Disclaimer: This is not an article about postpartum depression. I cannot speak to that experience and offer you support and encouragement in finding the help and love you need to get you through. This article is about fighting off a milder and more common form of postpartum emotions, baby blues.
As I was rocking my 6-day-old son in his nursery, him screaming and me crying, I remember thinking back to how ignorant I had been in believing that the first few days home with a newborn would be ideal. It was one of those watershed moments in motherhood. I was sitting in the dark, thinking, “I am not going to make it out of this alive. What was I thinking?! I can’t do this. I am so not cut out for this!” No one talks about this kind of tough stuff after delivery. We just talk about cute clothes, baby showers, and baby names. I was left to rock an unhappy baby with no clue what I was doing and very little help.
I had my babies in the dead of winter in Michigan. That can be a really lonely time. The roads are horrible, and it is so cold your face hurts when you go outside. And the sun—as a general rule—may not show up for days at a time. I would wait at the door for my husband to come home every day. Yet when he was there, I was snapping at him or crying. I felt out of control, and it made me feel super anxious. The night would come, and I could feel the new mom anxiety creeping in. It felt like I was choking on it.
I decided I could not live like this for the rest of my life, or I would be a miserable wife and mom.
A few days after my delivery, I realized why the nighttime got so incredibly hard for me. I would spike a fever every evening and noticed my milk was coming in. I soon realized it was baby blues. My body and hormones are trying to get back to normal. I felt much better knowing I wouldn’t cry every evening for the rest of my life. It gave me the freedom to cry it out for a few minutes rather than try to fight it. I sometimes walked around a store for an hour while my husband stayed home with the baby. Being in a brightly lit store with many others made me feel better.
Being cooped up in the house and having my husband or Instagram as my only source of social interaction was not helping my baby blues. But luckily, at the same time, our church started a mom’s group. It was a lifesaver! Free child care and snacks every other week, and I began to live for those meetings and the freedom I felt getting out of the house for an hour and a half. I would recommend a mom’s group to any mom. Find a group that meets at a library or community center, and try to get out and interact face-to-face with other moms. I also read a lot and began journaling.
I would write down what I was grateful for that day. Even though it may have been an awful day, I could still find something to be thankful for.
Before having my son, I thought I was super selfless. I found out fast how untrue that was. I could no longer eat or use the bathroom when I wanted to. Showering, sleeping, or starting dinner was never easy anymore. When we would attempt a fun outing the three of us could do, it never failed—we would leave that event with two of us crying and my husband looking defeated.
Looking back at those times, they hold such a special place in my heart. I wish I could go back and hug my past self. I would tell myself that the baby blues will pass quickly and enjoy the newness of being a mom. I’d say to her that those chores and outings can wait. This new baby is important right now, and sometimes that means missing out on events or a perfectly clean house, but ultimately, you’re not missing out.
You are just beginning this incredible new journey.
It is overwhelming, it is hard, and it is exhausting. But it is rewarding and worth it. Slow down, learn as you go, and remember this is YOUR journey with YOUR kids. You are not supposed to be “that kid’s” mom. You are your kid’s mom, and that is entirely on purpose. Give yourself some grace, and for goodness sake, take care of yourself. You are the only mom they have, and they need you to be the best version you can be. So, go on a date, take a bath, or light a candle you enjoy. It doesn’t have to be extravagant things to make a difference. Use little moments every day to do something for you, and it will help those baby blues go away until they are just a distant memory of a very tiring life you once knew.
