12 Depression Busters for New Moms

By Therese Borchard

It's supposed to be the most exciting time of your life, and everyone is telling you how lucky you are to have a beautiful baby. But all you can do is cry. You're pretty sure none of your new-mom friends feel this way. But they might be. Between 15 and 20 percent of new moms, about 1 million women in the US each year, experience some form of postpartum depression.

Truth be told, my baby days were the most difficult and painful hours of my life. I was a hormonal and stress train wreck. Looking back now--my youngest is five--I see that a few alterations in my lifestyle might have helped matters. I'll share them with you, so that you don't have to feel so bad... or, you know, all alone.

Therese writes for the blog Beyond Blue on beliefnet.