Adventures With Postpartum Depression

This week, Brandon shares his story of what it is like to support his wife Tyra during her second round of postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety. If you haven't listened to it already, Tyra shared her story in Episode 74. Thank you, Brandon, for your insights. Show notes will be available at PPDadventures.com. If you would like to share your story, email [email protected]. (There's just a few more weeks left of the 2018 season, but I'm still taking names for the 2019 season.) The intro music is "Cute" by Bensound.com. Thank you for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week.

Hello, Adventurers! Pippa started kindergarten yesterday, so today, I'm thinking about my goals for the 2018-2019 school year. I'm also trying to figure out how involved I want to be at my kids' schools and how much time I want to keep for myself and my self-care. As I mentioned during the episode, I've been blogging almost every day. Blog posts related to maternal mental health are at PPDadventures.com. Everything else is at my new website, CourtneyHenningNovak.com. That's my little new world to figure out my interests and passions as I navigate motherhood. Next week, we are back with an interview - Tyra's husband Brandon shares his experiences as the dad. If you would like to share your story on a future episode, email [email protected]. The intro music is "Cute" by Bensound.com. Thank you for listening and have a great week.

This week, I talk with Dyane Harwood, author of the memoir Birth of a New Brain: Healing from Postpartum Bipolar Disorder. Dyane's memoir is amazing, and I keep thinking about all the issues she discusses, from the financial constraints of recovery to the difficulty of finding the right medication (and psychiatrist!) and so much more. This is a memoir about bipolar disorder, but I think it will inspire any mother who has suffered from a mood disorder. Thanks, Dyane, for coming on the show and writing such a beautiful book! Show notes will be available on PPDadventures.com. If you would like to share your story on a future episode, email [email protected]. The intro music is "Cute" by Bensound.com. Thank you for listening and I hope you have a lovely week. p.s. Go buy Dyane's book and read it asap! It's just too wonderful to miss!

This week, Tyra Fainstad shares her story of postpartum depression and anxiety. Tyra suffered from PPD and anxiety after the birth of her daughter who is now 2 years old. When she got pregnant with her son, she did everything she could to prepare for and prevent a second round of PPD. When her son was born a few months ago, things seemed to be going well. With her daughter, sleep and breastfeeding had been big triggers for Tyra's anxiety, but for the first month postpartum with her son, these were not issues. But when her son was about six weeks old, he developed a minor health issue that triggered her old anxiety. Tyra is now in the throes of a second round of PPD and PPA. As a physician, she knows she should be taking Zoloft; but as a woman with PPD and PPA, she is struggling to do the things that she rationally knows will help her get better. Thank you, Tyra, so much for sharing your experiences with maternal mental illness while you are still in the worst days of it. I know your story will help countless women in the darkness as well as their loved ones who can get frustrated when they don't know how to help. Show notes will be available at PPDadventures.com. If you would like to share your story on an upcoming episode, email [email protected]. The intro music is "Cute" by Bensound.com. Thank you for listening and I hope you have a lovely week.

This week, Rita shares her story of postpartum depression and anxiety. Rita had a history of depression before she got pregnant. She felt anxious during her entire pregnancy. After her son was born, postpartum depression hit her immediately. Since watching the documentary When the Bough Breaks, she has wanted to help others moms with a maternal mood disorder. Thank you, Rita, for sharing your story on the show! Show notes will be available at PPDadventures.com. If you would like to share your story on an upcoming episode, email [email protected]. The intro music is "Cute" by Bensound.com. Thank you for listening and have a great week.

For the next couple of weeks, I am sharing the audio version of my memoir, Adventures with Postpartum Depression. I don't have the time or resources to put together a fancy-schmancy formal audio version (yet!) so instead, I'm sharing it on the podcast. In this installment, I read Chapter 8: Insomnia and Chapter 9: My Breaking Point. By the end of Chapter 9, I have told my obstetrician about my symptoms and agreed to voluntarily admit myself to the hospital for psychiatric care.

I hope to get this all done and shared by the end of June. If you can't wait to hear the rest of the book, head over to PPDadventures.com for your free copy of the ebook. Or head over to Amazon to get your ebook or paperback today to support my work. Thanks for listening!

For the next couple of weeks, I am sharing the audio version of my memoir, Adventures with Postpartum Depression. I don't have the time or resources to put together a fancy-schmancy formal audio version (yet!) so instead, I'm sharing it on the podcast. In this installment, I read Chapter 6: The First Six Weeks (which describes my descent in depression) and Chapter 7: Checking, Checking, Checking (which describes the development of my OCD rituals).

I hope to get this all done and shared by the end of June. If you can't wait to hear the rest of the book, head over to PPDadventures.com for your free copy of the ebook. Or head over to Amazon to get your ebook or paperback today to support my work. Thanks for listening!

For the next couple of weeks, I am sharing the audio version of my memoir, Adventures with Postpartum Depression. I don't have the time or resources to put together a fancy-schmancy formal audio version (yet!) so instead, I'm sharing it on the podcast. In this installment, I read Chapter 4: Pregnancy, aka A Fancy Word for Hell and Chapter 5: In Which My Adventures With Postpartum Depression Begin (this covers labor and delivery).

I hope to get this all done and shared by the end of June. If you can't wait to hear the rest of the book, head over to PPDadventures.com for your free copy of the ebook. Or head over to Amazon to get your ebook or paperback today to support my work. Thanks for listening!

For the next couple of weeks, I am sharing the audio version of my memoir, Adventures with Postpartum Depression. I don't have the time or resources to put together a fancy-schmancy formal audio version (yet!) so instead, I'm sharing it on the podcast. In this installment, I read The Prologue, Chapter One: The Girl with Hypchondria (some back story about why I was anxious going into motherhood), Chapter Two: Love and Marriage (a little more backstory that helps understand my particular PPD journey) and Chapter Three: Let's Make A Baby! (the process by which I decided I wanted to get pregnant).

I hope to get this all done and shared by the end of June. If you can't wait to hear the rest of the book, head over to PPDadventures.com for your free copy of the ebook. Or head over to Amazon to get your ebook or paperback today to support my work. Thanks for listening!

The past few months, I have been working on improving my physical health. As strong as my mental health has been since I recovered from PPD, I know I will feel even better once I lose weight and reclaim my body. My thyroid is not working as well it should; my iron level is low; my cholesterol is way too high; but hey, my Vitamin D is tip-top. I'm also trying to shout less often at my children and slowly but surely making progress on that front. Later this summer, stay tuned for the podcast audio version of my memoir Adventures with Postpartum Depression, now available on Amazon. Email [email protected] if you would like to share your story on a future episode. Show notes will be available at PPDadventures.com. The intro music is "Cute" by Bensound.com. Thank you for listening and I hope you have a lovely week.