08/07/2026
I usually try to keep my Friday posts lighthearted and fun, but like so many others, I’ve been following the Lindsay Clancy case. It’s impossible not to feel the heaviness surrounding it. More importantly, I think it reminds us that we need to have a conversation that is long overdue—a vulnerable, honest conversation about postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and postpartum psychosis.
As a healthcare provider, I understand these conditions medically. But long before I became a nurse practitioner, I experienced postpartum depression myself.
My pregnancy was healthy. I worked full-time until about a week before I delivered. Labor was long and exhausting, but the delivery went beautifully. We brought home a healthy baby girl, and from the outside, everything looked exactly as it should.
But inside, something was different.
I remember constantly watching her sleep because I was terrified she would stop breathing. I barely slept because I felt like I had to stay awake and protect her. She was colicky for the first six months, and the exhaustion became overwhelming.
My husband worked night shift. During the day, he slept, but somehow just knowing he was in the house brought me comfort. I vividly remember packing his lunch before work and crying because I knew he was about to leave for another shift. I dreaded being alone with the baby—not because I didn’t love her, but because I felt completely overwhelmed.
That wasn’t who I was.
I’ve always considered myself strong, independent, and resilient. Yet this was something I couldn’t simply “snap out of.”
I thought I should be overflowing with joy. Instead, I felt anxious, lonely, sad, and completely inadequate. I questioned whether I was a good mother. I felt unprepared, unqualified, and unworthy.
What made it even harder was believing I was the only one who felt that way.
Everyone else seemed to be living the picture-perfect “baby bliss” I imagined motherhood was supposed to be. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t.
It wasn’t until years later, well into my thirties, when my children were older, that I began hearing other women share remarkably similar experiences. That’s when I realized I had never been alone.
The Lindsay Clancy case has reminded me that postpartum mental illness can be incredibly complex and devastating. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding any individual case, it highlights the importance of recognizing when a mother is struggling, taking her concerns seriously, and ensuring she has access to appropriate support and treatment.
If you are a new mother and you find yourself feeling persistently overwhelmed, hopeless, disconnected, or frightened by your thoughts—or if the weight of motherhood feels unbearably heavy—please don’t suffer in silence.
If you’re having thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, seek emergency help immediately. Those thoughts are symptoms of a medical condition, not a reflection of who you are as a mother.
Please advocate for yourself.
Talk to your healthcare provider. Tell your OB-GYN. Tell your primary care provider. Reach out to a trusted friend, your spouse, your family, your pastor, your church family, or someone you know will listen.
There is no shame in asking for help.
Today, we have more awareness and more resources than ever before. Treatment works, and healing is possible.
And if you don’t know where to start, please know that we are here for you. At Sour Lake Health & Medical, we’ll do everything we can to listen without judgment, help you find answers, and connect you with the resources and care you deserve.
Be blessed & Be well,
- Lacey
