by BabyCenter Guest Blogger posted in Parenting

By Sarah Jones
I had devastating postpartum depression (PPD) with both my pregnancies. It took complete control of my thoughts and located my deepest, darkest insecurities and turned them into truths.
It's become my mission to talk to new mamas and share my experience even if they don?t ask for it. You can read one of my experiences here. If I could, I'd get a tattoo on my forehead that says POSTPARTUM SURVIVOR so people would ask me about it and what it means.
And this is what I would tell them:
1. Postpartum depression looks different for every woman.
I picture it as the ultimate ?dementor? from Harry Potter. I felt like all of the happiness I was supposed to feel was completely sucked out of me and it kept on sucking for close to two months. And every hour of that month felt like a week.
2.You can have a perfectly normal pregnancy and still get PPD.
When I found out I was pregnant with my son at 24, I was scared but excited. My pregnancy was normal.  I completed all of the postpartum pre-screenings like a champ. Sure I had struggled with anxiety and depression since I was in middle school but I wouldn?t be depressed once I had a baby! I was about to be overjoyed! Right"Wrong.
3. You don?t have to be suicidal or want to drown your baby in a bathtub to officially have PPD.
You aren?t any less in need of professional help.  Also, if you do have those thoughts it?s okay. It doesn?t mean you?re a horrible person it j...