DEBRA HAYES
Postpartum Depression

These self-portraits depict my previous struggle with postpartum depression. Postpartum depression is often misunderstood and leaves its victims full of guilt and self-loathing. I felt like a monster, trapped in the grip of a depression I was unprepared for. I kept it secret, not wanting to bare the burden of having admitted I was a less than perfect mother. I think society has failed to support mothers, not recognizing that postpartum depression not only robs the mother, but deprives the child of a close bond that quite possibly creates the foundation for all relationships to come.

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