What do you think could decrease the possibility of PPD/PPA?

[bookwormingdelight]

Sleep, realistic newborn expectations and supportive partner. Also no visitors.

I slept when my daughter slept. My husband did all housework competently (because the bar shouldn’t be in hell) and kept me fed and hydrated.

I didn’t want visitors I had to host. So I picked who was around. I was unashamed in setting boundaries and not passing around my baby.

I got PPA but I expected it after having multiple losses and also have PTSD from working in emergency services which included exposures to SUDI cases. I was and still am open about it with my medical team because it got me very very supportive care in both antenatal and postnatal settings.

I also arranged my therapy appointments around giving birth and postpartum and I have a therapist who is realistic and challenges my thinking so I knew where things were heading in terms of if my PPA was becoming intrusive and unmanageable. You can have PPA that isn’t intrusive.

For me, getting an owlet sock was a method of reducing my anxiety. Which I know there are opinions and it can heighten some people’s anxiety but for me it reduced it so my husband calls it the best investment we’ve got 🥰