I was inspired to write about my own experience with "Post-partum Depression" after a sweet friend of mine shared hers unexpectedly. And man oh man, does it feel rejuvenating to not feel like I was the only one in this after what social media can depict of others in your mind.
I never thought it would happen to me, but then again I could also say that once it hit me, I could actually look back and relate some previous (pre-baby) experiences to it. For example, anytime my doctor had me try birth control pills, the intense hormonal changes it created for me made me a completely different person and that was even after giving it the 3 months to get used to! I've always been the kind of person who knows when something is all in my head and when something really is truly affecting me and clouding my judgement. And these feelings 10 months after having a baby were definitely not made up or imagined. I felt like I was almost completely overtaken by these invasive thoughts and anxiety that I had never experienced before.
Harper was born on a Tuesday. My first run in with baby blues (not PPD) was that Friday (1 day after we got home from the hospital) when we realized we didn't have nearly enough newborn sized clothes for her so we decided to venture out for the first time to Babies R Us. I completely broke down in the car and was embarrassed to tell Adam how intimidated I was with breastfeeding because it really was SO hard for something that was depicted as so natural. I understand now that, that was baby blues and that it was also standard for most new mamas to go through within the first 2 weeks.
After those first 2 weeks of randomly crying at anything and everything but never over something serious, I was fine! I was blissful and happy, albeit tired and overwhelmed - but who isn't when you're given a life to care for without an instruction manual?
I have never felt more blessed than I am now with an incredible, supportive, not to mention ridiculously handsome husband and a beautiful, hilarious, smart baby girl that I would give up the world for!
When she hit 10 months old though, for whatever reason, my hormones shifted and my mood was completely unbalanced and I felt like I was spiraling somewhat. I can't say I had PPD to an extreme, however, the touch I did have with it for a few months was enough for me to know it wasn't right and it wasn't me. I've never been one to like medication of any kind, really, so I didn't quite want to talk to doctors about it just yet. I did as much online research as I could and met up with all my momma friends and asked to talk about their experiences. It is soo much more common than you'd think! From depression to anxiety, one or the other or both, almost every woman I know has had some sort of run in with it after having a baby. Plenty of my friends are on medication or were on medication to treat it and others, along with myself, wanted to try a more natural route since it wasn't as severe. Neither option is unacceptable. Every mama should do what they think is best for them and their family.
The treatment I found that totally and 100% helped me was a vitamin ritual and exercise at least twice a week. I found this video on youtube that explains the vitamins I started taking every morning and why/how they work: https://youtu.be/JLfQPV54_2A?list=FLAJgfORlh1jlH4Nzu9kLwwg
Now I swear by them to anyone who's also having issues with mood imbalance. I can say I am absolutely back to my normal self and started feeling that way when Harper was about a year and a half or so.
