by Becky Vieira posted in Parenting

I have some regrets in my PPD journey, mainly that I didn't get help sooner and missed time with my son that I don?t remember or couldn?t enjoy, and I'll never get it back. If only I recognized that I wasn?t just tired or sad, I was depressed.
BabyCenter has launched new resources to help women identify potential pregnancy depression and postpartum depression. Anonymous and online, the quizzes take less than five minutes to complete.
The two quizzes (depression during pregnancy and postpartum depression) were designed based on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, a screening tool used widely by healthcare professionals to identify postpartum depression.
Once a mother completes the brief quiz she will receive her results, along with invaluable resources to find help. From 24-hour helplines to organizations that find local resources for therapists and support groups, it?s a thorough collection of essential information. Moms will also be directed to helpful content to read and review, and community groups full of other women.
I was given a pamphlet full of general information on postpartum depression before I left the hospital after my son's birth. The pamphlet sadly became lost among the chaos of our first few days home. I thought I knew what PPD would look like. Tried to watch for the signs, and reassured myself I could always track down that pamphlet if necessary.
Yet when PPD began taking over my life I was anything but prepared....