I'm not broken; I'm becoming. I may not have mastered the art of meditation (far from it), but I'm becoming a more mindful mama. I try to take a deep cleansing in and out breath whenever I feel tightness in my chest, AKA "the chest tar". Do you have a mom mantra or "Mamantra"? Mine... Continue Reading →
Hurray. You made it to your baby's twelve month well visit appointment. Baby gets a small toy or a smiley sticker. Mama gets a clean bill of mental health and a pat on the back. During pregnancy and after delivery, many U.S. medical providers screen for postpartum depression (PPD). But after that one year mark,... Continue Reading →
Certainly not you! Postpartum depression (PPD) happens due to the enormous physical and hormonal changes going on in your body. The primary cause of PPD is... the shifting of reproductive hormones following your baby's delivery. Other secondary causes may include... sleep deprivation, inadequate nutrition, isolation, poor partner support, health issues of mom or baby, a... Continue Reading →
As parents, we're prepared for stepping in food, bodily fluids, toys, etc., but a heap of "the baby blues"?!? A pile of postpartum depression (PPD)?!? "It's all good?" No, "it's not all good." Have you met Pete the Cat yet? If not, it's only a matter of time. Pete is a groovy sneakers-wearing cat from... Continue Reading →
For me postpartum depression (PPD) looks like a "thickish figure of a woman" in a poorly lit room. A new mom wears a sour smelling robe stained with spit up. She stares vacantly into a corner, while absentmindedly nursing her newborn child in a dark and heavily draped living room. A gloomy instrumental song plays... Continue Reading →
You've heard of postpartum depression (PPD). You may have an idea of what to expect - you've faced depression and/or anxiety before pregnancy. You or your family may have a history of mental illness. Still when PPD happens to you, it's scary...and surprising. Fear, yes. Anxiety, yes. But depression? Absolutely not! You're not supposed to... Continue Reading →
You're depressed. You're anxious. You're overtired. You've taken a postpartum depression (PPD) screening quiz. I'm all for staying in bed, but what if you want to get out of bed and can't? You keep looking for a place to rest and catch your breath. You cry out - hopefully and hopelessly - from your bed.... Continue Reading →
Are you suffering from postpartum depression and anxiety? Take this interactive 10-question quiz and share the results with your healthcare provider. The quiz is based on The Edinburgh Post Natal Depression Scale (EPDS)*. The EPDS, a screening tool, doesn't diagnose depression. Only a licensed healthcare professional can do that. *J.L. Cox, J.M. Holden, R. Sagovsky,... Continue Reading →
"...She'd never known that a plain old double mattress could become a world unto itself, an oasis." (qtd. in The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah) Hi fellow stay-in-bed parents, What if your mattress stops being a homey oasis and instead becomes a harrowing prison? The pressure of wanting to be the “perfect mom (or dad)” can prevent us... Continue Reading →
