That’s how I felt when I found out I was pregnant with my second child.  After experiencing postpartum anxiety and depression the first time around just the thought of going through it all again made me panic.

I desperately wanted to avoid going down that dark road again, so I started seeing a psychiatrist at the IWK Reproductive Mental Health Clinic. The therapy was mentally and emotionally draining, but it really helped me keep the anxiety in check during pregnancy, a time when I wasn’t comfortable taking medication.

When baby Cole came along a year ago, I’ll never forget the overwhelming sense of calm that seemed to wash over me after he was born.  It makes me weepy just thinking about it.  I just knew that I was going to be okay. And I was.

My experience with postpartum anxiety taught me a lot about myself, and what I’m capable of overcoming. For someone who tends to be fiercely independent, recognizing that I needed help was hard and asking for help was even harder. I leaned on a lot of people to get healthy, and will forever be grateful for the support I received from my family, friends, coworkers and doctors.

This peer support website is my way of paying that support forward to other mothers going through similar mental health struggles. My hope is that by sharing our stories and experiences, we can help each other.

So, welcome to One Mother to Another. I’m so glad you’re here.