Following the birth of 1yo, I was blessed to be able to take 8 months of maternity leave. We scrimped and saved so I could stay home with our new baby and really bond with him. It was wonderful. However, about half-way through my leave, I started to slide into a late-onset post-partum depression. I could still function and complete daily tasks, but the world went gray. It was so hard to explain to my husband or my family. I still did all the mom things a mother with a newborn and a 5yo were supposed to do, but all I really wanted to do was space out. I was a zombie. I longed for my next opportunity to go to bed and shut off. The day I returned to work, my fog lifted. What that says about me is a loaded question for another post, but I was relieved to have found myself again.
Depression was new, unfamiliar and awful. Here I was, surrounded by so many blessings and yet I was empty inside. Still, my depression was mild compared to the depression under which some people suffer for years.
Recently, Allie, from the blog Hyperbole and a Half, posted about her 19 month struggle with very severe depression. If you have ever had a family member or loved one who struggled with depression, I highly recommend that you read this. It explains depression so clearly in a way that I couldn’t.
Click HERE to read this wonderful post.