I have a confession to make. I haven't checked my personal email account in nearly a month. I haven't been on Facebook in nearly 2 months. I refuse to Twitter, and you're lucky I'm even writing this. I am proud to note, however, I have checked my personal voicemail twice in the last week. TWICE. That has to be a record!
I know, shameful. But, seriously, am I the only one that gets completely, utterly, overwhelmingly overwhelmed by all this freaking technology?!?! Or just by life in general? There are some days, it's a comfort, a refuge, a place to turn to when I'm bored or curious or excited to share, and there are days it is absolutely a cement block around my feet, dragging me to the ocean floor.
The problem is with all this technology, being updated ALL. THE. TIME. is that it's like a high-speed train. It leaves the station with a quick jolt, a lurch, and then steadily picks up speed until you're flying off to who knows where so fast you can only make out a greenish blur of vegatation out the window. Once you start, there is no easy stopping point. There isn't a pause button, an emergency pull handle by your increasingly uncomfortable, slightly cramped seat on this bullet train. There's no way to call a time out without being dumped out of the cargo car uncerimoniously to be quickly forgotten by the rest of the passengers, who are all nose-down in their blackberries and ipones anyway, and barely missed you as you excused yourself to slide by them to the bar car.
I've probably carried this metaphor on for too long, but my point is, I get tired. I get overwhelmed, and I just want all that crap to go away from time to time. Why can't we get back to the days of the pony express? I could handle things much better if they came at me 1-2 letters at a time, instead of the 50-100 I get in my inbox everyday. That doesn't include the messages on my phoneSSSS, on my personal inbox, in my mailbox, and on my facebook page.
Those of you who know me, know I love to talk and communicate as much as the next person, but in the words of an old friend of mine, "class, can we all just put our heads down for a bit?"
Showing posts with label PPOCD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PPOCD. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Ms. Morissette, I've got your irony right here
Last night Hayden slept 5 hours straight. Her lack of sleeping - consecutively- any amount of time whatsoever is a whole other story entirely that I will share with you one day soon, but if you've been wondering who that twitching, mumbling, scratching-at-sores-that-aren't-there woman is huddled in the corner, that's me. I have recently fallen completely off the edge of the crazy abyss from lack of sleep.
Anyway, back to last night. She slept. FIVE. WHOLE. HOURS. Without waking up, screaming, crying, throwing binkys and teddies from her crib. The child sawed some serious zzzz's. Me, I should have woken up refreshed and slightly befuddled to be getting my first wake up call at 3am. I should have danced to her room to sweep her chubby little body from her crib and smother her with kisses for the blessing of FIVE. WHOLE. HOURS. of sleep.
Instead, enter irony with a capital I. Her daddy had to go fetch her, because me? I had just begun to doze off. I, brainiac that I am, let my prescription run out yesterday, and since you know I was already at the imaginary-sore-scratching stage, there was no sleep for me. None. I woke up more last night with her sleeping than I have the entire last weekend of her waking every hour. I was up every ten minutes, and my mind was teasing me. Letting me think I was dropping...off...into...blissfu... WAKE UP!!! WAKE UP!!! YOU HAVE TO CHECK THE LOCKS! DID YOU GET HAYDEN'S TEDDY AWAY FROM HER FACE? MAYBE SHE'S NOT ASLEEP, MAYBE SHE'S SMOTHERED BY THE DAMN BEAR THE BOOK (OH GOD, the BOOK!) SAID YOU SHOULD USE TO SETTLE HER TO SLEEP INSTEAD OF YOU. ARE ALL THE LIGHTS OFF? ARE YOU SURE YOU SHUT THE REFRIGERATOR DOOR? YES, I KNOW THERE'S AN ALARM THAT WILL SOUND IF YOU DIDN'T, BUT WHAT IF THE ALARM IS BROKEN AND IT DOESN'T GO OFF AND YOU LEFT THE DOOR OPEN AND EVERYTHING ROTS??? WHAT THEN, HUH? EVERYTHING WILL ROT. NOTHING WILL BE GOOD AGAIN. EVER.
This is the point in time I start cursing myself for forgetting to get my prescription refilled. What prescription, you ask? The one that shuts her up. No, not Hayden "her". The one doing all the yelling in my head, "her". The one that decides 11:53 pm is a good time to ask me HEY, DID YOU REMEMBER TO TELL LAUREN THE COLOR OF THE SALES CABINET FOR THE NACS SHOW? DID YOU REMEMBER TO ORDER THE SALES CABINET AT ALL? WHAT ABOUT PEG HOOKS? YOU HAVEN'T EVEN MENTIONED PEG HOOKS TO HER. ARE YOU USING THE OLD KIND OR NEW KIND? WHAT LENGTH? HOW MANY? OH! AND WHAT ABOUT...
