Post-Partum Depression is real!
I’m Back! I know, Maybe back from The Grave just in time for Halloween. But I’m back to Being a Boss and I’m back running our family business with my husband and beautiful baby girl! Having a Child and building a new business while also Acing a USC NP Program ain’t Easy. Post-Partum Depression is real! It can hit you when you least expect it without any warning at all. It can turn your whole world upside down. You can watch it happen but feel completely powerless to stop it. While it affects up to 15% of new mothers with a vast potential range of severity and symptoms, 1 in 500 suffer from PPD with Psychosis. As luck (and statistics) would have it this would become my eventual diagnosis as well.
New place with new responsibilities, and Old PTSD with old Anxiety, No Sleep, No Time, SNAP! Post-Partum Depression is Hard! It can creep in slowly or it can barge in like some bizarro Kool-Aid man screaming “Oh-No!” It can grab hold of you and lock you into the darkest place your brain can imagine with seemingly no hope for release. It is hard to explain to someone who hasn’t experienced it what it is like to have voices that are not your own in your head telling you that all your worst fears are real. Even though everyone would tell me it’s not true and that everything is ok, what do you do when your own brain is telling you otherwise? who would you believe? Right? The problem with not trusting anyone around you though is that it only leads to more mistrust, isolation, and burned bridges until you find yourself feeling even more scared and alone. It took me all the way to a couple of short hospital stays to finally realize what was happening to me.
Post-Partum Depression can be overcome! But do not go it alone! As isolated as it may make you feel, it can chew you up and spit you out in an entirely different and lonely reality if you do not allow your support system in to help. It will amaze you how much self-destruction you can achieve in moments of crisis and despair. It certainly did for me! Despite my experience however, I am so grateful to have my daughter, and I am honored every day that I get to watch her grow up! I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything in the world. As severe as my PPD became I would still consider it a small price to pay for the privilege to be this little girl’s mom! I however cannot stress enough how important it is to talk to someone when you are feeling any level of depression. Post-Partum or otherwise. Talk to your Doctor, talk to your loved ones, talk to anyone you trust. Talk to me if you need someone. I am always happy to be there for my patients and share my experience! Without the strength and love I received from my husband, and family standing by me and supporting me through my journey I would not be writing this here today. A lesser man would have likely cut and run from feeling so pushed away by my situation, and there is nothing like a strong supportive family to comfort you when you need it most. I pride myself in providing the highest level of care in my practice from my experiences as a nurse, or in life, in any capacity that I am able. Aesthetics or otherwise…
To anyone who had their appointment canceled or rescheduled at the last minute these past few months, I am truly sorry for any inconvenience and unprofessionalism you may have felt! I promise to make it up to you, and I hope to see you all again soon. When you walk through our doors, I want you to know that you always come first. The fact that you simply took the time to invest in our family business means the world to me!
Most importantly, I would love to hear about your own struggles with depression. It is only through sharing our own experiences that we heal, and help others navigate their own struggles! Together we can eliminate the stigma of this often-crippling condition!
Xoxo Raquel Snowden
