She Has Her Baby. But Who Has Her? | Roselyn A. St Claire

💭 Postpartum Isn’t Just a Phase—It’s a Reality

Haunting and Real!

A few weeks ago, I was at the hospital for some personal medical reasons. At the end of my visit, I went to the pharmacy to pick up my prescriptions. While waiting, I saw the partner of a friend of mine trying to do the same.

It turned out my friend had just had her baby a few days earlier and was actually still in the hospital, getting ready to be discharged that same day. He and I chatted for a bit, and not long after, I saw her coming down the steps—tired but glowing, baby in arms, ready to go home.

I walked her to her car and we talked briefly—nothing deep, just the kind of small talk that carries big meaning between women who've walked hard roads. I promised to stay in touch and check in.

A few days later, I did just that. She responded… from the hospital. Again.

She’d been readmitted with postpartum hypertension and postpartum preeclampsia—terms I had heard before, mostly in novels or medical dramas. But now, they were real. They were happening to someone I cared about.

I had no idea how common or serious these conditions were. I’d never had someone this close to me experience them. And honestly, I didn’t know what to say except to be there.

She’s been open with me—brutally honest at times. She’s been feeling low.
Guilty, even.

She told me how hard it’s been to feel anything for her baby in moments when her body and mind feel like they're failing her. That kind of honesty breaks your heart and builds your respect all at once.

She’s getting help. She has a mother that we all need in our lives—steady, supportive, there without judgment. She’s journaling, praying, and surrounded by a small community of people who love her. And she has me.

But hearing her speak took me back. Way back.

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🎧 I remember what it felt like to be a single mother.

To be promised a life full of support. To believe that the presence of the child’s father would somehow make things feel less heavy, more manageable.

And then to realize—in those vulnerable, bleeding, aching days just out of the hospital—that the person who should be there is not.

The heartbreak in that realization is sharp.
It’s a slap in the face.
A kick in the gut.
A silent scream that never really stops echoing.

When the support you expected never comes, and you realize you’re in this alone, something shifts inside you.

And it doesn’t stop with the newborn phase. Every hard season that follows—sleepless nights, fevers, scraped knees, school runs, heartbreaks—just reinforces that truth:
You're still alone in something you never made alone.

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🗣️ To the sisters who are walking through this now…

You’re not alone.
Even if you feel like it.
Even if it looks like no one sees you.

Please, speak up.
Talk.
Vent.
Cry.
Scream if you need to.

Just don’t bottle that pain.
Because what you keep locked inside will wreck you—mentally, emotionally, physically.

And the last thing you want is for your child to feel the effects of a love they can’t fully reach because you’re drowning in silence.

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🌱 What she has is what every mother deserves:

• A support system

• Her faith

• Her voice (in a journal or out loud)

• And someone who checks in—not just once, but again and again

You deserve that too.

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💡 And if you need more? Please—get professional help.

That means reaching out to your:

• OB/GYN

• Primary care doctor

• Therapist or mental health specialist

You may also benefit from:

• Medication (if recommended)

• Support groups

• Childcare assistance

• House help from friends, family, or the community

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🧠 Want to learn more?

Here are some solid resources to help you understand what postpartum conditions look and feel like—and how to get support:

🔗 Mayo Clinic on Postpartum Depression
🔗 Mayo Clinic on Postpartum Preeclampsia
🔗 Healthline on Postpartum Hypertension

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Don’t go on this journey alone.
And if you're lucky enough to know someone who’s going through it… check in on her. Not just once. Consistently. Gently. Honestly.

Because sometimes the biggest difference is knowing someone sees you—even when you don’t know how to ask 

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#IntimateConversationsBetweenFriends #PostpartumTruth
#MotherhoodUnfiltered #NewMomsNeedSupport
#MentalHealthMatters #YouAreNotAlone
#CheckOnHer #MotherhoodIsNotALuxury
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