Seriously. If anyone knows a different way to shut her up, be my guest. These days, thanks to all the wonky hormones and the amazing experience of becoming a mom (honestly, I mean that. It's freaking amazing and totally worth the side of crazy that I did not order), the only way I can tackle her chatty ass to the ground and duct tape her gigantic mouth shut so I can just go to sleep already, for goodness' sake!! is to use my new little pills that knock her unconscious for a few hours, which coincidentally let's me sleep too. Or work, or function like a normal human being. Cuts down on the sore-scratching a bit, anyway, although I swear I'm taking that back up if Hayden doesn't go off her sleep-strike soon.
Anyway, back to last night. She slept. FIVE. WHOLE. HOURS. Without waking up, screaming, crying, throwing binkys and teddies from her crib. The child sawed some serious zzzz's. Me, I should have woken up refreshed and slightly befuddled to be getting my first wake up call at 3am. I should have danced to her room to sweep her chubby little body from her crib and smother her with kisses for the blessing of FIVE. WHOLE. HOURS. of sleep.
Instead, enter irony with a capital I. Her daddy had to go fetch her, because me? I had just begun to doze off. I, brainiac that I am, let my prescription run out yesterday, and since you know I was already at the imaginary-sore-scratching stage, there was no sleep for me. None. I woke up more last night with her sleeping than I have the entire last weekend of her waking every hour. I was up every ten minutes, and my mind was teasing me. Letting me think I was dropping...off...into...blissfu... WAKE UP!!! WAKE UP!!! YOU HAVE TO CHECK THE LOCKS! DID YOU GET HAYDEN'S TEDDY AWAY FROM HER FACE? MAYBE SHE'S NOT ASLEEP, MAYBE SHE'S SMOTHERED BY THE DAMN BEAR THE BOOK (OH GOD, the BOOK!) SAID YOU SHOULD USE TO SETTLE HER TO SLEEP INSTEAD OF YOU. ARE ALL THE LIGHTS OFF? ARE YOU SURE YOU SHUT THE REFRIGERATOR DOOR? YES, I KNOW THERE'S AN ALARM THAT WILL SOUND IF YOU DIDN'T, BUT WHAT IF THE ALARM IS BROKEN AND IT DOESN'T GO OFF AND YOU LEFT THE DOOR OPEN AND EVERYTHING ROTS??? WHAT THEN, HUH? EVERYTHING WILL ROT. NOTHING WILL BE GOOD AGAIN. EVER.
This is the point in time I start cursing myself for forgetting to get my prescription refilled. What prescription, you ask? The one that shuts her up. No, not Hayden "her". The one doing all the yelling in my head, "her". The one that decides 11:53 pm is a good time to ask me HEY, DID YOU REMEMBER TO TELL LAUREN THE COLOR OF THE SALES CABINET FOR THE NACS SHOW? DID YOU REMEMBER TO ORDER THE SALES CABINET AT ALL? WHAT ABOUT PEG HOOKS? YOU HAVEN'T EVEN MENTIONED PEG HOOKS TO HER. ARE YOU USING THE OLD KIND OR NEW KIND? WHAT LENGTH? HOW MANY? OH! AND WHAT ABOUT...
Seriously. If anyone knows a different way to shut her up, be my guest. These days, thanks to all the wonky hormones and the amazing experience of becoming a mom (honestly, I mean that. It's freaking amazing and totally worth the side of crazy that I did not order), the only way I can tackle her chatty ass to the ground and duct tape her gigantic mouth shut so I can just go to sleep already, for goodness' sake!! is to use my new little pills that knock her unconscious for a few hours, which coincidentally let's me sleep too. Or work, or function like a normal human being. Cuts down on the sore-scratching a bit, anyway, although I swear I'm taking that back up if Hayden doesn't go off her sleep-strike soon.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
MOTHER's Act
This post is for all mothers out there. Those who have suffered with post-partum mood and anxiety disorders, and those blessed enough to have passed through that period unscathed.
I am a new mother, but I have learned volumes in my few short months as a mom about the terror and devastation these issues can wreak on a mother, father, child and family.
It is estimated that 15-20% of new moms - about 1 million in the US each year - suffer from post-partum depression. This is not the baby blues. It is a debilitating mood disorder that a mother cannot just "snap out of" or "suck it up and get over". It is one that requires support and treatment, sometimes medical, essential in helping the mother, baby and family recover.
Many people are unaware that there is a spectrum of mood and anxiety disorders beyond post-partum depression that mothers can also suffer from. Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders include antepartum depression, postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, postpartum OCD, postpartum psychosis and postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder. These women are not defective, or weak, or bad people. While the exact cause of these illnesses is not yet known, research shows there are a wide variety of risk factors, from family medical history, to how one's body processes certain hormones, to the level of stress experienced now or in the past, to how much support a mother has to help care for her baby. What we do know is that this is not their fault.
