Postpartum depression confession

Yesterday I was empowered by Sublimely Fit to talk about my struggle with post-partum depression on my Instagram. I met Beth last year at Fitbloggin while we were both pregnant so I feel we’ll always have a bit of a bond. I was beyond impressed that she spoke so openly about her post-partum depression because I haven’t been able to.

Believe it or not, I’m a private person. I know that sounds weird because I put my “life” on social media for all of you to enjoy. I’m not good with opening up about struggles. I am the one who tries to remain positive and just work through situations without really addressing the struggle. But my friends, this has been a struggle.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. I am truly blessed to have a great mom and be a mom to #BabyG. I never thought I would be able to be a #mom but I've been blessed. I will cherish every moment of it. #mother #momlife #motherhood #mothersday #i

So yes I’ve been struggling. Sometimes my anxiety has been out of control. Some days it’s been hard for me to do anything but take care of my child. My creativity and the WANT to do anything has been zapped. There have been days when I felt unimportant. There were days when I felt like I didn’t matter. The one thing I felt gave me purpose was my sweet Baby G.

The slightest bit of conflict or stress would send me into a panic and into a bad place. I wasn’t dealing with things without breaking out into tears.

All this and my hormones are all out of whack, too.

When I couldn’t work out, I always thought it would be better when I could work out. When I started working out, I thought things would be better when I started to run. I was always looking for the solution. Things did get better when I was able to workout but it didn’t magically go away.

Running with baby

I got to the point where I needed to seek help and that was probably the best decision I ever made. Talking about stuff has really made a huge difference. Keeping stuff bottled up is my worst enemy because I’m spending the time overthinking and overanalyzing.

Things are getting better. I’m having more better days than bad days and hopefully, I’m starting to kick this to the curb. My biggest hurdle right now is just finding the motivation to get out and run. The running thing is hard for me because I’m much slower than what I use to be. It’s hard for me to deal with. It’s hard not to compare myself to other new moms out there giving it a go. It’s hard to not compare myself to the way I use to be.

I even struggled with quitting teaching my cycle classes.  I remember the weeks before my first day back. I cried because I didn’t think I was capableI’m not in the place to decide right now if this is something I should do so I’m holding tight on the subject.  I do know it’s a good that I have a set time that I am forced to get up and workout.  This has been a saving grace.  It forces me to be social.  It forces me to get active.  And I always feel better when I’m done.

My life is different. My body is different and this is taking some time to get adjusted. I’m still working out and working toward my goals. But I guess that’s the big thing, I haven’t set any goals. I’m not working toward something and it’s left me wandering aimlessly. This all due to me not having the motivation to work toward something.

This is not being able to see past the point where I am right now. I know that staying active, eating healthy and getting reasonable amounts of sleep has done wonders.

This is the thing they don’t really focus on during pregnancy.  It’s almost like a dirty subject.  They mention it but they don’t really talk about it.  It’s okay to feel this way and there’s nothing wrong with seeking out help to deal with it.

I am sharing this with you because I feel like I’m almost at the top of the mountain. I am sharing this with you to show that things aren’t always easy and that I struggle through times too. I can make it look easy because I can post what I want to share with you on the internet. I can choose to only share happy times with you, but that’s not being true to who I am. I share this with you to show you that even in difficult times, you can still make it through.

 

Five Things Friday: finally blogging edition

Five Things Friday: finally blogging edition

I feel like I’m sneaking to blog.  It’s in the wee hours of the morning but I need to get this in.  Last week I made the mistake of blogging about nonsense and then the baby woke up so I didn’t get to finish the post.  It’s sad, but I’m already wasting time.  Let’s get with it: Running.  I’m starting to get back into it.  I’ve gone back to it and things are so much better. Granted, I’m a wee bit slower (like almost 4 minutes a mile slower) than what I use to be, but I’ll get back there.…

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Determined to lose this pregnancy weight

Determined to lose this pregnancy weight

I’m on a mission to lose my pregnancy weight.  I wish it would just roll off but it’s not. I have to admit I am really uncomfortable in my skin right now.  It’s bothering me so much but things will get better.  The first thing I did to make myself feel “normal” again was to get out of the maternity clothes.  The pregnant look was cute for me when I was pregnant; not so much anymore. How much weight am I trying to lose?  I’m trying to lose the 15 pounds left over from the baby and then I’ll work…

