Postpartum depression – You can’t just snap out of it.
I interviewed Morgann for the All About Breastfeeding podcast when she was 14 months pregnant with her third baby. She has since given birth to a beautiful baby, making this her third daughter. She was so hoping that perhaps this time she would escape having a third baby who was tongue tied, but alas, this was not to be the case. Morgann knew she would be better prepared as she was well connected with the birthing and tongue tie community this time around. And yet, it would have been nice to not have to deal with these challenges this time around.
I was quite interested to have Morgann as a guest. She was ready to talk about her postpartum experience in the hopes that her experience would shine a light on a very important issue – postpartum mood disorders. A mother can have the most gentle birth experience with the most wonderful care providers. She can have a wonderfully supportive partner, family members and a calm and peaceful household – and yet she can be hit over the head like a ton of bricks with postpartum depression/anxiety, despite it all.In Morgann’s case, she had so much going on with her second pregnancy, birth and baby that I probably would have been quite surprised had she not had any issues during her 4th trimester. Just look at what she had going on.
*Due date – July 30th
*Move date – August 1st
Take a guess when her beautiful baby Everly was born – If you guessed right smack dab in the middle of those 2 dates, you are 100% correct. On July 31st, Morgann gave birth to her 2nd daughter at a local birth center, came home after a few hours, and in less than 24 hours, the moving trucks came. No matter how much help a new mother has, giving birth and moving your household just has to take its toll on you. Morgann shares with us her postpartum experience – her guilt and fears and anxiety that consumed her during the early months.
Morgann felt like so many other new mothers do – out of sync, short tempered with her older daughter, feeling like she just could not do this anymore, and wanting to give up. With it all, Morgann also acted like so many moms do – she kept it all bottled up inside. Alone with her thoughts and fears, the anxiety builds and often worsens. Afraid to tell her health providers out of fear that he kids could be taken away from her. Afraid to reveal her true thoughts to her husband as he might be fearful of leaving her home alone with the kids. Smiling and pretending to the rest of the world because, well, because new motherhood is suppose to be blissful. You are suppose to be grateful for all you have and you wouldn’t want anyone to think anything less of you.
Such a difficult and lonely place for a new mother to be. So sad that there continues to be such incredible stigma surrounding such a COMMON health issue. It is actually quite frustrating for everyone all around. Listen to Morgann as she shares what her turning point was and how she came to get the strength to begin the road to recovery.
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Lori J Isenstadt IBCLC
Lori is a huge breastfeeding advocate and supports all breastfeeding families. Once she became turned on to birth and became a childbirth educator, there was no stopping her love of working with families during their childbearing years. Lori first became a birth doula and a postpartum doula. She then became an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant and has been helping moms and babies with breastfeeding for over 25 years. In her private practice, Lori meets with moms and babies on an individual basis in her office or In their home. Lori is an international speaker, book author and host of the popular itunes podcast called – All About Breastfeeding, the place where the girls hang out. You can reach Lori by email at: aabreastfeeding@hotmail.com