One size does not fit all – there are all kinds of symptoms a mother may (or may not) experience in the period during pregnancy and after birth. These include:
· Sadness
· Mood swings
· Difficulty concentrating
· Irritation or anger (with yourself and/or those around you)
· Lack of interest in things you used to enjoy
· Sleep and appetite changes
· Panic attacks
· Excessive worry about your baby
· Disturbing thoughts about harming yourself or your baby
· Mania
· Racing thoughts
· Panic attacks
· Headaches and stomach problems
· Guilt
· Feeling like you should never have become a mother or that you won’t be able to do it
· Delusions or hallucinations
(For more information on each illness and its symptoms, visit the Postpartum Support International website at http://www.postpartum.net/brief.html )
If you believe you have symptoms of a perinatal disorder, I encourage you to seek help. If your wife, daughter, friend or family member shows signs, please support them, help out however you can, and ENCOURAGE them to seek help. There is no good reason to delay reaching out for help. Many studies show that both the physical and emotional health of women who go untreated, and their children, are negatively impacted over the long term. You deserve to be healthy, and your child needs a healthy mom.
Lastly, there is a key piece of legislation under review right now called the MOTHER's Act, sponsored in part by the mother of Melanie Blocker Stokes, a new mom who lost her life to post-partum depression. This new legislation encourages more research, funding and support for perinatal disorders, and in particular supports screening of new moms to help catch these disorders earlier and more effectively.
Many moms don't realize that what they're feeling is not normal. They think that everyone struggles through the pregnancy and new-mom phase, which is true, but they don't realize the extent to which they are suffering is NOT normal. It is difficult for new moms to know where to turn today - their OBs are often unaware or ill-equipped to recognize or diagnose perinatal disorders, their family doctors are frequently in the same boat, and the stigma that surrounds these diseases prevents them from reaching out for help.
Please, for the moms in your life, I ask you click here to read about the Mother's Act, and if you see fit, to sign your support for it and help this important piece of legislature pass.
I am a new mother, but I have learned volumes in my few short months as a mom about the terror and devastation these issues can wreak on a mother, father, child and family.
It is estimated that 15-20% of new moms - about 1 million in the US each year - suffer from post-partum depression. This is not the baby blues. It is a debilitating mood disorder that a mother cannot just "snap out of" or "suck it up and get over". It is one that requires support and treatment, sometimes medical, essential in helping the mother, baby and family recover.
Many people are unaware that there is a spectrum of mood and anxiety disorders beyond post-partum depression that mothers can also suffer from. Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders include antepartum depression, postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, postpartum OCD, postpartum psychosis and postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder. These women are not defective, or weak, or bad people. While the exact cause of these illnesses is not yet known, research shows there are a wide variety of risk factors, from family medical history, to how one's body processes certain hormones, to the level of stress experienced now or in the past, to how much support a mother has to help care for her baby. What we do know is that this is not their fault.
One size does not fit all – there are all kinds of symptoms a mother may (or may not) experience in the period during pregnancy and after birth. These include:
· Sadness
· Mood swings
· Difficulty concentrating
· Irritation or anger (with yourself and/or those around you)
· Lack of interest in things you used to enjoy
· Sleep and appetite changes
· Panic attacks
· Excessive worry about your baby
· Disturbing thoughts about harming yourself or your baby
· Mania
· Racing thoughts
· Panic attacks
· Headaches and stomach problems
· Guilt
· Feeling like you should never have become a mother or that you won’t be able to do it
· Delusions or hallucinations
(For more information on each illness and its symptoms, visit the Postpartum Support International website at http://www.postpartum.net/brief.html )
If you believe you have symptoms of a perinatal disorder, I encourage you to seek help. If your wife, daughter, friend or family member shows signs, please support them, help out however you can, and ENCOURAGE them to seek help. There is no good reason to delay reaching out for help. Many studies show that both the physical and emotional health of women who go untreated, and their children, are negatively impacted over the long term. You deserve to be healthy, and your child needs a healthy mom.
Lastly, there is a key piece of legislation under review right now called the MOTHER's Act, sponsored in part by the mother of Melanie Blocker Stokes, a new mom who lost her life to post-partum depression. This new legislation encourages more research, funding and support for perinatal disorders, and in particular supports screening of new moms to help catch these disorders earlier and more effectively.
Many moms don't realize that what they're feeling is not normal. They think that everyone struggles through the pregnancy and new-mom phase, which is true, but they don't realize the extent to which they are suffering is NOT normal. It is difficult for new moms to know where to turn today - their OBs are often unaware or ill-equipped to recognize or diagnose perinatal disorders, their family doctors are frequently in the same boat, and the stigma that surrounds these diseases prevents them from reaching out for help.
Please, for the moms in your life, I ask you click here to read about the Mother's Act, and if you see fit, to sign your support for it and help this important piece of legislature pass.
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