-
Netflix Gives a Glimpse into Life with Mental Illness
If you have checked out any of my blog posts, or you know, even my look at the websites title and URL, you know I like to revolve my posts around three topics: mental health, motherhood, and being a registered nurse (especially L&D). Many times, inspiration comes from current events. Whether that be elementary school shootings, supreme court rulings that control a woman’s body, or maybe a recent mental breakdown of my own. Chill everyday shit right? Instead, Netflix inspired todays post. It’s not a far reach actually. If you know me at all, you know I LOVE reality TV (especially Bravo) and Netflix. Sorry, I spend my free time…
-
Coping Mechanisms
For the Birthday Blues and Other Triggering Days Yesterday was my birthday. Are you one of those people that celebrates your birthday all month? You have multiple lunches and dinners with your friends, maybe you justify purchases for yourself because “its still my birthday”. I am nothing like that. I have a love hate relatinship with my birthday. Well love is a strong word… I have a wanting to love but hate relationship I think. Every year I get sad, mad, moody, throw myself a pity party instead of a birthday party to “celebrate” the day I was born and I have coined this term: the birthday blues. I have…
-
Progress Needed for Postpartum: Part III
This is the third and final part of the series calling for progress for postpartum care. So to recap, we’ve learned about postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and the lack of mental health care availability. Also, tons about self care. Self care doesn’t look the same for everyone. For some it looks like having the time to go get a haircut by themselves, and for some it’s making time for therapy. Also, we all agree that only one standard postpartum doctors visit 6 weeks after birth is pathetic right? So let’s* wrap this up. What can we do to improve? *and by lets, I am referring to the 3 people that…
-
Progress Needed for Postpartum: Part II
In Part I of Progress Needed for Postpartum, I talked about what’s missing in postpartum care for new parents and how it can impact mental health ranging from the baby blues to postpartum depression, anxiety, and postpartum psychosis. So now we know what those diagnosis can mean and how important they are to treat, now lets discuss the treatment and self care. Self Care Self care means something different to everyone. Different people need different things or rituals to recharge. But, do you think manicures, bubble baths, and paper face masks do much when actually caring for ones self? I don’t. It is hard to be the caregiver of the…
-
Progress Needed for Postpartum: Part I
Birth is a factory that is never going out of business. Being a labor and delivery nurse is a recession and pandemic proof job. A fact that I confirmed over the last two and a half years. Being that having a baby is a such a stable and recurring system, there are many websites, bloggers, Instagram pages, and educational classes dedicated to pregnancy and birth. It can be an exciting but also a stressful and vulnerable time in a growing family’s life, which leads to a desire for information. But what about after? Sure, there is plenty of information. Plenty about pregnancy and about parenting and children. But I mean…
-
I’ve Made it Through the First Trimester
I posted my first blog post for Mental Mommy Nurse just a tad over 12 weeks ago. So in my world, I’ve made it past the first trimester! That is usually a reason to take a big deep breath and sigh of relief…but it’s a cautious relief. Moms, amiright? Reflection I have gotten some wonderful feedback from my site, I’ve had people tell me they are proud of me and think one day I am going to help a lot of people. That said, I haven’t had much reach to help as many as I hoped. But I also know that I am no #influencer and that kind of reach…
-
Inside the ACE’s – Part II
So where did we leave off? Well, first, let me refresh your memory of what I introduced in my last post. Hopefully I didn’t depress your whole mood and life. The ACE (adverse childhood experience) score is a guideline, that will hopefully be a standard screening by healthcare and social work providers, to assess risk of physical and mental health consequences that can be a result of chronic exposure to toxic stress. Trauma at any age obviously has negative effects. But trauma in childhood effects a developing brain and nervous system. Our good fortune, or rotten luck, is “written into our biology,”—wired into synapses and coiled within strands of DNA—where…
-
Inside the ACE’s: Part I
Well, I got real deep with this one. I’m going to have to split it into two parts or you all will be bored out of your mind and stop reading or go crying in the corner. I spent a lot of time writing this one, writing like I was running out of time on childhood trauma (yep stole that from Hamilton), and it also has a lot more education points than some of my last posts, so if anything I’ve written has touched your heart and mind, please ask and I can share my resources with you! Part I Do you think someone could go through so much trauma,…
-
Urgent Post Needed: A Mother’s Fear in 2022
Update: March 2023 I titled this original blog post a mothers fear 2022. I wrote it after the mass shooting at a Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Here we are, 3 months into 2023 and where are we? Life is slightly returning to normal regards to the Covid-19 pandemic: that’s great. That said, our country remains “normal” in regards to our priorities, where our compassion lies, our laws, who we choose to protect, and why isn’t it our children? What Do We Do? But what do we do? What can I do? I really do not know. Suggestions welcome. I try to lead by example, I try to vote…
-
How Many Diagnosis’ Can One Person Have?
Why did I never google endometriosis symptoms? Why didn’t I even think of it when I was dealing with infertility?