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The time I grew a human

The time I grew a human

Things happened very quickly and I really thought I was going to have another week to work on my blog. Last week things went very different than I imagined, but the best part was meeting my baby girl. That’s right, I grew a human and I finally got to meet her last week. She’s perfect! We are doing well and so thankful for everything. I’m on a workout break which is going to be something hard for me to deal with. This will be the longest period of time that I haven’t worked out since I started my weight loss…

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Friday Five: Turkey burgers, headbands, working out & more

Friday Five: Turkey burgers, headbands, working out & more

Happy Friday!  I hope all is well in the world with you.  I felt like I had a really productive morning but then the afternoon seems a little less eventful.  I guess you could say I spent it on the couch sleeping. I thought I should sit down and blog since I’m feeling up to it and I’m well rested. So there’s a blog and some hot chocolate…and here I am. I think it’s a good way to spend a Friday. 1. Today I’m officially 38 weeks which means our baby girl should be making her grand debut soon.  FYI:…

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Motivation to get back on track

Motivation to get back on track

It’s the holidays and people seem to get off track during this time.  For me, I’m dealing with a big event coming my way.  My focus has just been getting something in my tummy and I’ve been GREAT for the most part.  But with our little girl on the way, I’m trying to get back on track so I can stay healthy and get lose this baby weight. I’ve learned that in the past making a plan is the most effective way to accomplish a goal. It’s easier to stay focused and on track that way. I know it worked…

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Not filled with useful information

Not filled with useful information

I feel like I’m slacking because I haven’t been on my blogging A game since I got pregnant. I don’t like to talk about my pregnancy too much because I’m kind of a private person. Sometimes, it’s hard for strangers to know so much information about me, especially when I’m approached IRL with conversations. It’s still something I’m getting my head around and it’s been a while since I started blogging. And of course, all of my posts would be about the baby which is what people want to hear. My workout routine: I started off going to the gym…

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Enjoy your Thanksgiving

Enjoy your Thanksgiving

It’s Thanksgiving week so that means family gatherings, football and lots of food.  Enjoy your day and don’t sweat the small the stuff.  This should be a day to celebrate and should be stress-free. My day started off with the Turkey Trot.  We all walked the 5K. I’ve written about Thanksgiving in the past and posted healthy side dishes.  If there are healthy options at your table then eat them and enjoy them.  If you feel like you need to provide those side dishes, then eat up and enjoy them. I just want everyone to enjoy the time.  I feel…

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Do I still meal prep?

Do I still meal prep?

I’ve read the e-mails and I know people want more food stuff on the blog because it’s seriously lacking.  I have to be real, we do a modified food prep thing in our house right now.  Eating in our house has been a little lackluster and some weeks I just noticed I was wasting money on food.  The short answer to the questions is: yes.  Now he’s the long explanation: We still make our weekly trips to grocery store and I do start out with good intentions. It’s day to day with me so there are just some days I…

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Friday Five: Running, baby and everything else

Friday Five: Running, baby and everything else

Hey everyone! It’s been a long week and I’ve spent most of it working, eating or sleeping. I’ve become the most uninteresting person in the world. I had big plans for the blog this week and I missed my Thursday blogging. I’m trying to get at least 3 days a week on the blog so I’ll be making up for that right now. The sleeping has been so bad this week that I put an air mattress to sleep on at work during my break. I haven’t done a Friday Five in a long time and I should probably get…

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Baby vs. the blog and the baby shower

Baby vs. the blog and the baby shower

I’m horrible with change.  It’s really something I hate to admit.  I require structure and boundaries.  I’m finding it difficult to blog for many reasons.  Obviously, I’m going through some serious life changes and I’m really trying to get my stuff together. I am really trying to crowd my blog with baby related things, but the truth is: that is the only thing on my mind. The point is if I’m going to keep blogging on the regular some things are going to have to change and it’s time for me to admit the truth.  Things are different and I’m…

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