aftermath

cross posted at the exponent

six months ago, in the middle of my second trimester, i started making preparations. these weren’t the typical preparations of setting up a nursery, buying baby clothes and taking lamaze classes that usually accompany an impending arrival. rather, it involved a series of conversations with my medical providers about the very real possibility of a post-partum depressive episode. i alerted my midwives to my history of seasonal depression, talked with my endocrinologist about the importance of keeping my thyroid hormones in check, retained a psychiatrist in case i should need medication and put my therapist’s number on speed-dial. i was taking no chances. instead of anxiously awaiting a new bundle of joy, i anxiously expected a return of darkness. Read the rest of this entry »