What No One Told Me About Navigating Postpartum Depression as a First-Time Mother.

The quiet battle between losing yourself and becoming someone stronger than you ever imagined.

Olivia Bennett, holding baby Lexis. Credit: The Women Post Images.

If I could sit across from the version of myself who was still pregnant—hopeful, glowing, and completely unaware—I wouldn’t soften the truth. I wouldn’t wrap it in clichés or comforting half-promises. I would tell her plainly: motherhood is going to break you open in ways you cannot yet i…