Is there a legacy in postnatal depression? Absolutely yes. It can blight a woman’s life for many years as it did mine. I’m sure many women will recognize it whether their depression was mild, moderate or a clinical illness. I include in it the guilt, the sadness, the regret, the grief for time lost, the impact on relationships, the loss of confidence and most of all the loss of joy in the experience of being a mother. I started to reflect on this after receiving a tweet from someone who used the word “legacy” in relation to her own postnatal depression experience.

It was a bit of a light bulb moment as I realised how many women, including myself, suffered the double whammy of postnatal depression itself whether it be mild, moderate or a serious clinical illness and its legacy. Many of us live behind a façade of normality maybe just accepting that this is how it is. And let’s not forget also that men experience postnatal depression too or are affected by it in some way.

But you know in all of this there is often a gift. I have been lucky enough to find my gift through the personal development work I have done. During my last session my coach set me some homework: “What is my vision? Where do I want to make a difference in the world?” After some pondering it came to me; the gift that I have is the passion to speak out about this, to raise awareness & to challenge existing attitudes, to offer my services as a life coach to women and men who are or have been affected by postnatal depression and to provide workshops for professionals who work with families.

I would love to hear other women’s views and experiences of the legacy. Please tell me!