It never fails. A new mom posts on Facebook about how she hasn't slept more than 2 hours in a row since...she can't remember when, or about the fact that she's been wearing the same clothes and messy bun for 36+ hours, or about how the baby has gone through 6 outfits in the last 4 hours, or about any other early-newborn woe. Cue the comments flooding in. 

In the United States, I have found that we have a big secret. Everyone tells pregnant women what to expect during pregnancy, what they think the birth will be like, and maybe even how to care for a newborn. What we DON'T talk about so much is what physical and emotional changes a new parent may experience. So I'm going to talk about it here!

"Mommy, do you want to play with me?"

Most of us know someone who has had some experience with a Perinatal Mood Disorder (PMD).  It’s an all-too-common condition that approximately 14-25% of women who are pregnant or who give birth will experience.  That doesn’t mean that it is limited to the most commonly known PPD (postpartum depression).  There are a few different conditions that can affect the mental health of pregnant and postpartum women.

After I recently gave birth to our third boy, my oldest son was observant enough to notice and talk about my changing body shape in ways he hadn’t before. When he saw my empty belly, with its leftover fat stores and sagging skin, he would excitedly say things like “Mommy! Your belly is like a flat tire!!” and “Your belly looks like a deflated balloon!"