Postpartum depression is a rabbit hole many women face. In fact, 600,000 women in the US will suffer from PPD. It's not just the women we need to worry about. It's the children, thousands of them, who are at risk. PPD affects children’s development and puts them at a higher risk of future psychiatric illness.  In fact, maternal depression during infancy has a bigger impact on a child’s development than later exposure to maternal mental illness (Essex 2001, Moehler 2006, postpartumprogress, 2016).

Stephanie Trzyna is a 36-year-old mother to one who has struggled with depression, anxiety and borderline OCD since age 14. After the birth of her daughter in 2006, she fell victim to Severe Postpartum Depression and Anxiety which ultimately led to her first hospitalization.  With the strength of her husband, parents and her daughter, she has survived six bouts of major depression and has become a huge advocate for mental illness and maternal mental illness.  She serves as a Climb Co-Leader for her local Climb Out Of The Darkness for Postpartum Progress and is a Warrior Mom Ambassador. Currently, she recovering from her 6th episode of Major Depressive Disorder.  You can find her as a frequent contributor to The Mighty and Stigma Fighters.  She also runs an active blog at spaigewrites.com where she discusses her over twenty years of struggling with mental illness.