I Got the (Baby) Blues

You get so excited when that stick turns pink, those two lines appear, or, for the technologically advanced of us, when the stick reads ‘pregnant’. You watch the baby bump grow and you anticipate holding your baby for the first time. You endure 40+ weeks of gestation and finally give birth. And then…well, all those hormones have to go somewhere.

Being a parent is hard. Being a mother is hard. Recovering from months of pregnancy, hours of labor/delivery (however that happens for you), and heading home with a newborn to take care of is a daunting task at best. Unless I’ve missed it (twice), they don’t hand out parenting guide books at the hospital. There’s not a nurse that accompanies you home and there’s no how to handed to you for how to care for this new little creature who is about to rely on you…for everything.

So, you have this new, super fragile infant that you are learning to communicate with and who is figuring you out as well. But also, you are dealing with recovery. You’ve just birthed an entire new person. You’ve just experienced hormonal upheaval at it’s summit. You are allowed to not have it all together. You are allowed to make mistakes. You are allowed to ask for help. You are allowed to sit in the bedroom floor and cry with baby because you have no idea what baby wants after having tried everything thrice.

Babies are hard work. Recovering after giving birth is difficult. You need sleep, too, mama. You need food, too, mama. You need time to heal. You need people around you or some kind of support network so that you can have 5 minutes to hop in the shower or take a nap. It’s okay to feel like you’re losing your shit.

Talk to someone who’s been there. Lean on your spouse/partner/significant other, reach out to your own mother, call on a friend who has kids, seek out a local support group for parents of young children, write a letter to your grandmother, or invite someone over just to give you an extra set of hands. And if you need someone to talk to, I’d love to listen.

Welcome!

Our goal is to tackle tough mental health issues head on and to be the go-to resource for people that are struggling with depression, anxiety, and more.

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