Mom Goes Viral for Facebook Photos Showing the Realities of Postpartum Depression
While many people use social media as a way to present the best version of their life, one mom from Ohio flipped that concept on its head last week to honor Postpartum Depression Awareness Month and portray the truth that comes with suffering from the condition.
On May 1, Kathy DiVincenzo posted a photo depicting her and her two kids in two versions of the same scene. In one, she looks exhausted, her hair is in a messy bun, her clothes are askew, and the room she sits in with her kids is littered with toys. In the other photo, she sits completely dressed with her hair done in a bright, neatly organized room smiling, her two kids next to her on a clean floor.
DiVincenzo, with her photographer friend Danielle Fantis who took the posted photos, wanted to honestly depict what it's like to live with postpartum depression. "I feel like it's time to show you what that can really look like, not just the side of me that's 'Facebook worthy',' DiVincenzo said in her caption. "The truth is, both of these pictures represent my life depending on the day. I would only ever comfortably share one of these realities though and that's the problem. The only thing more exhausting than having these conditions is pretending daily that I don't."
DiVincenzo told the Huffington Post that she struggled with postpartum depression after the birth of her first child, her 3-year-old daughter Gia, but that she had a harder time with her almost 4-month-old son Dominic. She recently started seeking help. "It was important for me to post this during my struggle because I wanted other new parents to know that while reaching out was the hardest step for me, it was the most important as well," she told HuffPo.
DiVincenzo and Fantis, who also struggled with PPD, decided to post the photos in the hopes of helping at least one woman. "We need to stop assuming that the postpartum period is always euphoric, because for 1 in 7 it's not. We need to learn the signs, symptoms, risk factors, and support plans for postpartum conditions," her caption reads.
The post was also a call to action, with DiVincenzo asking her followers to share their own truths and stories. "We need to break the stigma and #EndTheSilence by sharing our stories and letting others know they're not alone," she wrote in the post.
In just over a week, the post received more than 44,000 likes and 68,000 shares - making it clear that many women out there can relate. DiVincenzo spoke to those women as well. "In case no one has told you, you're doing an amazing job. You are loved and you are worthy. You're not alone," she wrote. "I know how unbelievably hard it is to reach out, but I promise you it is worth it. YOU'RE worth it."
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