by Becky Vieira posted in Parenting

After hours of incessant wailing that left his angelic face looking like a red tomato with slits for eyes, my son finally fell asleep. And I fell apart.
I became hot, uncomfortably so. My previously silent cries found their voice, morphing into hysterical sobs that progressed until my breathing became labored. I ran out the door into the November night, barefoot but seemingly immune to the near freezing temperature. That's just three minutes in the life of a mother with postpartum depression.
I?m now a postpartum depression survivor. I wish I could say I endured while being buoyed by my friends and family, but that wasn't the case. I isolated myself, pushed everyone away and refused help.
No mother deserves to suffer from PPD. But if they do, I want them to know what I didn?t: How to ask for help. ??I?ve built up a community of moms and PPD survivors on Instagram, and these women have kindly and bravely shared what helped, and the help they wished they had. If, like me, you can?t organize your thoughts, at least you?ll have this list. When you can?t read it out loud you can print it. And if the words don?t flow from your mouth, share this on social media or tag your friends and family. From one mom to another, I implore you to not let the conversation about your healing end. Keep ?talking? about PPD any way you can.
To all of those in your village, let them know that this is how they can help a mom with PPD:
1. Let her sleep. Offer to...