We’ve long talked about how tattoos can be an incredible way to document our story, overcome circumstances and even touch other people’s lives. To some, it’s just ink on an arm, but to others, it marks a time that made them stronger or reminds them of what they’ve pushed through to get to where they are today. It’s a reminder that they survived. So, it’s no surprise that postpartum depression tattoos are a thing.
This #WarriorMom shared her postpartum depression tattoos.
Lucy McEwen is a mother of two who suffered a dark period following the birth of her first child. She sought help from a national nonprofit blog called Postpartum Progress, which offers information and support for pregnant women and new mothers who have postpartum depression (PPD) and other mental illnesses related to pregnancy and childbirth.
The organization recently shared Lucy’s heartfelt letter on their Facebook Page, and it’s serving as an inspiration to mothers everywhere.
“When I had my first child, I struggled with postpartum depression. It is so easy to sum up in a quick blurb—”I struggled with postpartum depression”—but in reality, it was more than what can be put into words. I hardly fed myself, showered, got dressed or went out of the house. There were nights I sat up in bed, tears streaming down my cheeks. My daughter would wake to eat throughout the night, as newborns do, and I’d cry throughout the diaper change, the breastfeeding, the swaddling. My husband is half deaf and often would not wake from the sounds of our daughter’s newborn cries, but occasionally, he would roll over to my own cries and ask me what was wrong. My answer was always the same: ‘I don’t know. I’m just tired.’”
