Mommy Proof #27: Depression will suck all the life out of you, until you get help.

Ten Reasons to hate Postpartum Depression:

1. It makes you feel so tired that you won't even want to lift your head off your pillow.

2. It makes you want to cry.

3. You sometimes feel like ending it all.

4. You wonder if your baby hates you, if everyone hates you, if you hate yourself...

5.  You may feel totally disconnected from the life you just brought forth from your loins.

6.  It makes you think making dinner is the most insurmountable task that could ever exist.

7.  You begin to smell if you don't take a shower.

8.  There is hardly any joy in your life.

9.  Everyone gets on your nerves.

10. You get on your own nerves.

Ten Reasons You Can Love Postpartum Depression:

1. When you do get to sleep, it is the best sleep in the world. You can literally sleep the day away, then sleep some more at night, and some more.

2. Wanting to cry all of the time stinks. BUT with tears, I can get my husband to clean the kitchen, help with homework, do the laundry, and tend to the baby...while I sleep.

3. When I feel like ending it all, I do it in the healthiest way possible. I stop stressing myself out. I stop trying to keep up with the dishes and laundry. I do the bare minimum to get me through that day with minimal guilt: pick up the kids, help with homework, prepare dinner, and give baths. Then, we sleep!

4. It helped me to appreciate my baby, kids, family, and friends once the worst of it was over. The kids had never been funnier and cuter. The baby made me want to laugh and cry with every milestone wondering what I missed when I was in my funk, then no longer caring. Because the end result was he did love me, they did love me, and I was loved, no matter what I thought.

5. You admit to yourself that being a mom is harder than it looks. Sometimes it does take a while to bond with the screaming, temperamental, bawling little stranger whose birth caused you to suffer the worst pain imaginable (AKA RING OF FIRE The Legend of the Doomsday Birther )

6.  I had the best feeling when I would prepare a meal that would make my children happy and full. It was also nutritious. I did good!

7.  Take the time to take care of yourself. When I finally starting caring about how I looked, I cared about how I felt.

8. Joy is the last thing you feel when you are depressed. The first time you really laugh after you get help will be a memorable occasion.

9.  It is hard to go through day to day activities that deal with other people when you don't even want to get out of bed. There are rules that you must live by in civilized society. When I willingly went to the store the first time, I knew I could see the light at the end of the depression tunnel.

10. I still remember the day I looked in the mirror and smiled at what I saw. It was the day I remembered who I am and who I was.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. If you are feeling symptoms of postpartum depression, address it with your doctor. It doesn't make you weak. It will make you stronger.
Mayo Clinic's list of PPD symptoms
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/postpartum-depression/DS00546/DSECTION=symptoms