Editor’s Note: This article is written by Christine M. Chappell as a guest post for our series on finding hope in the midst of depression. In this series, our counselors are helping people understand the reality of depression and how God sustains and helps those who are depressed. View the Series Page here.
When my nine-year-old daughter learned I was working on a mini-book for depressed postpartum mothers, a look of confusion came over her face. She asked, “Why would a mom feel sad after having a baby? Isn’t that something to be happy about?”
My youngest child’s questions took me back to the hard season I endured after her birth—they sounded like the thoughts I was wrestling with at the time. I didn’t want to be bogged down by sorrow and limitation. I thought I should have been joyful, capable, and productive even though family life was hard. I often felt like a failure because I wasn’t enjoying every moment like others exhorted me to.[1]
There are many well-meaning pieces of advice that mothers might hear during their postpartum journey. A common one I heard was, “They grow up so fast. Enjoy every moment!” In those exchanges, I usually replied to the nostalgia with an
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