My totally awesome blogger sister linked to me today. (Hi, Charlotte!) At the end of her post on the new fad of "pregorexia" she said, "We need less articles about post-partum flab and more about post-partum depression. Less about how to be a hot mommy and more about how to be a good mommy. Less about which star lost the weight the fastest and more about the stars in our eyes when we love our babies."
So here are a few words about PPD that I am glad others said to me and that I think more people need to hear:
*From my doctor, "PPD is an illness. It's not your fault. It is chemical. It's not your fault."
*From a nurse at the hospital when I asked her to hand me my pills, "Oh! I take those too. Sometimes we all need a little help."
*From my husband after I finally got treatment, "It's nice to see the woman I married. You weren't yourself before."
*From God, through the scriptures, "For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (i.e. Through the atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ there's hope!)
And here are the things I would say:
*This is not you. You are not bad and you do love your child, despite what your brain is telling you.
*You and your child are both in the loving care of our Father in Heaven, even though you can't feel it.
*Get help. Take medicine. Talk to a doctor, a therapist, a friend. Ask for support because you will find it.
*You are not alone in this. So many of us have been there and have survived.
9 comments:
Thanks Laura! Great list. I hope many people take comfort and healing from your encouragement and experience.
Thank you for writing about your postpartum depression experience. I am sure it will help others! I am going to link to it today from Postpartum Progress.
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Totally unrelated (sorry): Where did you go to college?
(If you don't want it public, but don't mind telling me, I'm also here.)
I really appreciate what you're doing here to overturn the stigma tied to depression/chemical imbalance. My mom struggled with this when my siblings and I were young and it really had an effect on our family. She, my dad, and my brother are now taking medication for it and my wife had to convince one my best friends that it wasn't wrong if he needed depression meds to make his brain work. I just wish more people had the courage you've shown--especially within the church--to confront and be open about the issue.
I'm so glad that you are here to offer courage and hope to those who need it! Thank you!
Post partum depression has taken such dangerous proportions that, it is leading women to suicides even. Suicides resulting from post partum depression is increasing all over the world and especially among the working women and the single mothers. The rate is also high in the USA as against the other parts of the world. http://www.xanax-effects.com/
Thanks for sharing. I defintely needed to hear this today. PPD is a very hard topic to get mommies to open up about, especially the medication and saddness part. Thanks for your honesty and encouragement.
Its been wow reading your article. I would like to jump on this site again.Thanks
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