Understanding Postpartum Illness

WHAT IS POSTPARTUM ILLNESS? For those who have never been affected by Postpartum Illness, it is difficult to fully comprehend how the excitement and anticipation of a new birth can turn into depression. Why, when a new baby has miraculously been welcomed into a family, does an all-enveloping reaction sometimes set in and cause such devastation to the mother? Over 80% of new mothers experience a brief period of 'baby blues' immediately following the baby's arrival, a clinical depression that lasts several weeks or longer can signal a very real illness. In such cases, a birth can trigger a terrifying spectrum of symptoms which, if left untreated, can lead to tragic and even fatal consequences. Postpartum Illness can disable not only the woman, but her entire family as well. Families may fall apart, with stable homes being ripped apart in divorce; unfortunately, children often bear the brunt of this outcome. It is undisputed that if untreated, Postpartum Illness can lead to abuse, hospitalization, suicide and infanticide.

10 Confidence Secrets of Successful Women

Always exude a can-do attitude when it comes to work

By Pierra C. Labrador for Yahoo! Southeast Asia

Confidence and success are inextricably linked—confident women tend to excel at whatever they set out to do. Need a little help addressing your wallflower tendencies? We interviewed some successful women in the fields of business, marketing, and even blogging, and came up with a list of 10 confidence secrets to help you achieve your potential.

1. The cardinal rule of confidence: love thyself. "I think in whatever role we play, we first have to like ourselves. When you are happy in your own skin, others pick up on that vibe," says Christine Dychiao, popular fashion blogger (manilafashionobserver.com), columnist, and social media consultant.

Stop worrying about what others will think or say. Rather, know that when people see how you value and believe in yourself, they instinctively follow suit.

2. Radiate positivity and a can-do attitude. Make it easy on yourself by working in a field you actually enjoy. Vivacious PR practitioner Annie Delgado Ringor, Managing Director of Bridges@com, says, "I love what I am doing and so it shows in every aspect of how I do my job."

3. Know your stuff. Widen your network. Whether you're at a corporate presentation or cocktail party, as Annie says, "Learn your craft, dress the part, know how to converse."

Marketing entrepreneur and blogger (OCMominManila.com) Kris de Guzman shares, "When I meet with clients or present to a big group, the ultimate confidence-booster for me is knowing I am credible. I make sure I am prepared for meetings by studying, researching, practicing, and thinking of possible questions from the audience."

4. Contribute something. When you know you have something valuable to offer—a skill, a talent, your expertise, even a good restaurant recommendation—let the world know!

Says Christine, who is also a columnist at The Philippine Star, "I think what gives me the confidence to keep on writing is the fact that I know what I am talking about. I make an effort to fact-check stories, I get my content straight from official sources, and I write about what I like. It's hard to contradict a story based on a foundation like that."

5. Manage your time wisely. Confidence can stem from a sense of accomplishment, but that means being able to allot enough time for every hat that you wear. Devise a schedule that works for you so you can focus on what's important.

For Kris, who is also wife to a TV producer and mom to two young girls, quitting her corporate marketing gig and working at home is the best decision she every made. "The main perk of owning your own business is owning your own time. I schedule things according to when I can do them. Even if I just gave birth a week ago, I am still able to find time to do a little work and take care of the new baby."

6. Have a good support system. Venisse Laurel-Hermano, sister of top designer Rajo Laurel and the business force behind House of Laurel, draws her strength from her family. "I believe that we are a powerful force, because I have been blessed with a strong family unit. Hard work and perseverance was instilled to us by our parents, and my mom taught us to always take care of each other and be supportive of each other's decisions."

Maureen* AVP for Marketing of a leisure developer corporation says, "My husband is always there whenever I need advice. Because we are so different in terms of personality, he gives me a different perspective on things."

7. Be driven to succeed. Having a defined mission or goal powers you to excel. For high-powered corporate exec Maureen, her family serves as an inspiration. "I hope I am being a good example to the kids by having a strict work ethic and a passion for excellence. There's a certain level of fulfillment you get when you put your heart into something and it works!"

