In preparation of the next Game of Thrones season, I borrowed a line for the title of this post. But it echoes the flashbacks that I still have from those early weeks. Night time was the worst in the beginning.
The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors
Tag: Postpartum Depression
I hate to be that guy, but…
So Buzzfeed just put out this emotional video about moms with postpartum depression. Let’s talk about the great things about this video. Lead with a compliment, when you want to be critical, right?
A Letter to my Son
Dear Little Buddy,
Your arrival into this world was complicated. When you burst forth into the sterile light of the operating room with loud gusty cries, I cried with relief. Relief that the part of growing and building you was now complete. Yet I had no idea that I was in the midst of battling a demon that would only strengthen during your first months in this world. Continue reading “A Letter to my Son”
Going out of network? What you need to know
Is your caregiver out of network? Frequently postpartum depression specialists are. Here are some helpful definitions.
Continue reading “Going out of network? What you need to know”
Am I an Activist?
I wrote my Representative and Senators today. I urged them to consider voting for House Bill HR 3235. In all honesty though, I think more is needed. The bill sets aside funding to support screening and treatment of women for postpartum depression. Yet I wonder about how effective such a bill would be.
The Strange Signs of Postpartum Depression
I think that one reason that it’s hard to detect postpartum is that the arrival of a new baby to any family creates a new normal. Particularly for first time mothers and fathers, the lore of how a child changes your life is chilling. Mothers and fathers tell you about how you’ll never sleep again, they tell stories of blow-outs, horrifying travel tales, terrifying trips to the hospital – it doesn’t end. Each phase of your new child’s life will be fraught with new types of exhaustion and challenges. Or so they say.
When you’ve been loaded up with these terrible stories, how are you supposed to see the signs of postpartum depression? You expect to be sleep deprived for life. You expect to be in a hopeless grind, wearily wondering if this is all life is now. Extracting actual depression from new parent myths seems impossible.
The only thing I knew was that if I had depression, I would just cry every day, right?
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Continue reading “The Strange Signs of Postpartum Depression”
Oxytocin Levels and Postpartum Depression
I’ve linked before to this article that speculates that women with low oxytocin levels may experience depression associated with weaning from breastfeeding. Specifically, previous studies have suggested that women who have naturally low levels of oxytocin will suffer from depression.
Continue reading “Oxytocin Levels and Postpartum Depression”
Did Hit Show ‘Jane the Virgin’ try to Address Postpartum Depression?
**Warning: depending on where you are on Jane the Virgin, there could be spoilers in this post**
On Monday night, Jane the Virgin possibly alluded to the character Petra having postpartum depression (Season 2, Chapter Thirty-Seven).
Continue reading “Did Hit Show ‘Jane the Virgin’ try to Address Postpartum Depression?”
