When yeah, you’re postpartum, but it’s not postpartum depression

When yeah, you’re postpartum, but it’s not postpartum depression

Photo by Liv Bruce on Unsplash

When it comes to struggling with mental illness as a new mom or second-time mom, people automatically just assume it’s postpartum depression.

Most times it isn’t. It’s the continuation of something that’s been brewing for weeks, months, even years.

It all comes crashing down under the weight of adjusting to a new family member, lack of sleep, routines getting thrown off, and sometimes contention with your spouse.

But to make things simple, you get funneled into ‘postpartum depression’.

If you’re like me, it turns into a Major Depressive Disorder diagnosis that lands you your first stint in a psychiatric ward.

Not the place I imagined I’d be 2 weeks after having my son, especially not while breastfeeding.

The truth is, without adequate time and history, that 30 minute chat with the telehealth psychiatrist in the ER hospital bed couldn’t properly diagnose me with anything let alone something as severe as what truly runs in my family.

I started Latuda in the psych hospital and I’ve been taking that since.

I can’t say I can tell any difference yet and I was bumped up to 40 mg.

But I don’t have a choice but to see if it helps anymore.

I have to get my life back on track — I have to own it for my kids’ sake.

So something has to work… Something.