Do you know someone with PND/PPD? The answer is ‘yes’ Around 10-15% of women who give birth experience postnatal depression, so if you know more than eight women who are mothers, you probably know someone who has been through it – whether she knew that’s what it was or not. Here are two facts you […]
A warm welcome to Kathryn, sharing the story of a very difficult year of motherhood. This was originally written several years ago. Next week is my baby’s first birthday. And I’m not planning a party or celebration of any kind. I don’t think I would cope very well with that right now, and I don’t […]
I wrote this a few weeks ago. It’s part of a long-running series on my experience of severe postnatal depression, which has been part of my life for over two years now. You can find the whole series here, and the first post here. One of the reasons I can’t sleep tonight is the […]
The writer Dorothy Parker famously said ‘I hate writing. I like having written.’ On Saturday night I said to Jody, ‘Please remind me next time I’m considering a preaching engagement: I don’t actually like preaching.’ On Sunday morning I preached at North Porirua Baptist Church. I loved it. I hate the anticipation of preaching – […]
For the first time in 16 months, the fog is lifting. I am feeling ‘normal’ over half the time now, and it feels amazing. Most of the time, now, I can cope with the unexpected, I can make decisions, I can bounce back from disappointments. I am regaining creativity in a few directions. I’m […]
This is the sixth post in a series on my experience of postnatal depression.  If you want to start at the start, the first is here, or you can see the series list here. Please feel free to pass any of them around using the share buttons at the bottom of the post. Today […]
This is the fifth post in a series reflecting on my experience of postnatal depression. Feel free to head also to How It Is #1, How It Is #2, How It Is #3: What to Say and How It Is #4: On A Bad Day, and feel free to pass any of them around, if they’re helpful, using the share […]
Today is A Bad Day. It didn’t start out that way, and I don’t know quite how it slipped into the chasm, but at about 1.15pm I suddenly felt deflated. I don’t want to be a downer, but I thought it might be helpful to describe what A Bad Day can be like. Quite a […]
The numbers are clear. Â If you know a few parents, you know someone who’s had postnatal depression, whether they blogged about it or not. In response to my posts about my experiences, here and here, I’ve discovered half a dozen of my friends have been through it recently, and another few a long time […]
This is the second post in a series on my experience of postnatal depression. The first is here. I was quietly terrified about childbirth. So unknown! So dangerous! But I was very lucky. Despite a slightly rocky late pregnancy, I had a pretty positive labour and birth experience, and then a very happy […]