Motherhood Depression

Your body and mind go through many changes during and after pregnancy. Most women get the “baby blues”, or feel sad or empty, within a few days of giving birth. For many women, the baby blues go away in three to five days. If your baby blues don’t go away or you feel sad, hopeless, or empty for longer than two weeks, you may have postpartum depression. Feeling hopeless or empty after childbirth is not a regular or expected part of being a mother. Treatment for depression, such as therapy or medicine, works and will help you and your baby be as healthy as possible in the future.

Mommy’s Got a Tramp Stamp: The Truth About Surviving Motherhood and Finding Yourself is a book about one woman’s journey with postpartum depression and anxiety while becoming a mom. Perinatal mood disorders can impact up to one in five new mothers, and we may not always immediately recognize the signs and symptoms. Even if we do, it’s scary, and we don’t always want to ask for help.