[Editors Note: Today we are honored to have a guest post from KTUU news anchor Ariane Aramburo. After giving birth to her first child, she experienced postpartum depression. She then chose to run a series on postpartum mood and anxiety disorders when she returned to work at the news station. In choosing to share her story, she has proven to be a Warrior Mom resource to Alaskan moms—and us all. -Jenna]
I have always been an outgoing person and always wanted kids, so when I found out I was pregnant with my first child, I was over the moon excited. From the very beginning I had a smooth pregnancy and birthing experience. To me, it was picture perfect.
It’s something to go from around the clock care to caring for yourself and a new baby. It was as if everything hit me at once on the day I was discharged from the hospital. I was sitting at home in my recliner looking at my beautiful newborn baby girl in her car seat, and all I could feel was profound sadness.
I gave myself time to see if it was the so called “baby blues,” but it was actually my husband who recognized that it was something more. I was suffering from Postpartum Depression.
He encouraged me to talk to friends in two hour intervals, attend mommy groups, and seek professional help. As time went on and I implemented all of these into place, I slowly started to walk myself out of feeling overwhelmed and sad all the time. The more moms I talked to, the more I realized how many suffer in silence.
As a Morning Anchor, I knew immediately when I returned to work that shining the light on a dark issue such as Postpartum Depression would be a task I wanted to take on. I put the call out for moms to share their stories and the floodgates opened. I chose four moms to share their struggle with PPD and more including myself and together we opened Pandora’s box for women to know they’re not alone.
I had so much content that we worked it into a four-part series and provided resources to women across the state of Alaska. The series may have ended, but the discussion is just beginning. I hope by sharing my personal story, that it will help moms know, no matter who you are or what you do, we all have our struggles and it’s okay to reach out and ask for help.
In the words of one of the moms I interviewed, Denise, who suffered from Postpartum Psychosis, “Self-care is not selfish and no one should tell you otherwise!”
—
You can watch Ariane’s story and the stories of the other four moms here or on KTUU’s website.
