More than just ‘Baby Blues’ is Postpartum depression; a serious long-lasting condition that affects women after they give birth. Postpartum mood disorders are common as they can happen to anyone.
Almost all new mothers experience slight depression (baby blues) within a year of giving birth, but can escalate to postpartum depression if not looked after. Postpartum depression, with symptoms like sleep deprivation, guilt, emptiness, psychosis; can affect a mother relationship with her baby, the baby’s behavior and even to the extent of killing their babies.
“That’s the sad part about depression, it really takes away all your logic, your rationale,” says Marie Osmond, popular American singer.
Despite the stigma, several famous mothers who have suffered from the effects of postpartum depression talked about their struggle with this long-lasting disorder. They talked about their experience and what helped them recover.
Heather Armstrong
When asked what postpartum felt like, Heather said all her thoughts during her hard time was finding quicker way to end her pain.
I stood in front of the medicine cabinet in the kitchen trying to figure out whether or not I had the nerve to take an entire bottle of Risperdal. I thought about suicide every day during those months. I thought about how I would do it; perhaps I would hang myself with the dog’s leash, or maybe I’d grab every single pill we had in the medicine cabinet and drown them with a couple of shots of tequila. I wanted to do something, anything to stop the pain.”
She was saved by a doctor who put her on large doses of different medications, which calmed her for the first time after months of giving birth.