Let's Talk About Postpartum Depression (+ BABY BLUES)

Postpartum depression, baby blues, emotions after having a baby and how to have realistic expectations about being a new mom. I share my experience from when I was a new mom, symptoms of PPD and Baby Blues and some empathetic tips on overcoming baby blues.

I have been getting messages recently from moms who are wondering if something is wrong with them because they recently had their babies but they are not happy. They wonder if they are sick, they don't know if it is postpartum depression, baby blues, or if they are just simply bad moms because they don't enjoy their new role as mommy. As much as I wish I could respond personally to each message I am living the quarantined life and juggling too many things as it is, so this video is my heartfelt response to those women. When I had my first baby I too struggled with feeling like I was broken. I had anxiety, I couldn't sleep, I didn't like being a mom, I felt lost, trapped, I wondered if motherhood would ever get better. I scoured the internet looking for hope and found very little. As time went on my baby got a little more sturdy, and I got a little more rest, I began to feel more like myself and eventually... 4 years later .. I had a 2nd baby. My postpartum experience the 2nd time around has been significantly different. I have a better understanding now that everything about the new mom journey comes in temporary stages, even though the stages feel milesssss long when you are inside of them (sleep regressions anyone?). Becoming a mom is a full on life flip, hormones go crazy, our body grows, stretches, & then once the baby arrives it bleeds, leaks, and gradually shrinks back to a new maternal version of itself. Everything is different. While we love our babies & are grateful for the gift of new life, it is still a scary, fragile, sensitive & exhausting season of life which is allowed to make us feel crazy sometimes. This video is an "I see you" to struggling moms. It is a friendly, "You are normal," to any mom who feels like they are suffering in their new role. Along with all of the normal new mom challenges, there is a a unique & new intensity right now as we are navigating a global pandemic. Family is not able to come visit and help us out as readily as before. Baby showers were cancelled. There aren't guests in the hospital to cheer us on and bring us donuts. Loneliness is exaggerated because we literally can't hug as freely as we are used to, and we are expressing our feelings through screens rather than in person on couches with cups of hot coffee in hand. If you are a new mom, living the new mom season in the midst of Covid19, you are doing SO SO good. Give yourself grace. Allow yourself space to feel crazy or ask for more help than normal. You CAN do this and motherhood does get easier and more fulfilling in time. I SO believe in you mama.

** If you are struggling with Postpartum Depression please contact a mental health professional as soon as possible. You are not alone and help is readily available to you.

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My video - FIRST WEEK WITH A NEWBORN - things I wish I knew -
https://youtu.be/tSPJpKIr_Lg
My video - I DON'T LIKE BEING A MOM -
https://youtu.be/AVMm0jhfg6o

TED TALK - "A new way to think about the transition to motherhood" - https://youtu.be/jOsX_HnJtHU

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