“For me, talking openly about my PPD was incredibly powerful. Once I started being honest and unashamed, it was like the floodgates opened and I was surrounded with love and support.” – Excerpt from my book, Reclaim the Joy of Motherhood
It is true that everything changed the day I admitted that I had postpartum depression. It didn’t feel like it at the time, and for a long time afterward I was still stumbling through the fog of depression. But over time as I began to heal, I made the most amazing discovery: far from being something to be ashamed of, my struggle was something people appreciated and even supported. The more I shared about what I had gone through, the more love and encouragement I received.
This taught me one of the most powerful lessons of my life: you are not alone, and it is not your fault. I tell women this all the time, and I am so glad to say that it has proven to be true, time and time again. Each of us, no matter how alone we feel, is connected to people who want to give us their friendship, companionship and love. Whether those people are in your family, in your community, or in the larger group of PPD survivors, they do exist.
This whole experience has revealed to me my life’s purpose. It has been painful to shed the skin of the frightened, ashamed person I once was, and to practice confidence as I become an advocate for other women. I still cry, I still have doubts. But I know now that I’m not alone, and my PPD was not my fault. My purpose is to help as many women as possible understand that same truth.
The past three years have been all wrapped up in the creation of my HAPPY Mommy Method: a mentoring program for women to help them heal from Postpartum Depression and reclaim the joy of motherhood. I am ecstatic to tell you that the program has begun, and I am now working with women on their own journeys to healing.
How could I have known, all those years ago, that I would wind up here? If you had told me then that I would have two perfect boys, a happy marriage and a big smile on my face every day, I would have worried that somehow I couldn’t make it work. But it is working, and it never would have come to this without the love, support and kindness of many wonderful people in my life.
Now, it is my greatest wish to share my love, support and kindness with people like you.
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