Postpartum Blues

Now that your baby is here safe and sound and breastfeeding seems to be the only obstacle to perfect motherhood, there is one little bump on the way that may or may not affect you…the famous “baby blues”. I have heard so much about it that I was determined to avoid it at all costs. I kept thinking: “Oh…I’m not worried about it, I’m a fairly happy person…why should I get depressed?” Well, unfortunately it’s not that simple since it’s something that you can’t control. Your hormones are going nuts trying to produce milk and slowly get back to their natural level, but unfortunately between the recovery and dealing with your newborn you will eventually shed a few tears.

I remember crying for absolutely nothing in particular or scream at my husband for no reason at all. I think I heard him a few times during his sleep praying to the “Gods of Motherhood” to please give him back his wife! Sometimes I used to stare at Luca and say to myself: “Please don’t grow up so fast, you are so cute and tiny right now…I want you to stay like this forever….sigh…sigh”. Or I would watch TV and out of nowhere I would run to the bathroom and weep for like 20 minutes. Huh? Yes, if I think about it right now it makes me laugh…but back then I didn’t know any better.
And forget about watching Oprah, Dr. Phil or any of the baby shows on the Health Discovery Channel (yes, even after the birth of my baby I was still watching every single one of them…er…I still do actually)…I was a mess!

Then after about 2 weeks everything went back to normal. The bitchiness mellowed down and the constant urge to cry disappeared. I started going to the gym here and there to let out some stress or I would take long walks with Luca. I knew that I was ok when my husband and I started laughing again and I’m sure he was happy to wave goodbye to the “Jerry Springer nutcase” who possessed his wife for 15 long days.

DCP: The best therapy for postpartum depression is…shopping! It worked for me and kept my mind busy from the emotional rollercoaster I was going through. Plus it gives you a reason to loose the baby weight a little faster. So, before you buy a copy of Brooke Shield’s book and get even more depressed…get out there and have fun!