If you have ever listened to Adele's music, then you know how deeply it speaks to your soul. There's a reason for that: Adele knows sorrow.
In the middle of her booming career, Adele gave birth to her son, Angelo, at age 24. She didn't anticipate the deep guilt she would experience after.
"I had really bad postpartum depression after I had my son, and it frightened me," the now 28-year-old singer told Vanity Fair in an interview.
"I was obsessed with my child. I felt very inadequate; I felt like I'd made the worst decision of my life," she said.
Although her boyfriend wanted her to talk to other pregnant women about her depression, she was hesitant. It wasn't until she finally opened up to a friend about how she was feeling that the darkness started to lift.
When she told her friend that she hated this parenting thing, "she just burst into tears and said, 'I ... hate this, too.'"
After opening up, Adele decided to take one afternoon for herself each week to help her recover.
Adele's symptoms of postpartum depression are only some of the many symptoms many women deal with after giving birth. You don't have to have every symptom to be diagnosed with the disorder.
If you frequently experience any of the following symptoms, you could likely have postpartum depression.
Having thoughts like:
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"I'm never going to get the hang of being a mom."
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"My baby deserves a better mother than me."
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"My baby would be better off without me."
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"Why haven't I bonded with my baby? What's wrong with me?"
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"Why can't I snap out of this?"
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"Have I gone crazy?"
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"The old me is gone forever."
Or symptoms such as:
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Nothing
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Confusion and fear
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Irritation at everything
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Rage
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Resentment toward your baby
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Resentment toward your friends who don't have babies
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Hopelessness
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Lack of appetite
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The only thing that makes you feel better is eating
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You can't sleep no matter how tired you are
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Or you can't stay awake for even the most basic things
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Unfocused and foggy mind
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Disconnected from everyone
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Desire to run away or end the misery
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Worrying you'll be judged if you ask for help
To the lonely moms: you are not alone. There is no shame in having these feelings. It does not mean you are weak or you are a bad mother. Learn how and where to get help from this treatment and specialist's list.
