March 1, 2022

My Postpartum Depression Story | How to feel like yourself again

My Postpartum Depression Story | How to feel like yourself again

It's no secret that postpartum depression plays mind tricks with you and makes you feel like a stranger in your own body. With my third baby I didn't experience PPD until almost a year later. It honestly took me a while to realize that's what was going on. 

What are the most common Postpartum Depression symptoms? According to the Mayo Clinic here they are: 

Mood: anger, anxiety, guilt, hopelessness, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, mood swings, or panic attack
Behavioral: crying, irritability, or restlessness
Whole body: fatigue or loss of appetite
Weight: weight gain or weight loss
Cognitive: lack of concentration or unwanted thoughts
Psychological: depression or fear
Also common: insomnia or repeatedly going over thoughts

After scheduling an appointment with my OBGYNs office this mama had so many thoughts: Am I going crazy? Is this really PPD? My baby is almost 13 months? What's going on? My life is amazing and I have the most supportive husband but why do these thoughts keep me up at night?


After waiting for what it seemed to be like the longest week of my life (so dramatic I know) my appointment day was finally here!

Now, I distinctly remember that as soon as my OBGYN walked into my room I started bawling my eyes out like a baby... Right there and then she diagnosed me with postpartum depression and anxiety. All of my symptoms were suddenly making sense to me. 

You see for my two previous pregnancies I was never officially diagnosed because one: the situation I was in was different and honestly thought it was just regular depression because of the events happening in my life/relationship at the time and two: because no one really talked about it back then and there was this stigma surrounding this topic. It really was an embarrassment to me. (Crazy I know)

What my OBGYN told me at that appointment instantly changed the way I felt ( and of course the medicine she prescribed me did too) I figured I would share it with other moms that might be going through this too! 


1. You need to spend time by yourself doing things that you truly enjoy ( go for a walk, learn a new hobby, try a new recipe, read a book, go thrifting, start a journal) really anything to keep your mind busy.

2. Ask for help! This has always been a hard one for me because I would rather do something twice and fail before I ask for help. I promise you that your loved ones want to help you but they just don't it. 

3. THERAPY! I can't express this enough! Go to therapy! It's good to talk to someone that's on the outside. You'll feel so much better. 

4. Aim for atleast 8/9 hours of sleep. You will wake up feeling well rested and ready to take on the day. ( I suggest getting off your phone once you lay in bed and maybe just listen to some calming music) 

5. After you have worked on all of the above you can start to focus on your physical health and nutrition. Try to eat a healthy meal at least once a day and drink plenty of water. You can also start working out from your own home or go to your local gym. 

When I started focusing on those things above (on top of taking my medicine daily) my mood instantly changed! 

You can check out Betterhelp.com and postpartum.net for expert help. 

Xo,
Karina 

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