I know without a shadow of a doubt that Skip and I are blessed beyond measure to have a baby that is as happy and easy going as James is. And even though I’ve had brief encounters with post partum anxiety, I also know that I am immensely blessed to have avoided even a glimpse of full on post partum depression. Neither of my sister-in-laws were so lucky.
As you may know, I am a huge fan of www.dooce.com because Heather is so honest and forthright about what parenthood is all about. I don’t always agree with her, but I love that she puts it all out there - warts and all. Heather has talked quite openly about her battle with severe post partum depression. In her latest post, she also talks about how different her baby experience has been the second time around.
After reading this, I feel even more blessed because my first time around was the blissful, I-love-getting-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-to-see-my-amazing-child kind. I also feel even sadder for my one sister-in-law in particular who had such a terrible PPD experience for the first TWO YEARS of my nephew’s life that she is terrified of having another child. It can be wonderful and amazing beyond your wildest dreams, friend.
