Singing the Blues

I don't have babies, never wanted babies and never will have babies. So yeah, it's funny I would even write this post about the baby blues. But recently a former co-worker brought her baby for a visit. She had the baby last year and, shortly thereafter, she left her position. We figured she had wanted to be a stay at home mom but she told us that she had been struggling with postpartum depression.

We had no idea. She was such a great co-worker and she always seemed happy, even after she had the baby. She is not the first person I know that has suffered from post-partum depression and probably won't be the last but her story struck a chord in me because it was so sad.

She told us that shortly after having the baby she had started getting strange feeling towards the baby. She was angry and tired all the time. She said that she felt depressed and really didn't want to deal with the baby. That's what got me because during her pregnancy, she had been so excited to be a mom. This is her first baby.

She had her mom to help her after the birth. It really didn't help and those feelings of helplessness and the depression were the catalyst for her not coming back to work. She said she could barely get out of bed and she tried to take care of the baby but she said she just felt ambivilent toward her son.

It was her mom who noticed something was going on and urged her to seek help. When she finally did, she was diagnosed with postpartum depression and got treatment. I won't get into the treatment because it is not my place to talk about that. But she said it really helped and a few weeks into treatment, she started feeling better.

After speaking with her, I never realized how prevelant post-baby blues have become. I remember reading about Brooke Shields' struggles after her baby was born. I also know one of my other girlfriends had issues as well. It is heartbreaking to hear that one of the happiest moments of their life turns into a living nightmare.

All I can say is that I am glad she sought treatment because, in the end, she is a great mom. And her baby is one of the cutest babies I have ever seen. He will definitely be a heartbreaker when he grows up.

For more information on post-partum depression, cheack out Depression Connect. Also, read Brooke Shields' book "Down Came the Rain" because my friend said it really helped her realize that she was not alone.