The baby blues truly suck. I know they will pass, and we're keeping an eye on things. It helps to get out of the house (we visited the lake yesterday), to try for more naps, to eat well, to remember it's temporary and that soon things will return to a more stable keel.
How did you deal with the baby blues?
The nights can be hard, just waiting for the dawn to break if I haven't been sleeping well. It's getting better. It's hard to sleep when your baby sleeps, like they say, because who can really sleep on command like that? For the first week I think I got about 10 hours of sleep total, high on hormones. I simply could not fall asleep. Now I have little rituals to help ~ chamomile tea, a warm shower, and everything set up with his soft blankets in our bed. I love watching his little face in the dark, his arms thrown up over his head. The nights pass in merging chunks of sleep, the cool of cotton sheets, blue light, nursing, resting, putting his tiny hat back on. I am always happy to see the subtle brightness of the sky outside the windows, and then the sunlight effervescence through the leaves, and the lighting up of his red hair. Another day has arrived.
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14 comments:
Natural calm magnesium citrate, vitamin B6, and zinc. That will help with the physical. If it's really bad natural progesterone cream for a few weeks. You will need kelp for your thyroid for at least the first six months. the massive amounts of progesterone leaving your body can kinda put you in a spiral.
But the emotional and mental tumult can only be embraced. That desperate need to keep them safe from harm forever and the sudden realization that the world can hurt must be acknowledged. And soon it will fade into more beautiful and less scary. It will pass. Just cry when you need to. Sit in the sun. see the world with the new raw lens that you have. Blessings friend.
i put myself on oats and st. john's wort, everyday, for the first few weeks. i had a very hard time with the depression...it wasn't really going away, even after a year. eventually, i had to go to a specialist because it wasn't taking care of itself.
just know when to get help. be aware if it isn't resolving itself, and deal with it accordingly. some women suffer with it for years and don't say a word because they think it's something that should go away on its own. love to you and your little one. <3
xoxo
Brooke, I had this too. I had to have an emergency procedure done one week after the boys were born via C-section. Needless to say I was beyond exhausted. I felt like I was living in a fog. I cried frequently. I ended up going to a counselor and then eventually realized I needed some medical help as well.
These first days and months are really about survival. You're keeping an eye on things which is great - keep doing that. With the support of Tim and anyone else close by you'll be okay. Promise.
xoxo
cortnie
Every mother will know that feeling, I also as a mother of 3. But it will pass you're doing it very well as a mother . Take time to recover and do not want much folliw the rythm of your son
Xoxo
i had them too. not so much the blues but major anxiety, probably up to a few weeks ago and it still lingers on slightly in the evening time. but i have to say that it gets better. in the first few weeks, i thought i was going (slightly) crazy but its so much better now.
oh, and PROBIOTICS and i second the natural calm.
I used jasmine essential oil when my blues hit. Mark would massage my back and abdomen (which helped it get back into shape within a fortnight). I was training to be a masseuse at this time and had read that in India, the midwife massages the new mother's abdomen every day for 40 days after the birth. I loved that idea and having it done was incredible. The jasmine worked completely on my blues......and, like you, going out for walks in nature.
Love to you dear Brooke.
Hi Brooke,
You all look wonderful! Cedar is such a beautiful baby. I don't remember going through depression specifically, though I definitely understand depression and overwhelm. I've used flower essences for just about everything, for me and my sons. I use Healing Herbs (Bach) and Australian Bush primarily, and can help you with specific essences if you want. I did find a specific 'Baby Blues' combination essence from Findhorn Essences that looks very good...the link is here... http://www.essencesonline.com/Findhorn.html (you have to scroll down about halfway to the combo listings). I've ordered from Healing Waters before and I like them as well. I am relatively local to you (Roslyn), if you need anything let me know.
Cindy
Hi Brooke
congratulations again on the birth of Cedar, he's so gorgeous!I suffered from baby blues after both my pregnancies but the last one was somehow more severe. I was super sensitive and I still remember the first month as a whirlwind of things happening around me. Probably the hardest part came a couple of months after the birth , but even that phased passed and now I feel like I found myself again. I went to see an homeopathic doctor to help me with the tiredness and anxiety. She gave me a remedy along with vitamins and fish oil. That helped too. Try to rest when you can (and when you feel like it) but above all, live in the moment and don't be scared by it. It's probably one of the biggest challenges you will have to go through, but you will do it, and one day, you will find that the fog has lifted and your life adjusted. hugs
I've never been through maternity, but I send you happy thoughts anyway!
sending strength and love your way!
always remember to be gentle iwth you. there is no greater change in a woman's life than when she succumbs fully to motherhood. giving all of you to your tiny babe. be gentle. talk to your mate. keep on talking. rest, walk (alone) every now and then. but do be gentle with you. XO
These many posts have left me speechless. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful time. For me, the blues lasted about 18 months but I kept telling myself that my main duty as a mom was to be happy, to create happiness. I think doing things that indicate happiness eventually brought around happy feelings (not to mention lending themselves to memories that are much lighter than the time actually felt). Looking back, the mixed emotions seem suitable to such a tremendously moving life event. Warmest thoughts to you three special souls.
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