Tag Archives: postpartum depression

Speaking up across the blogosphere 10.22.09

Welcome to this week’s round-up of brave bloggers speaking up about their experience with Postpartum Mood Disorders. Let them know they’re not alone!

Kristen at Dine & Dish serves up her experience along with a recipe for Chocolate cake. Cuz yanno – chocolate always everything better!

Lisa over at The Nuthouse waxes on how the cycle of Postpartum Depression begins.

Redmama over at Mooshinindy wrote an absolutely fabulous piece entitled “On being your mom with depression.” Tear jerker alert here.

This week also brings us a brief post from a new dad who thinks he might qualify for struggling with Paternal Postnatal Depression. Chris @ You mean there are TWO??? shares briefly about men with postpartum depression and includes a few good resources for men struggling with this issue.

Just Talkin’ Tuesday 10.20.09: Reader’s Voice

Today, rather than a guided topic, I’d like to open up today’s Just Talkin’ to the readers.

Have something you need to vent about? Questions about Postpartum Mood Disorders? Something you wish you had known when you were recovering? A general comment?

Share it here!

Let’s get to Just Talkin’ Tuesday!

The tenacious insidiousness of Postpartum Insanity

Over the past summer as I was working through writer’s block and a few other things, there was an essay that lept forth from my fingers. I’ve kept it tucked away. Why? It’s very graphic for one thing. It scares the crap out of me. And frankly I didn’t want to scare the crap out of you, my dear readers. But I realize that if I am to be honest about my experiences I have to be honest about ALL of my experiences. You simply can’t shove Postpartum Mood Disorders up in a neat little box and tie it off with a satin bow to sit daintily in the corner and wait.

No, Postpartum Mood Disorders are more like the exploded laundry basket that is slowly overtaking your house. Regardless of how many times you empty it, it hops about, filling back up and leaving pieces of clothing all over the place.

So I finally decided to post it after reading another blog post about “Publish Already.”

This is really more for me than anyone else. I realize that makes me selfish to a certain extent but I also know that being so brutally honest may just help someone down the road too. It’s time I stopped living with the fear of what others will think of me (yes, even I have fear – I’m human just like you) when I say or do something. It’s time I did just what I did with my Postpartum OCD. Stand. Turn. Fight.

SO – because this piece is truly graphic and should NOT be read by those who are still struggling, I’ve placed it on a separate page. With a warning in bright red at the top. Be warned that there are also a couple of four letter words in there too. Like I said – it kind of spilled forth from my finger tips in a venting rage. I have not edited it much at all.

You can get to it by clicking here. Feel free to comment either there or here or both. Or not at all.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for listening. Sometimes that’s all a mom needs.

Just Talkin’ Tuesday 10.13.09: I’m OUT with my PPD – are you?

JTT in or outWithin the past couple of weeks I read a great article by a columnist down in Palm Beach, Florida. Of course the article is from February 2008 but still relevant. The author waxes over various reactions she’s received as a result of coming clean about her mental struggles and illness. But in the end she decides that shes would not change a thing about coming “out” about her struggles.

I started this blog as a way to cope with my third and very unexpected pregnancy on the heels of a nasty episode of Postpartum OCD which landed me in a psych ward. While there, several of the nurses specifically told me I did not have to share with anyone where I had been or why I had been there. Even at the time I remember thinking that was an odd thing to say. Why would I want to hide what had happened to me? Why would I do such a thing when all I wanted was to talk with another mom who was struggling just like me? Wouldn’t it make sense to reach out to other moms? To open up? What good would hiding my “light under a bushel” do?

So here I am.

Out. Shining. And still struggling from time to time. I have stages – right now I’m struggling a bit with not having the same bond with my girls as I do with my little guy. You see, I didn’t have PPD with him so we got to have the fun bonding way it’s supposed to be according to the books experience. Which, by the way, I found a little weird considering I had never done it that way before. But now I find myself saddened and angry that I never got to bond as strongly with the girls as I have with my little man. But alas, I digress.

Let’s get to just talkin here!

If you’ve “outed” your PPD whether it be through a blog, a book, a news story, sharing with a friend, loved one, co-worker, etc, tellĀ  us about the experience. Was it positive? Negative? What you expected? Has the experience of “outing” your PPD changed your life? For the better? For the worse? Let us know!

Speaking up across the blogosphere

Here’s a quick list of some moms who are speaking up across the blogosphere about their experience with Postpartum Depression:

Paige @ Walker World “It Snuck up on Me”

Melissa @ YogaMamaMe “Turn Turn Turn …or not: What I learned at 6 months”

Erin @ Go Erin Go “Bad day”

Shuggilippo “Lately I really suck at being nice.” (focus on delayed PPD)