Coping With Postpartum Depression

Every day, around 6 AM in the morning, I wake up to feed my son and play with
him, I tidy up our home, I do basic mom chores as you would. Seems like I have a happy life,
right? Wrong. I’m a young healthy mom, but I feel miserable even with so many good things happening to me.

Symptoms of Postpartum Depression

I have been diagnosed with Postpartum Depression (PPD). I have had extreme depression in
the past, which has been lying dormant for over 3 years until I was pregnant and after I gave
birth to my son. Postpartum depression can happen to anyone after birth, even if you have not had depression
in the past. It is not something to just brush aside, you can harm yourself or even your baby.
Some women want to harm their own babies due to postpartum depression effects.
When you have a screaming, constantly feeding, needy newborn, a lot of moms get stressed
out to an extreme especially if you are left all alone with it. Mayo Clinic even says if you are
suffering from postpartum depression and/or postpartum psychosis, you may have thoughts and
or actions to try and harm yourself or your baby.

You can expect problems with thoughts of self-harm, action to self-harm, harming your baby
and thinking about it, mood swings, insomnia, fear you are not good enough, and so much
more. If you are feeling down, just know there are resources out there to help you. There is no
shame in asking for help for your safety and your baby’s.

Coping with Postpartum Depression

You want to get better, even if you say you don’t know, you will want to. You have a precious
little life YOU created, they depend on YOU for their nurture and care. But also know, you need
to do it for yourself. Find ways to combat those thoughts, take a bath, do yoga, just something to
keep yourself occupied.

It’s ok not to be ok. When you are first showing signs of postpartum depression, or if you have noticed the signs, it
is not too late to make a change. This is a deadly mental disease; you are not going to be made
fun of for ensuring the safety of your baby or even yourself. People would rather have you alive
and well and the baby alive than something tragic happening to you both if you do not get help.
If you are feeling sad, it is okay. You can be sad; you do not need to fake being happy. In the
end, only you can make a difference and it will get better at some point. Just let yourself get to
that point.

Talk to your doctor immediately, there is no shame at all to admit you have postpartum
depression. The pills do work, even if it takes a while to get the right dose. Postpartum
depression can and will be cured so long as you take the proper steps in treating it.

Find support for Postpartum Depression here

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline