Light after the Baby Blues
by KFYR TV Juli McDonald
Posted on 2/23/2012
|
|
Up to 70% of new mothers experience some form of the baby blues. But during what’s supposed to be such a joyous time, many women are ashamed to admit the feelings they’re having or seek the help they need.
Julie Skaret delivered her beautiful daughter Taylor last June. But the week that followed was nothing short of a nightmare. Julie now wants to reach out to other mothers to prevent them from feeling as alone as she did.
(Julie Skaret, New Mother): “I always wanted to be a mother. When we got married, we decided we would have a child because I always wanted to have one. I couldn’t have been happier. I was so ecstatic. I couldn’t believe that I was pregnant.”
(Juli): Every feeling Julie had during her pregnancy was a happy one. And on June 13 last year, baby Taylor arrived.
(Julie): “We were so happy to see her. We waited for her. That whole first day, I don’t think I had ever been happier in my life. I was content. I was ecstatic. My family was all there. It was beautiful. I was so happy.”
(Juli): But that happiness soon began to fade. Different feelings began to set in, and they didn’t go away when the Skarets got home.
(Julie): “I still just really didn’t want much to do with the baby. I thought she was beautiful and I loved her and she was my baby. But I just didn’t know what to do with her.”
(Juli): Still, things got worse. Julie’s first week as a mother was spent grappling with debilitating anxiety.
(Julie): “I was just rolled up in a ball, crying in my pillow. Just thinking I wish I was dead. This feels so bad.”
(Juli): It was Julie’s postpartum depression that filled her mind with irrational thoughts and made her believe them.
(Julie): “I remember telling Steve, ‘I don’t know if I can do this. And I wouldn’t blame you if we just separated ways and you raised her on your own’,.”
(Juli): But Steve wasn’t going anywhere.
(Steve Skaret, Julie’s Husband/New Father): “When you take those vows of marriage, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health. That’s what you do for each other. When I took those vows, I took them to heart.”
(Juli): Part of Julie’s sadness was that she knew she was supposed to be happy. Her baby girl was here. But none of her feelings were joyful ones. She knew she needed help.
(Dr. Sara Horner, St. Alexius Resident Psychologist): “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. This is a result of your biochemistry. Not of you or your mind. It’s just a side effect of what you’re experiencing internally. It’s best to go forward and get some help and get back to being yourself and enjoying raising your child.”
(Juli): Julie went to the hospital. With the help of her doctor and medication, life with Taylor is now everything she could have wanted. Julie says it’s a blessing, and now she wants to help others.
(Julie): “All I desperately wanted to do is talk to a woman who’s been through this, who’s going to tell me `you’re not crazy. You’re going to get through this and I know how it feels.’ I just don’t think God gave this to me to suffer. I think he gave it to me for a reason, and that’s why I’m telling you my story.”
(Juli): Not all cases of the baby blues are the same. If you have experienced some kind of postpartum depression, Julie wants to hear from you. You can email her at [email protected]. Julie hopes with the help of other women, she can create a resource for new mothers during their own dark days.
Click play to watch the video above.