Postpartum Depression is not just tears.
It can be anger. It can be irritability, frustration, insomnia, obsessive compulsive, or anxiety.
Postpartum Mood Disorders can manifest in mothers in so many different ways.
Not only do we fight against the stigma of struggling with a mental illness and/or not being thrilled about our newfound motherhood, we also fight against the stigma of what a mom with Postpartum Mood Disorder must be like. So many moms don’t reach out for the help they so desperately need because they don’t “have the typical symptoms” of Postpartum Mood Disorder.
It’s not all tears.
I found a blog post which speaks to this precise issue. Written by a mother of three currently expecting her fourth, she bravely shares her experience and admits that she would never have classified herself as having Postpartum Depression because she “wasn’t sad, I didn’t cry, I took care of my children. My house was clean, my responsibilities taken care of. I didn’t sleep a lot, or wallow in my own misery.”
Go read the entire post here. Leave her some love and let her know she’s not alone!
After hitting publish, another mama left her blog post about the VERY SAME topic in the comments. Rather than leave it hidden down there, I want to encourage you to read her post too. Entitled Postpartum Disorders, this mama, Sarah, over at Dandelion Roars writes a great piece about how Postpartum Mood Disorders were not all she thought they were supposed to be – she even states she had never heard of Postpartum Depression. Most importantly, she points out that there is a myriad of disorders between Postpartum Depression and Psychosis.
I recently posted about my own experience with a Postpartum disorder. Anyone who might be experiencing something similar, or knows someone who might, please stop by and know you aren’t alone.
http://dandelionroars.com/2011/01/30/postpartum-disorders/
I’m very open about my depression on my blog and I often get comments or emails stating just this. It’s important that we continue to voice what PPMDs are vs. what they are not.
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