I was just reading a blog post from a new mom going through PPD who I've recently "met" via the wonders of the Internet. She was writing about what she is going through and how she knows that logically she should understand that she'll get better one day, but she's "just not that sure anymore".
Here is a message I'd like to give to her and to all of you who suffer:
Be sure. Even if you don't believe it, be sure anyway. Those of us who have been through this are sure. We know you'll come through this and you will actually go back to being you again. You just can't see your way because you have PPD glasses on right now. That's okay. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel for you. It's there. Be sure.
Your words couldn't be more true. It is SO hard to see that light when you're in the thick of it all, but DOES get better when you get help.
So nice to see solid information coming from a major news source!
Not sure why but this was supposed to post to the CNN post. How strange.
I'm just finally starting to see that light, but I know for a very long time I thought maybe that light was some sort of sick joke!
Thank you for this. I'm two weeks out from delivering my third baby and am certain I will have a bout with it again. I'll keep that image of the PPD glasses in my mind as I work toward becoming my true self again.
"PPD glasses"…great analogy! I'm going to borrow it 🙂
Great anology… I am in the thick of it and I KNOW it will go away.
it's just a matter of WHEN…..I am seeing a therapist and no meds are wotking for me….. so… I have to go it with my sense of strong will and determination…… I also have PPD with intrusive thoughts and they really suck…….
It's true!!!! You will survive and you will come out better. Be sure, you need to be sure! You will. Thank you for this post.
I had the same thing, PPD with intrusive thoughts. It was a total effin' nightmare. Couldn't take drugs (allergic reactions), and couldn't bring myself to go to therapy until one year in. But I did make it through.
One thing that really helped me was this mantra my mom (who, I assume, also had PPD after I was born) told me to say every time I had an intrusive thought: "God, keep him safe."
Now, I'm not really religious, but I do believe in God, so that worked for me. If you're not religious, you could try just saying, "Keep him/her safe."
I know it's simple, but it really helped. Some days I said it (out loud or to myself) just a few times a day. Other days I said it one hundred times in an hour. Something about it broke the chain of intrusive thoughts and got me through the day (or the hour, or the minute).
It took a long time, but I did make it through. And the mantra helped immensely.
Hi, I'm Kristen. 34 years old. Had my first child in early May. Diagnosed with PPD at the end of June. I'm on meds and seeing a psychologist, but I still feel stuck and not myself. I feel inadequate for taking care of my baby, even though I know logically that I'm able to just fine. Is this a normal part of PPD? Thanks for any online resources you can direct me to.
I started a blog to help me "cope" with some of my PPD issues, and now I find there are very few occasions when what I post on it has anything to do with my mood issues. I have moved on. I am happily medicated and a much better, stronger and happier person than I was prior to my PPD experience.
You will be too.
You are still very much in the thick of things. And yes, your ability to think of yourself as capable of doing much of anything suffers with PPD. But it will get better with time. My self-image/self-esteem went down the commode for awhile, but it bounces back.
If you stay-at-home, try joining a MOMS Club. You will find friends who can commiserate with your feelings about being a first-time mom. I found a number of women in my MOMS Club who also suffered/still suffer with mood issues relating to their PPD problems.