After the baby comes home
The hidden side of postpartum recovery
By Belinda Inthiphan
Knightly News Reporter
The world told me I should be glowing the day I brought my baby home. Rather, I was in pain. Emotionally as well as physically, though that was a major factor. Everything inside of me changed as I crossed the invisible boundary between being a woman and a mother.
The silent, messy and overwhelming reality of postpartum recovery is something that no one talks about. We love the baby, and we celebrate the pregnancy. Nevertheless, what about the mother who is recovering, crying and changing in unexpected ways?
In a time like May, when Mother’s Day cards are everywhere and we celebrate motherhood with flowers and breakfast in bed, it’s important to consider whether we truly understand what it means to be a mother. May is also Mental Health Awareness Month.
Beyond the baby bump
Many arrangements are made before the baby is born, including decorating the nursery, making birth plans and getting endless advice about swaddling and sleep habits. However, the world tends to go on after the birth, leaving the mother to work on her own recovery, often alone.
Physical healing is only one aspect of postpartum recovery. Identity, emotion and tiredness clash in this situation. It involves relearning how to live in your own skin and learning how to take care of a new life. It’s messy, sacred and brutally honest work.
“I felt like I was supposed to be grateful all the time,” one mother told me. “However, I was drowning. Plus, I was unsure about how to say it aloud.”
The secrets of labor
Labor and delivery are not the beginning and end of motherhood. It’s during the long nights, the shower tears and the times when you question yourself so much that it hurts your body. It’s also in the little accomplishments, like the first smile or the realization that you’re stronger than you initially believed.
The need to help postpartum mothers is becoming more widely acknowledged among health professionals. “We need to normalize postpartum challenges,” says nurse practitioner Jennifer Weaver. “New moms should know they are not broken or alone.”
Birth is a miracle, and acknowledging the hidden side of postpartum healing does not diminish it. It increases our appreciation for what it truly takes to give birth and to start again afterward.
New meaning of Mother’s Day
Let’s see past the flowers and breakfast in bed this Mother’s Day. We should pay tribute to the women who have struggled in silence and behind closed doors. Those who maintained a smile despite their fatigue. Those who showed up despite crying alone.
There are many wonderful moments involved in becoming a mother. Day after day, life is made up of thousands of raw, challenging and sacred moments.
After the infant is brought home, the true story starts. Meanwhile, all mothers should have their voices heard. Don’t wait to get help, identifying signs of postpartum depression might include feelings of guilt or worthlessness, difficulties bonding with the newborn, loss of interest in activities, changes in eating or sleep patterns, and prolonged sadness.
Additionally, new moms may experience feelings of being overwhelmed, anxiety or social withdrawal. It’s important to receive care if these symptoms last longer than two weeks. Speaking with a healthcare professional, joining a support group, receiving therapy and in certain situations, taking medication are all possible forms of treatment. Open communication and early assistance can have a big impact on recovery.
Here are some postpartum-depression resources
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health
- Postpartum Support International
- Depression Resources, Reproductive Health, U.S., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Comment or a story idea? Contact [email protected].
Edited by media-club co-adviser and blog editor Professor Michael Lear-Olimpi.
