Being a Parent is Hard!

Becoming parent is a major shift in identity. You are literally going from who you have always been as an individual to somebody's mom or dad. This may cause the feeling of a loss of self, and it doesn’t mean you don’t love your baby. It just means that you're navigating this new and evolved person that you have become. Give yourself time- you will get your groove as the baby takes on a schedule and you start finding time for yourself again. It's about accepting this season of life that you're in and learning that this will be over before you blink, so try to soak it in while you can because you cannot get this time back. I say this not as a #doula, but as a #parent of two. With my first baby I was unable to enjoy the beginning because I was suffering from sheer exhaustion that I was not used to and could not see the forest through the trees in feeling like it will never end.

So much changed within a year that I went from feeling helpless and hopeless to empowered that I had conquered getting a baby on a schedule and achieved a sense of control back into my life. Seeing how quick everything went with my first, I was truly able to enjoy the time with my second because I knew it was but a fleeting moment. So, remember these words I'm saying to help put things into perspective

After 2 weeks postpartum, if you are still feeling a sense of helpless or hopelessness, contact your provider as it could be more than the typical #babyblues or it very well might be baby blues, but why suffer through it during a time you should be for the most part enjoying? There are tons of #Resources out there for support. For more information on resources or to have a #perinatal mood disorder screening done by me, don't hesitate to reach out via my website: northjerseypostpartumdoula.com