My dad told me to go for gold and never take no for an answer.
Childhood lessons seem so simple, yet adulthood manages to insert complications and obstacles. One of mine was postpartum depression.
My husband and I were prom dates and married on our six-year anniversary. We’ve settled in Fort Worth, Texas where we can be close to family. As a classically trained musician, I became a music instructor and continued my music gigs. A little over four years ago, we welcomed our firstborn son.
Pregnancy for every woman is different, yet I was blessed with a smooth and healthy pregnancy. I was excited to bring life into this world and doing everything I could to promote my new child’s health and safety. At 38 weeks something felt “off,” it is hard to express the feeling but I knew in my gut that something was not right. My doctor told me that my lab results were all over the place so we decided to have a C-section.
I was shocked.
After a stress-free pregnancy, everything changed with one set of lab results. From a planned natural birth to a C-section, it was not ideal but I would do anything for my child. At 38 weeks, I gave birth to my beautiful son.
Something changed.
As motherhood began, I noticed that I was not myself. It was like a constant funk where I did not want to go to social gatherings, self-care became non-existent, even my music took a toll. I was suffering from postpartum depression and I felt alone.
It got so bad that I didn’t feel like I could function. I was fortunate to have a doctor that supported my decision to do long-term
breastfeeding. She also prescribed medication to help me feel more like myself within a couple weeks. Soon my funk drifted away and I was able to wean off the medication while I leaned on my support group of my church community, breastfeeding groups, and the Sseko Fellows.
I’ll back up for a moment to share how I got connected to the Sseko Fellows Program. Last October, one of my girlfriends invited me to a Sseko party and I fell in love with the Bucket Bag. I decided to host a trunk show to earn the credit for the bag. It was just so fun! Although I have no background in sales, I instantly felt so connected to the Sseko story and passionate women. These women have become like family to me.
Being part of Sseko has helped restore my joy in life!
If there’s one piece of advice I could give to women dealing with any sort of depression, it would be: Talk it out! Find someone you can talk to and don’t try to deal with it alone! You have nothing to be ashamed of, and getting help is so important.
If you would like to step into the opportunity that Jeanene has as a Sseko Fellow, we would love to talk to you!
As a Sseko Fellow, you’ll be part of an incredibly supportive group of women, you’ll get to style and sell stunning fashionable products that make a difference in the lives of women across the globe, and you’ll earn an income for yourself and your family.