Post natal depression & Baby blues!
Post-partum Postnatal whatever you want to call it.
Everyone believes that the hardest and most difficult part of becoming a mother/parent is giving birth to your child, no doubt it is a very difficult part of the journey, wether you’ve had or are having a natural birth or a C-section.
However the part we expectant mothers and new mothers don’t seem to be aware of much is the after part, the beginning of the postnatal stage.
After you’ve had your baby up to 10 days or two weeks you go through this weird emotional rollercoaster, where your feelings ultimately don’t feel like your own.
You may not feel like yourself, you may cry at the most minuscule of things i.e some soppy advert on the tv will possibly send you into hysterics and you may feel a bout of mum guilt coming on just because you’ve forgotten to change his or her nappy at exactly 1 hour to the time you last did.
One thing to remember is that all of the things you feel and more are completely fine and everyone experiences it, they do tell you a little bit about it in you antenatal or parent education classes, however not in enough depth.
I know I felt like it and almost every woman who has had a baby has too, however there is a lot of information regarding baby blues out there although you do have to look for it yourself as it’s not something a lot of hospitals, GP’s or Midwives will automatically think to talk to you about while your rocking your newborn to sleep on the post-natal ward after a 15 hour labour.
My delivery wasn’t easy as is a number of women’s also but what’s key to remember is that there are people out there (and at home) who will be able to lend an ear, listen to you and to comfort you when you’re feeling down or even emotional at something you would normally deem as silly.
Please, please, please read up on it or speak to your healthcare provider about it, before you have your baby or after as knowing the difference between the baby blues and the onset of post natal depression is VERY important.
No matter where your emotions have taken you to right now, It’s okay to feel how you’re feeling right now, you’re only human right?!