For Crystal, her expectations of what motherhood would look like were shaped by the positive experiences of others. Once baby Elanor arrived, she felt overwhelmed by the pressure to make it look like everything was going smoothly.
“I struggled in silence with postpartum depression for almost 4 years before I understood the reality of what I was dealing with. I didn’t understand that I was struggling with mental illness – I just thought I was severely failing at motherhood.”
Over time, Crystal found the resources to identify her postpartum depression symptoms, and the strength to speak out about her experiences. Now, she’s discovered an amazing community of other moms with similar stories who are sharing their journeys. Every postpartum depression story shared helps break the stigma.