Another Mother’s Day is upon us. And that means another Mother’s Day Rally for Moms’ Mental Health is here. What’s that, you ask?
Sunday, May 12th, is the 5th annual Mother’s Day Rally for Moms’ Mental Health, featuring 24 letters from survivors of PPD, postpartum anxiety, postpartum OCD, depression after weaning and/or postpartum psychosis. Their purpose is to inform and encourage pregnant and new moms who may be struggling with their emotional health. The Rally is hosted by Postpartum Progress, the most widely-read blog in the world on postpartum depression and other mental illnesses related to pregnancy and childbirth.
Today my heart is happy. It’s full.
Sure, I have days that aren’t stellar, but none of them are like those early days of motherhood. Those days when I thought I would suffocate from the weight of it all.
Joy was so hard to find then that I don’t really remember my first Mother’s Day. I hadn’t yet admitted to myself that depression was a thing I was facing. There was a prescription folded neatly and tucked away in my wallet and I hadn’t yet screwed up the courage to fill it.
I know I got a gift certificate to a spa for my first Mother’s Day, one that I wouldn’t be brave or mentally healthy enough to cash in for another 4 months, and even then, I remember feeling guilty for taking a day to myself.
But I’m in a different place now.
Today I’m at Postpartum Progress talking about the magic of self-care. The absolutely vital task of making sure your own needs are met so that you can meet the needs of others.
I owe my full heart today to the moms who were brave about their struggles. The moms who ARE brave about their struggles. Moms who make it their life’s work to help other moms who are struggling.
The work that Katherine Stone does and the platform on which she does it are so important to mothers and partners and medical professionals everywhere.
I’m happy to be a part of the Postpartum Progress Mother’s Day Rally again this year. I hope you’ll join me and the other moms in the rally. Read our words. Share them. Send your friends. There’s truly something for everyone.
Happy Mother’s Day.