I’m not a very religious person, but I believe in God, and I believe in God putting people in my life at times I need them most.
Katherine Stone came into my life in the summer of 2011, and I’m forever grateful. We briefly got to meet each other at Blogher ’11, and I was happy to help her spread the word for her non-profit Postpartum Progress’ fundraising and awareness campaign- Strong Start Day- this time last year.
I never spent much time on her website PostpartumProgress.com prior to that because, well, I didn’t have postpartum depression. So why would I need to?
And yet, as I perused through the information and helpful blog posts before sharing on Strong Start Day last year, and read about the signs of postpartum anxiety, I saw it staring back at me.
My life. My struggles. My battle with irritability, anxiety, and horrific intrusive thoughts in the year after having my 2nd baby, finally in black and white with a name.
In the month that followed, I broke down and got help for my postpartum anxiety, and I’ve been working to get better ever since.
So today is the second year and second Strong Start Day that I’m telling you all about Postpartum Progress and all the AMAZING work Katherine does with it.
She gave me the resources to recognize I was dealing with something concrete, something real, something I could beat.
In turn, that gave me the power to share my struggles and journey with all of you. In the last year, I can’t count the number of emails, comments, and messages I’ve received from others who suddenly understood exactly what it was that was making their lives miserable. They finally saw postpartum anxiety in themselves, instead of just feeling like a failing mother.
And they got help, too.
All because of Postpartum Progress, Katherine and her mission to spread this message – that all families have the right to a strong start.
Katherine is raising money for Postpartum Progress so she can continue to inform mothers, and those who support mothers, of the signs and symptoms of postpartum mental disorders, and give them hope and help to overcome it.
Please consider donating to Postpartum Progress, big or small. She has made a world of difference in my life, and I know there are countless other mothers still out there who can be helped by her and the Postpartum Progress mission.