Postpartum Evolution
Pacific Post Partum Support Society
by Andrea Paterson
2y ago
Image by Stefano Valtorta. Unsplash. My oldest child just turned 10. This is hard to believe, because his babyhood and toddler years still feel so close. They were years that broke me in unexpected ways–forcing me to confront the dark corners of postpartum depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. The people closest to me say that I was not myself in those first few years following the birth of my child. I say that the seeds of my truest self were planted then. And just as a seed looks nothing like the flower it will become, I was, for a time, unrecognizeable. But I was not entirely lost ..read more
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Postpartum Support for 2SLGBTQIA+ Families
Pacific Post Partum Support Society
by stace
3y ago
No matter how your baby comes to you, if you are 2SLGBTQIA+ and are experiencing mental health challenges during your pregnancy, postpartum, or during your adoption or surrogacy journey, support is available to you and your family.  Telephone or Text Support: Weekdays from 10am-3pm Weekly Two Spirit, Queer, & Trans Postpartum Support Group: Tuesdays 10:30-Noon Lower Mainland 604-255-7999   Toll-Free 1-855-255-7999 Texting Support 604-255-7999 Our blog post today is by Emily Garner I’m a support worker at Pacific Post Partum Support Society, but I’m also a queer mom who stru ..read more
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Investigating Your Self Care Practice
Pacific Post Partum Support Society
by Andrea Paterson
3y ago
Our blog post today is by Celina Vergel de Dios Celina has a Master’s degree in Human Learning, Development, and Instruction from the University of British Columbia where she specialized in the design, implementation, and evaluation of social-emotional learning programs (e.g., mindfulness, empathy, resilience, prosociality), and additionally completed facilitator training in nidra meditation from Semperviva and Karma studios in Vancouver, B.C. Celina is a meditation instructor and in-training for designation as a registered clinical counsellor. Above all, Celina is mom to an energetic, exubera ..read more
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Opening
Pacific Post Partum Support Society
by Andrea Paterson
3y ago
copyright www.andreapaterson.com When my son was born I disappeared. The self that I was prior to his birth vanished the moment he entered the world. It felt like a death and I spent the majority of three years reviving and transforming and becoming a mother. My closest friend will tell you that she thought I had been lost for good. We had become close during our pregnancies, but I was so weighed down with suffering in that first year postpartum that I rarely ventured out of the house. I was deeply dedicated to nap schedules and the simplicity of staying at home because I couldn’t cope with an ..read more
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Celebrating in Isolation
Pacific Post Partum Support Society
by Andrea Paterson
3y ago
Article by Andrea Paterson I remember my son’s first birthday in a rather hazy way. I was not well then–overwhelmed by new motherhood and struggling to stay afloat. The idea of having to plan and throw a birthday party felt huge and exhausting, so I had a small party at home, invited only a few very close family and friends, ordered pizza, produced a cake, and called it a day. I felt guilty. I believed that I should have done something much more elaborate and I felt that I had failed my child on a day that should have been joyous and brimming with excitement. In the midst of the planning and ..read more
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Encounters with Grief
Pacific Post Partum Support Society
by Andrea Paterson
3y ago
Photo Credit: Andrea Paterson 2020 When I had my first baby it was a lesson in grief. What I expected was joy. That’s what I was primed to expect by the prevailing messages around the ever fulfilling and wonderful role of mother, and there were joyful moments but they were brief and fragile and sometimes slipped through my fingers. Our society is brutally silent when it comes to grief and I was not prepared for motherhood to be a crash course in letting go of my old life and my old self and actively learning to grieve the loss of those things. I find myself revisiting that time now as I am sud ..read more
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A Note in Uncertain Times
Pacific Post Partum Support Society
by Andrea Paterson
3y ago
We are in strange times–uncharted waters. First, I want you to know that it’s okay if you’re falling apart. Right now grief is warranted, rage is warranted, fear is warranted, and our greatest love is warranted too. Every giant, conflicted feeling has its place as we all learn to navigate a global crisis. For those who were already struggling with mental health challenges this new obstacle may feel insurmountable, or you may feel that you are strangely prepared for an external crisis having gathered so many tools to deal with an internal one. Either way we are called upon to meet the unexpecte ..read more
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What I Need: Guest Post
Pacific Post Partum Support Society
by Andrea Paterson
3y ago
I didn’t need these until I had babies. Well…that’s not exactly true. I needed these awhile ago. But I wasn’t willing to accept I needed them until I had babies. You see, motherhood was the thing that pushed me over the edge. It was also the thing that saved me. For most of my life I’ve struggled with a little something called anxiety. I’ve also had my fair share of depressive episodes. And you probably wouldn’t know that by looking at me. I’m seemingly put together. I have a dapper husband, darling children, and a fairly beautiful life. But I’ve spent most of my life afraid, ashamed, emotion ..read more
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We’re In This Together: Camille, Kelley, and Sarah
Pacific Post Partum Support Society
by Andrea Paterson
3y ago
Such an important issue. I’m a support counellor/faciliator at the Pacific Post Partum Support Society and am passionate about the work I do, it is part of my life and not just my “job”. I have 3 grown children. Pregnancy and postpartum is the most vulnerable time for a Mom to experience emotional and mental health concerns. For many of us there is the tendency present already and being pregnant, adopting, giving birth can be the trigger. Dads too. I saw this in my husband, he had a difficult adjustment and worried about me. When I began to get better, he experienced his own reaction, his wel ..read more
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A Newborn Stranger: Caroline’s Story
Pacific Post Partum Support Society
by Andrea Paterson
3y ago
Caroline shares her story of learning to build a relationship with her infant son. Not every mom experiences a rush of love and connection at the moment of birth. Caroline illustrates beautifully that sometimes it takes time to build a relationship, and that is completely okay! When I was pregnant, all I wanted was to see his face. If I could just see his face then I knew he would feel real to me, and I was desperate for that. Somehow my drive to look at that little face held more weight for me than everything else I assumed a mother wants from her baby. I thought about it more than holding hi ..read more
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