Today’s episode is another in my series with local moms and friends. I met Tori at Spenga, first as a rock star member and now she works there as an instructor. Tori recently became a new mom (her daughter, Emma is 4 months old) and she opened up about her postpartum journey. We laughed some about how her experience as a dog mom semi-prepared her and her husband (a lot of poop is involved with dogs and babies!), and how that helped them get a glimpse into how each other might parent and compromise.
Tori’s pregnancy and birth experiences were pretty “text-book”. She credits that to the healthy choices she made while pregnant and really looked forward to a maternity leave that she expected to be more like a vacation. But soon after Emma was born, Tori was given a HUGE dose of reality and her new expectations were to just get through the day.
She noticed something was wrong right away, as she was sad and crying “all of the time”. Already feeling guilty, anxious and some regret, her postpartum guilt increased the more she couldn’t make sense of the fact that despite an easy pregnancy and birth, she was still not happy.
Listen to Apple Podcast here: Apple Podcast Link
Most of us assume that new parents are immediately happy when they have a baby – social media plays a big part in this. Often, if we are having any negative thoughts about our baby, we are hesitant to reach out to others for fear of judgement. And without a formal diagnosis we don’t think our feelings are big enough and that all we need to do is push through the emotions and it will get better.
For Tori, she wished she had reached out sooner or thought about the role her family history may have played in her postpartum journey. She did eventually start reaching out, and talks about how it got easier and easier each time.
Don’t be afraid to talk about your feelings right away. Postpartum depression help, whether it’s talk therapy or medication, doesn’t have to be a “forever” thing but an important stepping stone to getting the help you need.
Mom Card Drawing of the Week: “You’re too marvelous, too marvelous for words.” -Johnny Mercer
Tori’s Favorite Things and Resources:
Bio-Oil for pregnancy and postpartum
“They’re Real” mascara by Benefit Cosmetics, available at Ulta or Amazon
@thelabormama
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Thank you for listening, sharing, leaving an honest review, along with taking the time to do all those things. XO – Michelle
P.S. Did you hear the exciting news!?! My book is here!! You can even hear an excerpt from Chapter 1.
If you’re interested in supporting the book in its presale stage, here is the link to Amazon: Presale Link
Thank you for your continued support that motivates me to bring these things to you, and for being a brave and strong mother doing her best to navigate through motherhood. We are all doing our best and through this community we are building, we are getting stronger.
Reach out to me on Instagram, Facebook, or email me through my website at www.michellemansfieldauthor.
