Pregnancy And Postpartum Depression
Pregnancy And Postpartum Depression – Ways To Prevent By Sylvia Kay, Mummy’s Little Secrets
Depression during and after pregnancy can negatively impact you and your baby’s emotional and mental development. In addition to talking to your doctor about any symptoms you are experiencing, Sylvia Kay of Mummy’s Little Secrets provides invaluable tips that can help prevent and reduce pregnancy and postpartum depression; and boost your overall happiness and well-being.
Being pregnant or already having a baby and suffering from any type of maternal mental health can be the biggest bummer! It takes away from enjoying the journey of becoming or being a mum. Did you know, that worldwide 10% of pregnant women and 13% of women who have just given birth suffer from a mental disorder – most from depression.
Having gone through postpartum depression myself, I know how it feels like to be on the downside. However, I would like to take you through a few steps on how to prevent or better yet get out of any type of MMH (Maternal Mental Health) without any medication.
1 – TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR THOUGHTS
What is that you’re thinking? What springs to your mind when you least expect it? Speaking from experience going through my depression I didn’t make it any easier on myself, as I would sometimes go into deeper negative thoughts (basically, throwing myself a not so pretty pity party). TAKE CONTROL! The moment you feel yourself thinking negatively, that’s your cue to speak positivity into yourself. If you say something often enough, you start to believe it. “I AM AN EXCELLENT MUM, I AM DOING A GREAT JOB!” And that is what we need you believe because you are.
2 – BE SELFISH
I know what you’re thinking… Selfish? Yes. As mothers, we are second to God (well third because there’s Jesus), we become selfless, we are patient and all in all, we have the tendency of putting ourselves last. That is a big You are insert name here first before you are a mother and please don’t you ever forget it. Which means that you need a day off, just for you! Just you, nobody else or if needs be then your favourite girlfriend and just go have fun and be you. And at least five minutes in the day too it’s needed. As much as I adore my son I can’t wait till he goes to nursery sometimes – then for a few hours, I’ve hung up my lanyard as mummy and just be Sylvia. Honestly, I can’t stress enough how important it is to look after yourself.
3 – LOVE
LOVE. The universal language that we all understand. Learn to love yourself because when going through any type of mental disorder we fall out of love with ourselves due to the fact that we become somebody that we’re not, get sucked into that situation as well as losing the sight of how amazing it is to carry a child and then give birth. Something that I’ve always said is that once you’ve hit rock bottom there’s only one way you need to go. UP. The only is up from that point. The love of your child would motivate you to love yourself and once you start you won’t be able to stop. My favourite speaker; Lisa Nichols also went through depression and she too overcame it with similar steps that I’m giving you.
If there’ s anything that you need to do is bet on yourself. Don’t let the situation engulf to a point of no return because there is always a way to return. Do a 360, the only person that can get you out of your MMH is YOU! You are key and you are the door. You are your own success maker. Everything that I mentioned is what I did and if like me and you’re spiritual then dive into that too it definitely helps take some that burden off your shoulders.
And remember, you have an angel that is on their way or even already here that can’t wait to be loved and cherished by only you and your way!
You Are Imperfectly Perfect
Sylvia Kay, Mummy’s Little Secrets
ALSO READ: HEARTBREAKING: Gabrielle Union Reveals She’s Had Eight or Nine Miscarriages
Sylvia Kay, a young mother from London, United Kingdom; Blogger, writer, student, speaker, and host. After recovering from Post Natal Depression, Sylvia started her blog to write about her day to day life in a raw form as a young mother in hopes that it would inspire and motivate all women (and men) who come across her page. Find more of her on her blog and Instagram page.
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