Federal health officials have approved the first pill specifically intended to treat severe depression after childbirth, a condition that affects thousands of new mothers in the U.S. each year.

  • the_itsb (she/her)
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    3911 months ago

    Hurray! And then, if we can all stop pretending that pregnancy is magic and babies are awesome, maybe mothers will feel less monstrous when they’re struggling and more willing to seek help.

    Pregnancy and mothering an infant was the hardest and worst extended period in my life - I’ve had individual, shorter worse experiences, but that was the longest stretch of misery I’ve had. Meanwhile, people were telling me that I should savor every moment because it just gets harder! 🤦😂 I can laugh about that now, but jfc did it make me suicidal to think that!

    If you’re suffering through that period too and surrounded by people telling you how awesome it is - maybe that was their experience, but it’s totally okay if it isn’t yours, because it wasn’t mine either, but things got better. Once your child can communicate, that lessens the difficulty dramatically. And if you ever wanna bitch to a sympathetic mom who is open about the shitshow it all can be, I am here for it. ❤️

    • @[email protected]
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      811 months ago

      I’m sorry you had to go through that. Totally agree with you about the whole thing. I was a happy oblivious dad to be, right up to the point where we lost the little bean. Nobody told me that a LOT of pregnancies turn out to be a dud. If I knew beforehand, I would’ve been better prepared. Alas, I was not prepared and it broke my heart. There’s a whole other side to pregnancies. When can we finally be realistic about it? That would be so helpful for all new moms and dads.

      • the_itsb (she/her)
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        211 months ago

        Oh man, I can’t even imagine the devastation you felt. I am so sorry that happened, and I’m grateful that you can talk about it now.

        • @[email protected]
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          211 months ago

          Thank you, kind internet person. I wish you all the best. Hopefully we can do small things in our communities to spread some knowledge and help those around us to deal with these things. ❤️