I am a mother to four children, a piano teacher and musician, a yoga instructor and birth doula.
I love my family and I was very happy to be pregnant and welcome our youngest to our family. His birth was simple and beautiful, and in his first few weeks, we were at home and starting our journey together. We were focused on his tongue tie, and our difficulty breastfeeding created a lot of stress and extra concerns in addition to the typical newborn care.
My son was one month old when my symptoms began: insomnia, racing thoughts, and then hallucinations and paranoia. I had delusional thinking and lots of strange religious beliefs. My doctor diagnosed Postpartum Psychosis. I was manic for five months, then finally my mental clarity returned but I experienced extreme fatigue that lasted for another six months.
Around my baby's first birthday, I was beginning to feel like myself again and we were able to bring him home from daycare for me to be with him. It was a long and difficult journey for me and my whole family, but we survived it and now we are stronger.