Motherhood is a life-changing experience. It has its beautiful moments. There are memories you will cherish forever, and you try to savor every precious moment that you can, especially while your child is little. The good.
But, it also has challenging experiences. The bad and the ugly.
Undoubtedly, there are countless precious moments with our children.
Hearing their giggles… inhaling their scent… enjoying their warmth…
These are part of the wonderful memories we create with them. We even take countless pictures to remember these short years.
Mother Nature hardwires us to release a hormone called Oxytocin so that we can bond with them. But, what happens when we can’t bond?
I will admit. Even though the years are short, the days are LONG!
We are sleep-deprived, overstimulated, neglecting ourselves, taking care of an ongoing to-do list, can’t seem to catch up with dishes and laundry…. and the list goes on and on.
But I’m not just talking about the things seen on the surface.
I mostly mean what is not always seen… what is felt.
Mom, I see you.
Yes, you are tired and you just want a moment to breathe. But, I also see that you need more.
You love your kids, but raising tiny humans, especially when you feel alone, is HARD. It is OVERWHELMING.
You need help. You need someone to see you, or at least hear you and let you enjoy a FRESH hot cup of coffee, not something reheated 5 times!
I mentioned bonding with your baby. What happens when you cannot bond with your baby? In some cases, this means that you are dealing with postpartum depression. It is something that should not be taken lightly.
Postpartum depression is much more than simple baby blues and feeling sad.
You feel angry and you don’t know why.
You want to connect but you can’t.
You find yourself crying out of frustration, yet the tears don’t relieve the pressure.
You are more than stressed. You are overwhelmed.
On top of all this, you might be feeling anxious all the time! Intrusive thoughts more than likely creep in. You feel paranoid. You feel like you can’t say anything.
You feel trapped.
You feel buried under all of the expectations, diapers, and mom dirt. (Mom dirt – the sweat, tears, food, spit-up, and/or whatever else may be on you that you can’t shower off when you want)
Postpartum depression affects more moms than is known. It is a serious issue. Yes, society belittles us for trying to find help or ask questions as to why we feel this way!
YOU ARE NOT BROKEN
There is nothing wrong with you!
I can talk about the ugly side of motherhood and create an encyclopedia on it. But motherhood is not mostly ugly, messy, and bad.
There is a way to not feel overwhelmed and suffocated while trying to love your child.
I am by no means a professional, but these are things I did to help me heal mentally, get through the bad and the ugly, and enjoy more goods.
It is important to take care of yourself. It is important to look out for your mom friends. It is important to make sure your significant other is alright.
A mom will struggle to raise and bond with her child if she is not taken care of.
I missed out on a part of my child’s life because I struggled to bond due to depression. But you don’t have to miss out on everything.
I believe in you.