I Didn’t Think Postpartum Depression Would Happen to Me

This was supposed to be the postpartum where I was ok. Not blissed-out, glowing, floating through the newborn haze, but more like steady, capable, adjusting. Being my third go around, I knew the terrain by now - the broken sleep and bone-deep exhaustion, the emotional waves, the nonstop sensory demands of keeping a tiny human (and two other kids) alive. And this time, I had systems in place, and realistic perspectives, with tools, after struggling through the first two postpartum experiences.