I’m a therapist, always have been, always will be.
I just watched the movie Tully, and although I relate to the apathy, withdrawal, and monotony of having a baby, it was more than that.
I hated my daughter, the incessant crying, the lack of attachment and bonding, and the overriding guilt and anxiety that I was failing. I had hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) throughout my pregnancy and begged family members to push me down a flight of stairs: no one recognized the severe depression I was experiencing.
I now counsel women with HG and postpartum depression and anxiety. I have 2 adult children whom I love dearly, but knowing what I know, I would not do it again. We are failing women; we are not preparing them or supporting them. Shame on us as a society.
-Terri