Category: Postpartum Depression/Anxiety
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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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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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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…
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Surviving postpartum depression and anxiety
“I think you’re more than just tired” There it was – the truth. It left my husband’s mouth and hit me like ice cold water thrown in my face, stealing my breath and shocking me out of my sleep-deprived denial. We were driving home from the doctor’s office, my eyes still red and puffy. The…
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Anxious about getting anxious
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…
Julie Trites 