Although we always try to keep things super positive on this blog, the harsh realities of just living everyday life occasionally require us to look at some issues and see them for exactly what they are. It’s not all negative however, because as the title suggests, the ultimate focus is on getting through particularly difficult times and hopefully doing away with them for good.
Because of all the joy and renewed life perspective having a baby generally brings, postnatal depression can be very difficult to understand for new or recent parents who’ve never experienced it themselves. I mean a baby is supposed to open up one’s eyes to a whole new world of discovering just how much more love one really has living inside of them, just waiting to be expressed through the care of a child. Right? Yet postnatal depression, also known as PPD (Postpartum depression), appears to completely go against what is generally perceived to be a natural bond of love formed between a parent and their baby. The medical field has collectively identified a selection of risk factors which cause it, but postnatal depression is yet to be explicitly tied to confirmed root causes.
Now I’m just a selfish mum, so I’m in no way qualified to give professional medical advice, but in the case of the rather tragic story of the late Saffie Johnson from Manchester, one would have a very strong argument in pointing to her very young age for getting married and having a baby soon thereafter, as playing a huge part in her specific case of postnatal depression which led to her taking her own life. Perhaps the hormonal imbalances running riot at that age added fuel to the fire as well (she got married at age 17 and had a baby at 18). Surely these must be huge triggering factors, but for those who’ve sought the necessary medical and/or psychiatric advice and treatment, and for those who’ve won their fight against postnatal depression, hammering the final nail into that coffin can prove to be difficult because of constant reminders of feelings which must have been accompanied by guilt, among other things. One drastic action can turn things around however and put your postnatal depression to bed for good. It’s just a matter of finding the right action for you.
Name Changes
It perhaps doesn’t get more drastic than this, but legally changing your name, your child’s name, or both of your names can go a long way in washing away guilt-inducing reminders of the dark days of your postnatal depression’s peak. This can be easily done online through the use of a deed poll, but these platforms such as Simply Deedpolls account for a quick and easy step with huge implications for your ultimate healing and closure. Name changes can make for a powerful symbol of new beginnings, severing the last remaining link between you and the darker days.
Lifestyle Change
If a name change for either of you (you or your child) is a bit too drastic a step, then the next best thing is to effect some drastic lifestyle changes. Or you could even implement both of these things. Lifestyle changes such as moving house work well to put that final nail in, but perhaps the most effective of these lifestyle changes take the form of working on your health and fitness through dietary improvements as well as exercising for a new and better body and mind.