For When the Baby Brings Sadness

Sometimes in the midst of all the joy and anticipation that comes with having a baby, there is also a heaviness, a sadness, or a worry that comes with it too. You hear stories of those women who are hit in the gut with a depression that hits the heart, but you think it will never happen to you. And that the bliss of a new life would just overtake any of the darkness that would try to settle in. Yet, it doesn't. And because it doesn't, you're filled with this shame that somehow you're just not cut out for it, that maybe you're just not a good Mama. And that is a burden that is all too strong to bear, the very one you never were born to carry.

Because see, you are not alone. There are so many women who sit, weep, feel and hunch over in the exact same place you are right now. They carry the same fears and questions about who they are and whether they can do this. You are not the crazy one out of the bunch or the weak one out of the crowd. Rather, you are a human being who gave life to another human being.

And sometimes you might see those tears or emotions as frail, but you carry the cry, the heart and the body of a warrior; your life simply confirms this. The little one who rests in your arms and keeps you awake into the night needs you. They don't need your Mom, best friend or woman who has it all together, they need you. They need your heart, your voice, your affection and your care.

On those days, when you feel like it is just too much, invite someone into your world. Don't let the darkness stay inside, but with every person you open up to, feel that warm light hit your heart as you realize that this is just a season, that you're an amazing mother and that this doesn't prove weakness, it likely proves your strength.

Because no one in the world can do what you do in the way that you can. That is also your story.