Category: Blog Posts
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Surviving the holidays with your mental health intact
I don’t love Christmas. Yah, that’s right. I said it. To the die-hard Christmas fanatics, I know what you’re thinking. What’s not to like? The twinkling lights, the festive food, the spirit of giving, the magic of Santa, the awe and wonder reflected on every innocent child’s face – it’s the most wonderful time of the…
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Goddess myth gone too far
The mental health toll on mothers striving for perfection at all costs In the weeks following the birth of my first son I was extremely anxious about the fact that I was his sole source of food. Unlike so many mothers I know, breastfeeding was one of the few things that went reasonably well for…
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Mother’s Day musings of an anxious mother
I had a few tears this morning even before my first sip of coffee. My oldest son – six years old and in grade one – gave me a Mother’s Day card he made at school. Made of pink construction paper, the cover features a hand drawn heart with two smiling figures in the middle…
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Dear Facebook, Re: all the things I never told you
Your seemingly innocent question stares back at me from the screen. What’s on your mind? The cursor blinks, waiting for a response. What would happen if I answered truthfully? If I just laid it all out there for you to see. Put it out in the open for you to judge. A quick scroll through…
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Decision to medicate a tough pill to swallow
The pills were yellow. Bright yellow. Sunshine in a bottle perched on top of the stove alongside the salt and pepper shakers. A few weeks before I was due to give birth to my second son, I had the prescription filled. The spot on the stove was intentional. I wanted to see them. I needed…
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Live to Air on the 2014 IWK Telethon
It was about this time last year that I had an opportunity to share my experience on the IWK Telethon broadcast. It was a great chance to get the word out about postpartum mental health and let other families know that there is help available. I just got a hold of the video clip, so check…
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Beating postpartum anxiety – the sweetest Valentine gift
Two years ago Valentine’s Day took on a whole new meaning for me. There was no candlelit dinner. No chocolate. A bottle of wine was out of the question. But nothing says romance like a trip to the doctor for cervical sweep, am I right ladies? I was five days overdue with my second son,…
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Me, Oprah and my experience with Postpartum Depression and Anxiety
My oldest son is four. He loves books, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and asking questions – lots and lots of questions. If you make the mistake of not answering in a timely fashion (ie: within seconds) he repeats the question over and over again until he receives a response he deems satisfactory. His curiosity is insatiable.…
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Speaking out in support of Reproductive Mental Health
“I don’t want to be the poster girl for anxiety.” That’s exactly what I said during my last therapy session with my psychiatrist at the IWK. I remember it well because even as the words were leaving my mouth I didn’t feel good about them. But in that moment, eight months into my second pregnancy,…
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Finding your own right way to be a mother
Remember that time when you knew exactly what you were doing and you were completely confident in your abilities as a mother? When you thought, “Oh yah, I got this. I’m totally rockin’ this whole parenting thing?” If you’re nodding your head and reflecting on that precious memory, well played Mama. I salute you. If…
Julie Trites 