PPD Survivors Reveal What They Knew About It Before It Hit – Their Answers Will SHOCK You

Before It Hit: What Postaprtum Depression (PPD) Survivors Really Knew (and Didn’t Know

Before I became a mum, I thought I understood postnatal depression.

I’d heard the term, maybe seen it mentioned in passing.

But the truth? I knew next to nothing.

I never imagined it could happen to me.

Not because I thought I was immune, but because I assumed it was rare.

Something that happened to other mums.

At my first midwife appointment, PPD was mentioned so quickly it felt like a box being ticked.

A few leaflets. A couple of helpline numbers.

No real conversation. No warning about how common, devastating, and even deadly it can be.

And I wasn’t alone.

For Mental Health Awareness Week, I asked other PPD survivors what they actually knew about postnatal depression before their baby arrived.

The gaps in awareness were shocking, and their answers might just change the way we talk about maternal mental health forever.

Postnatal Depression Survivors Share What They Wish They’d Known About It Before It Hit

1. ‘I had very little knowledge of it so it hit me so hard! I was a super positive and out-going person so I never thought I would have PPD. I didn’t know I had PPD until almost 6 months postpartum.’ – Ellen
2. ‘I heard about it and knew the symptoms, however, I STILL don’t fully understand how it directly affects the brain and is it anxiety that causes the intrusive thoughts, or is it that separate. Therapists have all given me different explanations.’ – Shannon
3. ‘I’d heard of PPD before — from Brooke Shields, and later from Hayden Panettiere. But I thought it only happened right after birth. No one ever told me it could strike anytime in the first year.

   After my daughter was born, I felt great for the first three or four months. I thought I was in the clear. Then, around month five, the depression hit. I tried my usual coping strategies, but it spiralled fast — so fast that I ended up in the hospital because I was a danger to myself and my daughter.

   Another myth I wish I’d known? You can breastfeed while taking antidepressants.’- Katie

4. ‘I had no idea what PPD was. My daughter was born prematurely, and I blamed my sadness and guilt on that. She had colic, screamed for hours, and I had a 19-month-old to care for too. I’d set her down, go to another room, cry my eyes out, and try to pull myself together so I wouldn’t hurt her.

   I wanted to run away. I thought about ending my life. Until you’ve been there, you can’t understand how a mum who knows nothing about this condition could completely break.

   In the NICU, they showed a video on shaken baby syndrome, so I knew to put her down and walk away. But a video or talk about PPD? That could have saved me. I waited far too long to get help.’ – Julie

5. ‘I actually knew quite a bit about it because I’m a Registered Nurse who works in mental health. However…I think partially because of my job, I never thought it would happen to me. I was also under the impression that it really only happens with your first baby or if you’ve had it before. My first baby I was the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. The second, a different story.’ – Amanda
6. ‘I literally knew what TV told me. My impression was that it was moms with hormonal imbalances that pretty much would do anything not to be a mom. The first place I ever heard about this was Scrubs. I was so misinformed and all I knew was I didn’t feel right seconds into holding my child.’ – Heather
7. ‘I was pretty familiar with it before I gave birth. My mum dealt with it after giving birth to me and she told me what it was like, what signs to look for and let me know that if it happened to me that I need to tell someone and I’m not alone, etc. My healthcare providers were also super informative about it while I was pregnant and after I gave birth.’ – Andrea
8. ‘I knew nothing about PPD. Nothing. My doctor didn’t even mention it until my 36-week scan. And I’m not alone, so many women only hear about PPD after they’ve been hit by it. That’s dangerous. It’s one of the leading causes of maternal suicide, yet it’s barely talked about.

   When you’re pregnant, society sells you a dream, that parenthood will be magical, your relationship stronger, and these will be the “best days of your life.” But if you end up with severe PPD, you think something’s wrong with you.

   Mums hide intrusive thoughts, rage, hopelessness, and constant tears because they fear judgment, losing their kids, or being seen as “bad mothers.” If we actually talked about PPD, prepared women for the symptoms, and made help easy to get, more mums would speak out. They’d feel less alone. Partners would understand more.

   It infuriates me that society paints such a delusional picture of parenthood when, for so many, the reality is the complete opposite.’ – Brittany

9. ‘Before I had my kids, I thought PPD was just crying all the time.’ – Linda
10. ‘I knew it existed… I’m not sure what I thought it was this many years later (7) but I know I didn’t expect it to affect me the way it did. I wanted a baby, I wanted motherhood, I was ready to love my child the day I felt I was pregnant…After the birth and PPD hit I had no idea what I wanted anymore. But at times I know I didn’t want my baby when it got really hard. I love him now even If he sent me grey alongside his 2 younger siblings.’ – Shaona
11. ‘I knew nothing at all about PPD.’ – Samantha
12. ‘Before pregnancy, I only knew PPD existed, nothing more. No doctor ever explained it could happen to me, or that I wasn’t alone.

    After my first, I struggled deeply, unable to let anyone hold my daughter, crying alone while my husband tried to help, feeling judged and isolated. Talking to my doctor finally helped me understand: this wasn’t my fault. It was PPD.

    Now, three weeks postpartum with my second, I’ve faced anger, anxiety, and tears, but after restarting my medication, I laughed freely for the first time in months. I feel like myself again. I am a postpartum warrior, and I will win!’ – Chanda

PPD Survivors Reveal What They Knew About It Before It Hit

Reading these raw, unfiltered stories from PPD survivors broke my heart, and lit a fire in me.

The truth is, far too many new mums step into motherhood with no real idea of the emotional storm that postnatal depression can unleash. And even when we’ve heard of it, nothing prepares us for how deeply it can grip us: mind, body, and soul.

This has to change. And it will.

We need more than leaflets and rushed mentions in appointments.

We need open, honest conversations.

We need to prepare mums before they’re in crisis.

And we need partners, friends, families, and health professionals to truly listen, believe, and act.

Because the more we speak, the more we shatter the silence. And the more we shatter the silence, the more lives we save.

With all my love and faith,
Ivana xx

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