Postpartum Pain Awareness
Mental pain shows up in the body too. What every Black mother should know about postpartum well-being.
Physical pain can be debilitating. Mental pain, unaddressed, can be just as consuming, and often shows up in the body.
Black women often struggle to make time to care for themselves alongside their families. Seeking help during pregnancy and postpartum can feel even harder, sometimes because of the fear that they may be viewed as inadequate caretakers or that their child could be taken from them. Shame and confusion are common too, and the physical symptoms of depression and anxiety, sleep issues, headaches, low appetite, muscle aches, joint pain, are often mistaken for something else.
Some tips: journal your feelings and mood daily. Try stress-reduction techniques like yoga, brisk walking, or meditation. Ask your physician about cost-effective online mental health programs and pharmacologic assistance programs.
You deserve support, and treatment works. You do not need to suffer in silence, and you do not need to sacrifice your well-being to be a wonderful parent.
Dr. Maggie Cadet, MD