030 | One Mom's Triumphant Story with Postpartum Depression

Listen in as writer, filmmaker, and mother Crystal Green shares her vulnerable and powerful story of navigating postpartum depression in a society that didn't believe it even existed in the first place.

030 | Crystal E. Green, Filmmaker

No mother can fully prepare for what postpartum can bring. For Crystal, it brought grief, isolation, and the knowledge that sometimes, no one is willing to offer a hand in support.

Crystal's postpartum depression story

After losing her first child at seven weeks old, pregnancy became a scary word for Crystal. But with the delivery of a healthy and happy baby girl, there was light at the end of the tunnel. The anxiety and fear began to creep in when she found herself pregnant for the third time. And after her newborn son had to be rushed into emergency surgery three days after birth, the light that had been waning finally went out.

Is postpartum depression a mental illness?

32% of women have some sort of mental illness after they become a mother. Most of those who do are never clinically diagnosed. Postpartum depression can manifest in various ways and look different from person to person. So just because you do not show all the signs does not mean you aren't suffering and need support.

What to know about postpartum depression

Society weaves an elaborate story that moms are tough. That we should be able to "bounce back" after giving birth without a scratch. Because of this, most people believe it, and the warning signs are left unseen or diminished, leaving moms feeling unsupported and judged.

But if you feel something is wrong, no matter how small, don't be quiet. Our best advocates are ourselves. It is important to acknowledge when things have changed. When you are feeling unseen and swept under the rug.

There are people out there willing to listen, whether in your village or someone you've never met before.

What Crystal is doing to share her story of PPD

Crystal is writing, producing, and directing a story that reflects her own personal experience with postpartum depression. Lock the Doors is a film about one woman's journey through postpartum depression.

What you thought it would be like to be a mom might be nothing you've imagined. Crystal hopes this film will bring the reality of postpartum depression to those who choose to diminish it and help moms everywhere feel seen.

Topics Covered:

Anticipating anxiety (4:22)
The spark for Lock the Doors (7:57)
What postpartum looked like (11:37)
Not allowed to experience what I was experiencing (18:34)
The film journey so far (21:46)
Don't talk about it (29:41)
FInal question (33:44)

Additional resources

Explore the resources shared in this week's episode

Learn more about the film campaign
Support Crystal's mental health fundraiser for The Blue Dot Project

Follow Crystal on Instagram at @crystale.green and @lockthedoor.film

Other helpful resources on postpartum depression

• Understanding and Defining PMADs
• This Book Can Explain Postpartum Depression to Your Older Child
• Identifying Postpartum Rage and How You Can Deal