Postpartum pressures: Tamika’s journey

After the birth of her first two children, Tamika thought she knew what her postpartum experience would be like the next time round. But, following the difficult birth Josiah, everything changed. 

“This was my 3rd baby and I expected it to be easy. I was thinking, I already know what I’m doing. I did not expect to have an emergency c-section. I did not expect to have a premature baby who needed to stay in the NICU. I felt as though I had failed, despite it being out of my control. I kept finding reasons to blame myself for his struggling. The anxiety hit me like a ton of bricks. I was so afraid to sleep because I felt like the second I closed my eyes, he would stop breathing. I was terrified. I completely hid the fact that I was experiencing anxiety. I got to the point that I was afraid to hold him because I thought I would drop him. I told no one for months.”

Eventually, she was able to speak out about the psychological effects of premature birth, and how they were adding to her postpartum stress, which gave her the relief she needed.

“Talking it out helped me to understand that I was experiencing some anxiety and helped me to cope better. I personally believe every mom experiences some level of depression or anxiety or a combination of both at some point during the postpartum period. Some may have a little and it goes away. Some may just feel overwhelmed with the changes in their life. Some experience it more severely.