This has been one of my biggest challenges. My first expectation was the wonderful family life I would have after my son was born and how happy we all would be. Having a baby and then taking care of it isn't a piece of cake, and the insomnia I had in the last two months of my pregnancy did not prepare me for the lack of sleep I would experience as I cared for my baby. Add postpartum depression to the mix and the entire scene goes foul.
Many more expectations followed: my ability to be the projection of this horrible rumor called "super mom", my "natural" ability to breast feed (but that's another story), my belief that I could conquer postpartum on my own by talking myself out of it using my coaching skills, and basically my expectations of just being and doing better than I thought I was.
I am learning to be kinder to myself and to release self-judgement. I am my own worst enemy at times and I have realized that every person's journey is different. I have learned that we all have a similar but unique experience with postpartum depression. This means that I don't compare my recovery with another's and torture myself with it.
For me, it means that I do practice acceptance for my situation and at the same time follow the healing path that works for me.
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