child falling – what you describe is exactly what I feel. Can men not get ppd? I’m not saying you HAVE to have it but I don’t even know if it is a possibility.
  
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  1. Cat Rymer
    
    January 26, 2015
    
    My solution to this was to pass onto my child my crippling fear of heights. This worked well for me, I highly recommend. The only downside is that playgrounds are much less effective as tools of distraction and amusement
    
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Melanie Harari

January 21, 2015

I constantly have the fear I’m going to trip and accidentally fling the stroller off our 3rd floor walkway, or that the railing will give way and my toddler will fall. I always attributed it to my fear of heights, but it’s interesting to hear it might be a postpartum-related thing.

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1. Zandy Ring
  
  January 21, 2015
  
  I actually always attributed it to my crippling fear of heights, until recently. I mean, I think that personally that may indeed play into it. I want to do a bit more research, in light of Markel’s comment.
  
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  1. Melanie Harari
    
    January 21, 2015
    
    You might find the first segment of this Invisibilia podcast episode interesting, then: http://www.npr.org/programs/invisibilia/375927143/the-secret-history-of-thoughts?showDate=2015-01-09
    
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  2. Zandy Ring
    
    January 21, 2015
    
    I will check it out! I’ve been hearing snippets of Invisibilia on NPR (but haven’t listen to the podcast itself yet), and I’m very interested.
    
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ruthrawls

January 21, 2015

Uh-oh. I must have been a bad parent because I don’t remember worrying about that at all. I think I was too tired to worry.

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1. Zandy Ring
  
  January 21, 2015
  
  Ok, I think I can totally appreciate the too tired lifestyle – honest to god I don’t know how my mother did it!
  
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