tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359390603791451318.post6239611237892255409..comments2023-10-21T05:23:14.309-04:00Comments on Lauren Nicole Gifts: Finding Motivation within the Realm of MotherhoodAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167011907554802823noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359390603791451318.post-3226461256955461032011-08-19T18:09:41.274-04:002011-08-19T18:09:41.274-04:00Great information. I'm sure many will find it ...Great information. I'm sure many will find it very helpful.D. Jean Quarleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01327174739435123349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359390603791451318.post-69468734656498476232011-08-17T21:13:59.573-04:002011-08-17T21:13:59.573-04:00Having had issues with depression earlier in life ...Having had issues with depression earlier in life as well, I do agree with much of what you said. Important for me has been seeking help when I needed it (and I needed it!); as important was keeping a schedule for myself that included showering, leaving the house for coffee-- with one, two, or three kids, joining a mom's group and seeing those women I was becoming close to. My experience after my first was born was brutal. I was also in a new city, not working for the first time, living in a body that didn't look or feel like my own. I felt like I was in a nightmare, to be very honest. I was functioning but very unhappy much of the time taking care of my new baby and taking it out on my husband. I really thought I was crazy at times. I did feel "better enough" eventually to move on from it--that's the only way I can explain it. When I was pregnant with my twins, I was nervous about those same horrible feelings returning-- I sought help, anticipating I would have issues post partum but also experiencing great anxiety during the pregnancy. <br />I think you do have good suggestions-- I was unable to write for a long time or seek help after my first because I was so deep in the depths of it. New moms who feel something isn't right should be encouraged to seek all the help that's available. I am still a little confused as to why no one ever asked me how I was feeling at any follow up appointments. Pregnancy and post partum depressions, and other pg and pp issues -- both more and less serious than depression -- are misunderstood and often ignored as others have said. When I finally got back to writing (recently!), it felt like my world came back to me. (This is not the only source of relief I have--it's just an important one. And it took me almost four years to come back to it.) Good luck to you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359390603791451318.post-88213870734100840672011-08-17T16:10:30.276-04:002011-08-17T16:10:30.276-04:00With all due respect, you are doing new moms a gre...With all due respect, you are doing new moms a great disservice attempting to diagnose yourself as having "post partum depression" or anything resembling being on your way to it. Simple baby blues and regular frustrations of being a new parent are much different, normal, and part and parcel of new mommyhood. True post partum depression is a serious illness, one that needs to be addressed by a doctor, and usually doesn't afford the luxury of just getting out of the house and doing some things on your own, a hobby is out of the question, as is a schedule. Usually you can hardly get out of bed, there is no motivation to get dressed, and PPD usually carries serious symptoms such as thoughts of harm or neglect, uncontrollable crying, the list goes on and on. To suggest otherwise is disrespectful but also dangerous. Women truly suffering from PPD need to understand they need to seek treatment, not suck it up and deal. <br />A nice resource can be found here:<br />http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/depression-pregnancy.cfm#fMom to Woodchuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10364059019925186959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359390603791451318.post-13686095316126498642011-08-17T15:15:41.424-04:002011-08-17T15:15:41.424-04:00I just wanted to add that many cases of PPD do req...I just wanted to add that many cases of PPD do require treatment beyond simply finding motivation on your own (sorry if I missed where you mentioned this, Courtney). There's still a big stigma around this that many women struggle with, but there is nothing wrong with seeking help from a medical professional if you need it. I had a terrible struggle with this as a new momma because the chemicals and hormones in my body were WAY out of whack. My husband and I KNEW something was wrong, and no amount of trying on my part or his could make it better. I'm so thankful for an understanding husband and doctor. And for good meds! ;)Misty Mathewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03970096245456396556noreply@blogger.com