Postpartum

The world shows you one version of what having a baby looks like. The stories here show you what actually happens for a lot of people. Postpartum depression and anxiety are common — more common than most people know — and the pressure to feel grateful and joyful can make what you're actually feeling even harder to admit.

The stories on this page come from people who experienced the crash after birth — the darkness, the intrusive thoughts, the feeling of being disconnected from the baby everyone said would complete you. And from people who didn't have diagnosable postpartum illness but still found those early weeks and months to be far harder and lonelier than anyone prepared them for.

If your postpartum experience wasn't what you expected, or if you're still carrying something from it years later, you can share it here anonymously. Telling the truth about it might be the most useful thing for someone else going through the same thing right now.