Are You Okay? Postpartum Depression.....
My name is Pamela and I have Postpartum Depression (PPD). There. I said it.
I bet the majority of the eyes on this post right now assume that I want to cause harm to my baby. Isn’t that the stigma attached to PPD? It’s okay to admit the thought crossed your mind. Now I would like to set the record straight. A record sounds much better when it isn’t skipping, wouldn’t you agree?
- Pregnancy or Postpartum Depression (PPD)
- Pregnancy or Postpartum Anxiety (PPA)
- Pregnancy or Postpartum Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder( PPOCD)
- Postpartum Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PPTSD)
- Postpartum Psychosis (PPP)
You’re a new mother and it’s nothing like you thought it would be. Your baby is crying and you would rather bury your face in the bed pillow then comfort this new human.
You’re having intrusive thoughts that your baby is going to drown during a bath.
You have to check on the baby “one more time” before going to bed yourself just to make sure he’s still breathing. “One more time” turns into every five minutes and your sleep deprivation is worse than ever.
Your husband wants his mother to watch the baby for a couple of hours so you can spend some quality time alone together. As you drive away you begin to sweat and shake and panic.The anxiety is enormous and you have to go back.
Your best friend is over visiting for the first time since you gave birth. She wants to not only hold the baby but she wants you to go take a shower when she does so. “Take a little time for yourself”, she says. A feeling builds within your core when you hand the baby off to her and you begin to grow angry that she has your baby and your arms are empty.
Are you getting the idea yet? It goes from one extreme to the next and is different for every woman.
Postpartum Support International (PSI) has a list of frequently asked questions and it covers just about everything you can think of. From symptoms to treatment to support to medication. It’s all there. In fact, browse this site. Bookmark it. Use it.
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