I’m responsible for content on Postpartum Progress this week and I’ve shared a post to follow all the celebrations from last week:
What if you’re not better?
I just figured there are some moms out there who needed to hear this.
What Postpartum Rage Looks Like
November 18, 2013 by ·
As you know, I’ve been a regular contributor to Postpartum Progress for a while now. I still am, but I’m now joined by a whole editorial team, known as the Warrior Mom Leadership Team. Each of these amazing women advocates for postpartum mental health in her own writing or her own work, and now we’ll all take turns throughout the year sharing our voices, our stories, and our hope on the Postpartum Progress blog.
This week is my week on the site, and I’ll be sharing a couple of posts over there. The first one is up now, and it’s my attempt to describe situations and reactions that were typical for me when dealing with postpartum rage. I’m not sure any words can accurately portray what that was like, but it’s my hope this post will make another new mom feel less alone.
Have you experienced this type of thing? I’d love for you to visit and let me know if my descriptions resonate with you.
Helping yourself feel better
April 11, 2012 by ·
I’ve got a post up at Postpartum Progress that goes back to my time with the horrible, awful psychiatrist. (Remember her?)
She told me at one point to make to-do lists for myself that covered basic things, like eating and showering. At the time, I wanted to smack her.
I did come to realize that, while we’re struggling with something like postpartum depression, there is value in forcing ourselves to look at whether what we’re doing is helping us or keeping us stagnant. But I do (of course) have some suggestions for how she might have worded it differently.
Come and visit me over there.
Comments here closed.
Scared to Feel Good After PPD
March 5, 2012 by ·
Just a quick update to let you know that I’ve got a new post up at Postpartum Progress – Scared to Feel Good After Postpartum Depression. It’s based on a conversation I’ve had with a lot of PPD moms, so if you’ve ever felt that way please come over and have a read.
Comments here closed.
Birthday Reflections
December 20, 2011 by ·
One year ago I turned 36. 355 days ago I started this blog.
On neither of those days did I have any idea what the upcoming year would bring.
Sometime last year I developed a 7-year plan. At some point this year it went completely out the window.
It’s not that those goals aren’t important to me, but that plan was focused on one specific thing: moving overseas to work for an international company. In some ways the events of the last year derailed the timing of that 7-year plan (because it included kids being a certain age, and because of the struggles of this last year the second hypothetical child hasn’t even been shipped yet).
We all know we can dream up all the timelines we want, but that’s just not how life works. In any case, it’s not just the timing. It’s that I have learned there’s more out there than one grand adventure. (And while I have a new job—that I love, even if I’m only on day 3—I’m about 60% less motivated by work than I was at this time last year.) I’d still love to do that someday, don’t get me wrong, but this last year stopped me, spun me around, and shoved me down another path.
And here I am, a year later, standing on that path looking at snow and sunsets and thinking thank God.
One thing is for sure: I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
Today* is my 37th birthday and I’m not even going to try to plan where I’m going in the coming year. I’m just going to enjoy the ride.
—–
*Wednesday that is. “Today” in blogging time.
I also got a wonderful birthday present from Katherine at Postpartum Progress (even though she didn’t know it was my birthday). I’m incredibly honoured to be included on this list of The Top 20 Writers on Postpartum Depression in 2011.
