First, I want to say that postpartum blues and Post-partum depression are two different disorders. If you suffer from PPD, please contact a professional for help. Now, let’s face it, I believe most woman has dealt with some form of PPB. Postpartum blues is a mood disorder than affects women after birth. Some women have stated that along with their blues, they’ve experience anxiety, deep sadness and exhaustion. Some believe that PPB doesn’t really last long, usually right after childbirth and dissipates, but I feel it can last little longer or come and goes. I suffered from PPB after Ollie, I really didn’t know what it was, I felt overwhelmed, had crazy anxiety and felt alone; after a couple of months we went into quarantine and I needed to figure out how to get out of that rut, considering that being in lock down would only make things worse for me. So, how do you deal with Post-partum blues? The first step into ridding PPB is to find your happy space/place, whatever or wherever that is, will it be easy? Unfortunately it won’t. Because this process is part finding yourself in the middle of these job descriptions you have as a mother and a wife/gf. Find what makes you happy and try to do it often. For me it was photography and music. I don’t get to take photos often as I use to, so I do miss it, but if I feel really down, I’ll throw the babies in the car and take a countryside ride, and hopefully sneak in a photo or two here and there in the hopes that I don’t look crazy (that’s my anxiety talking by the way). The first line to Bob Marley’s Trenchtown Rock is “one good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain” and that is the truth! Music heals the soul. One day I was feeling really sad, there was tightness in my chest and this heaviness on my head and shoulders, I needed to let this feeling out. The kids were playing in the living room and I asked Suri to play Adele’s “Don’t you remember”, and I cried just singing along. And you know what? that made me feel so much better, I can’t say I was 100%, but I felt relieved to let out whatever it was bottled up in there. Another way to deal with Post-partum blues is fresh air and vitamin D. I can’t express how important this is because the blues can easily turn into depression if not taken seriously. Nature is our #1 healer! Going out for a wooded walk, a park walk, a backyard picnic or even grilling some food for the family outdoors can help with PPB. It’s something about nature that is therapeutic; it’s free, take advantage. Add a little self care to your routine. Having time to take care of yourself makes a world of a difference. I know they state what women are strong, But are we really that damn strong or are we trying to live up to this stupid ass stereotype. No we need a break too, we need time too, we need to breathe too. Getting a spa treatment can easily flip things around for you. So treat yourself, don’t cheat yourself.... out of happiness. Lastly, ask for help! I do not have the luxury of help, I don’t live near family nor do I trust strangers with my children, and that’s just me, that’s not to disparage anyone else, you do what works for you and your family. But getting help to be able to do what you need/want to do changes the game, and if it’s a relative, even better. I feel like us women are harder on ourselves because a lot of this is overwhelmingly unexpected (motherhood) and sometimes we need to step back for an hour; for that countryside ride or spa treatment to recuperate while the kids are with daddy or grandparents. Also, this is important as well, your diet, what are you eating? What you eat is who you are, if you eat heavy, you're going to feel heavy, if you eat light and healthy, you're going to reflect that. Try your best to have a healthy balanced diet. ,That’s all I can think to share for today, I hope this can help you as much as it helped me, and know that regardless of anything you’re a great mom and your baby loves you the way things are. And I hope you take the necessary steps to be mindfully right for your and your family.
I also want to add, this isn't sponsored on my blog but I want to talk about taking vitamins and how imperative it is to keep taking your vitamins after birth. It is also important on what kind of vitamins you are taking. I was contacted by Perelel, a prenatal vitamin company that specifically focus on imbalances moms might have during a certain period during and after pregnancy. I started taking the Mom Multi Pack which provides a cocktail of vitamins that I would need post partum.
After having Ollie, I continued to take my old gummy prenatal vitamins which is all truth, was not doing anything for me. I was still stressed, still tired and still lacking the nutrients I need to survive everyday motherhood. I started taking Perelel and feel a world of a different in energy as well as I noticed a difference in my hair and nails and, I am more than likely to wake up in brighter spirits.
Perelel provides packages for each stage in motherhood, from conception to post partum. Please, check out Perelelhealth.com
