Becoming a new parent can be exciting and wonderful. It can also be scary and overwhelming. The emotional rollercoaster that begins, for some during pregnancy, and others after the baby is born, can be confusing. So how do you know if what you are experiencing is something that you can weather on your own or if you need extra support? To answer this question, you have to know the difference between the baby blues and postpartum depression (PPD).

I wanted to share a story about one woman’s experience of how undiagnosed ADHD impacts new motherhood and contributed to her struggle with a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder.  

I truly appreciate her raw honesty and giving me permission to share. My hope is to raise awareness and understanding of how living with undiagnosed ADHD can impact the experience of becoming a new mother including putting her at risk for a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder.

I will not provide her name in order to protect her confidentiality.

Here is her story in her words:

“For as long as I can remember, I have had a somewhat abstract awareness of my surroundings.  On top of that, when I do ‘wake up’ and engage with the world around me, it can be a shock to my senses.  I am a classic introvert on top of that.  So, people have not always known how to respond to me. At best, it might be said that I appear quiet and dreamy.  At worst, unresponsive, distracted, unmotivated, careless, or rude.

Today is my firstborn’s 16^th birthday.  I am reflecting on my story of motherhood. It is amazing how time flies, yet his first year of life felt like it dragged on forever.  I remember people telling me to stay in the moment because time will pass by so fast.  That felt so invalidating and only made me feel worse about wanting it to move more quickly.  And I was miserable, and desperately wanted to be happy.   I felt absolutely terrified, completely ill-equipped, and disconnected.  (more…)