I remember being a new mother, holding my baby, tears springing from my eyes. My cousin told me I had the baby blues. The overwhelming feeling passed quickly, and I was able to return to mothering my newborn without (my) crying. (The baby cried plenty). Still, that feeling of being trapped and overcome with the enormity of motherhood lingered during those first three months of my son’s life. At my six-week post partum check-up, my doctor questioned me in a way that I could tell was a screening for postpartum depression (PPD). My answers were honest, but they didn’t qualify me as someone experiencing PPD. And yet, reading the essays in "Mothering Through the Darkness," I encountered stories that resonated with me and brought me back to those difficult days as a new mother. Looking back, I think my doctor was correct to not diagnose me with PPD. My “baby blues” were short lived. But I do wish I had a book like "Mothering Through the Darkness" at my disposal to help me better … [Read more...]