Tauranga mother Natalie Tessendorf struggled with post-natal depression when she had her first child.
Tauranga mother Natalie Tessendorf struggled with post-natal depression when she had her first child.
Tauranga mother Natalie Tessendorf became “very withdrawn” after having her first child.
The 40-year-old mother-of-two found it difficult to get out of bed and to motivate herself to do “pretty much anything”.
She struggled to do day-to-day things such as the housework or enjoying spending time with her newborn.
Tessendorf realised she was battling post-natal depression and sought help through multiple support groups.
Her message to other mothers is: “It is so normal to feel down after having a baby ... and it is so important to reach out for help, because the help is out there and it will make such a difference.”
Tessendorf is sharing her story ahead of the launch of an exhibition about perinatal depression in Tauranga next month.
The Blue Stories Project shares people’s stories of perinatal depression and will include exhibitions, audio interviews and posters. It will be held at the Rangiora Tauranga Moana Health Centre at the Fraser Cove shopping centre from March 18 to April 15.
According to Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Aotearoa, 25 per cent of women suffer from depression during or after pregnancy and 10 per cent of men develop depression after childbirth.
Tessendorf said she already had a history of depression when she had her first son four years ago.
She had a few complications with her birth and also had a death in the family on the same day as the birth.
Tessendorf said she became “very withdrawn into myself” and wanted to stay at home and away from other people.
After about two months, one of the ladies from Plunket realised she was “quite down” and connected her with Michelle Hall, who founded and runs a local support group called True Colours - Honouring the Mother.
“It was such a nice experience to sit down with other mothers in an open setting where we could talk to each other frankly about how we felt. And it was nice to not be judged as well,” she said.
“We were able to support each other, and I think the important thing there was feeling like we were not alone.”
Tessendorf also did an eight-week course for post-natal depression and grief counselling.
“In the first few months, it was pretty difficult for me to get back to where I was happy again, where I could enjoy my baby.
“But once I’d been going for a few months, I found it was a godsend, really.”
Michelle Hall battled post-natal depression after she had her daughter. Photo / Megan Wilson
The Blue Stories Project was created as a collaboration between Michelle Hall and illustrator and designer Karolina Gorton, who have both experienced perinatal depression.
Gorton saw a need for the public sharing of the “very real and unique stories” that were often untold after she experienced perinatal depression when she was pregnant with her second child.
The mother-of-two, who lives in Nelson, said she felt lonely and in “such a dark space” even though she had a “beautiful community” around her.
“The day when I found out I was pregnant, my body just switched off and I was really not feeling well,” the 41-year-old said.
“I even had dark thoughts of maybe leaving my partner and my other child. It wasn’t right.”
The exhibition will run from March 18 to April 15 at the Rangiora Health Centre in Tauranga.
“With the counselling, with a fantastic community [and] a really great partner, I was feeling better and better.”
After her experience, she created the exhibition to give those who had experienced it a voice about what happened and what they did to “find a way out”.
“They are heavy stories, but with really good outcomes.”
True Colours - Honouring the Mother meets on the last Monday of each month from 12pm to 2pm at the Jam Factory in the Historic Village. Mothers can bring their babies and attendance is free. There is a maximum of eight women per session.
