Hello there. If you’re reading this, you’ve landed on the Dear Sis page. Here, I listen to your problem and give you advice. We all need someone to talk to, right? Dear Sis is here for you. I will listen and respond, and the cool thing is that you are completely anonymous. Let’s talk.

I received a question from anonymous who wrote:

‘I’ve been feeling depressed and I’m a new mom. I feel like I’m not good enough’.

You could be experiencing what is called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Approximately 9% of women experience postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder following childbirth. Most often, this illness is caused by a real or perceived trauma during delivery or postpartum. And because of this, you don’t feel like you want to do anything, literally.

What was your birth experience like? Often women go through such a traumatic birth experience that they cannot look passed it. I wonder if this was the case with you.

Being a new mom is different from being pregnant. Once the baby is born, your entire life starts to change. You have a little person that you must always think of now. And that little person should be loved, cared for, fed, clothed, and protected…the problem is you don’t feel like you are good enough so how can you be there for another person while you struggle to be there for yourself?

Look around you. What support structure do you have? Look to family and friends. Perhaps you could ask for a family member or friend that you trust to watch the baby while you get some much-needed rest. You will feel better if you feel like your battery is recharged. You will do more without feeling like you are not good enough.

Being a new mom isn’t perfect. No new mom knows what they are doing. You need to give yourself a chance to learn how to mother your child. Study your child. See what they like and what they don’t like. Watch how they grow from their little hands to how they communicate with you. Your child is the motivation you need to be good enough. The fact that you gave birth to a human being is proof that you are good enough.

The cool thing is that this experience is completely yours. You can’t copy and paste someone else’s experience and make it yours. This one has you written all over it. Take it with both hands and ride the wave of motherhood. Make the best out of this experience and remember to love yourself because you are good enough.

All the best and I hope you will be okay.
Sis