'After losing three months of income, taking out a loan on our house, paying enormous medical bills and paying for unexpected child care expenses, the financial stress compounded the 'mom-guilt.''
of any developed country. Forcing people into parenthood only serves to worsen the physical and financial wellbeing of all Americans.
After losing three months of income, taking out a loan on our house, paying these enormous medical bills and paying for unexpected child care expenses, the financial stress compounded the “mom-guilt.” Women often feel pressure to have a thriving career and be a present wife and mother. But, when you pour everything you have into work and family, there’s rarely anything left to keep you going.The final straw was feeling like I “failed” at breastfeeding.
As I began to succumb to these horrible feelings, I found myself alone in the kitchen with a knife in my hand. I thought it would be easier to die. I was sure my husband could do everything better than me ― better without me. In therapy, I found strength to share my experience with others and realized I wasn’t alone. My friends and colleagues opened up about their own postpartum struggles and shared resources.But even with a strong support network, and two incomes supporting our household, I had to fight to access basic mental health services.I think that I “did everything right” in planning for a family, and yet, I almost lost my life.