What is Postpartum Depression?
Have you ever heard of the “baby blues”? That crazy few days or weeks when you’re sleep deprived, your hormones are totally out of whack, and you’re trying to figure out your life now that a newborn is part of the picture? This is totally normal, and really common.
But what about postpartum depression? What starts as baby blues and doesn’t seem to go away after weeks and months after giving birth… this is postpartum depression. Mamas. Postpartum depression is no joke. It’s real and it’s awful.
What’s worse is that it is often hard to self-diagnose because you are so deep you don’t know how to pull yourself out. Although I look happy in the picture above, I was actually suffering from deep PPD and didn’t even know it. To help you recognize postpartum depression in yourself and others, let’s talk about some common symptoms.
10 Symptoms of Postpartum Depression
Excessive crying
Overall depressed mood or severe mood swings
Restlessness, trouble sleeping, and/or overwhelming fatigue
Fear of not being a good enough mother; recurring thoughts of harming self or baby
Loss of interest in activities you used to enjoy
Withdrawal from family or friends
Numbness and apathy toward daily routines and tasks (feeling like you’re in a fog)
Increased irritability, anger, sadness, and hopelessness (every emotional extreme)
Decreased ability to concentrate and think clearly
Decreased appetite or eating much more than normal
My Personal PPD Journey
There is SO much I could talk about on this subject — and believe me, I plan to. But for now I want to talk about some of the symptoms that I have personally suffered from that aren’t talked about as much. ⠀⠀
I’ve mentioned before that I always thought PPD meant you wanted to harm yourself or your baby. Seriously, that is all I knew. Which is why my first time around I didn’t realize I was suffering with postpartum depression for 6 months. While those are REAL feelings and REAL symptoms, they weren’t part of my PPD journey. What did I suffer from?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The first time around after my second baby I had a loss of appetite, I couldn’t sleep (my baby slept all night so this was maddening to me), extreme overwhelm, difficulty making decisions and felt irritable. ⠀⠀⠀
My most recent experience after my fourth baby I felt extreme brain fog, no desire to get out of bed and face the day — it all felt like too much and I wanted to just sleep through the next few months until I felt better, SO MUCH CRYING and usually I didn’t know why, and just an overall lack of desire to do anything.
You Are Not Alone in Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression is not just a buzzword. It is horrible, and it sucks the life out of you one day at a time.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
BUT! The good news is there are so many resources out there to help you get back to feeling like YOU. Educate yourself and your partner on all the symptoms to watch for.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Talk to your doctor. There is ZERO reason to feel ashamed. It’s absolutely NOTHING to be embarrassed about. And I promise you that you are not alone.
I want you to know there is hope. There is light. You WILL feel better, one day at a time.
Until then, be patient with yourself. Be open and honest with others. Ask for and accept help from others.
I see you. I feel you. Hang in there, mama.