Shares Venisse, "We are driven and determined not by how much we can make but how success can help a lot of families in our employ."

8. Keep your cool. Not everything will go your way, and the true test of a person's character is how they face adversity.

Says the PR maven Annie, "In a normal situation, when something goes wrong, I immediately try to look for an option to right the wrong. I always appear calm in many situations even if my stomach is churning!"

Meanwhile, Maureen turns to a higher power during trying moments. "I pray extra hard whenever I need direction. Sometimes you just need to go through painful and difficult experiences so you can learn to appreciate the good in your life later on—also these challenges make you wiser and stronger."

9. Be inspired. It always helps to have role models to emulate. Christine says, "I don't think there is anybody out there who is absolutely confident. So I am inspired by the many people I have met who are successful in their own respective fields, but still have bouts of fear, nervousness, and insecurity... what sets them apart is that they did not let fear and insecurity keep them from doing what they feel they are destined to do. I think confidence is important to have, but fear and insecurity can also be the catalyst to take the next step, try harder, dream bigger."

10. Dress for success. When you need an extra boost, turn to power dressing. Look good, feel good! Annie channels confidence via a bold color: "I wear a red dress and a pearl necklace." Maureen's confidence boosters? "Killer stilettos! Or a really cool accessory." As for Venisse, she shares, "My no-fail outfit? My black dress with my white overblouse and heels. A nice pair of earrings and a smile."

*not her real name

Pierra C. Labrador is a freelance writer, editor, stylist, and co-founder of the Philippine's new virtual styling site miss-match.com.ph. She's worked for the top Philippine glossies for over 10 years, and recently co-authored the Enjoy Philippines Manila Travel Guide.

“SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO HIT A PAUSE BUTTON AND TAKE A TIME OUT”

Posted by Kimberly Oteri

20-Somethings’ Stories is a 4-part series of blog entries written by women attempting to conquer their Quarter Life. Check back every Monday to follow Kim’s journey.

Time flies when you’re having fun. It travels even faster when you’re me. My whole life in my 20s has been a revolving door. The circus could probably hire me as an All -Star juggler. I have taken on so many roles; sometimes I even surprise myself at how I can juggle them all at the same time.

First and foremost I am a mother. God has blessed me with such an incredibly smart and handsome son. I always new I wanted to be married with a child by age 25. That happened, and now my son is two years old. He had his second birthday party last week. (If you think planning a wedding is tough, try planning a kid’s party!) To use a cliché, being a mother is a full time job, with no time off. Every worry you have in life you have to multiple by two. Every decision you make can affect your little one. Being a mom is my favorite role. It also has many sub-roles: chief, baker, personal assistant, fashion consultant, teacher, role model, etc. The list could go on and on.

My career is a teacher. Growing up with two younger sisters we also played school. Naturally I was always the teacher. However, that was not a career path for me when I graduated high school. I wanted to work either work in the computer programming field, or become a journalist. I did not go to college when I first graduated high school. The plan was to wait for my best friend, who was a year under me, to graduate and we would go to the same school together. However, she decided she wasn’t going to college, so neither did I. So for the next two years I worked at a daycare. That is when I knew I wanted to teach and I enrolled as an Elementary Education major. Now I am in my third year of teaching. I teach 6^th grade Literacy and Social Studies. “Teachers do not get paid much, but they have the perfect schedule”. Everyone always tells me that I am lucky and I shouldn’t complain because my job is easy. HAHA! Being an educator is a very stressful job, with countless hours off the clock.  This is probably the hardest part of my juggling act. However, it can be rewarding and I do get summers off!

Learning is an ongoing process that never ends. I am a teacher, but I am also a student. I have recently enrolled into Drexel University Online to receive my Masters in Special Education. I am in my second quarter. I am taking two classes at a time. Most of my free time is spent doing homework assignments. Even my breaks during work, are used to observe and do field work experiences for my classes. Luckily with the technology we have, I am able to work online and on my on time.

I am also a wife. This is probably the easiest job for me. I married my high school sweetheart and my best friend. Everything I am, I am because of my husband. We grew up together and helped mold each other into the people we are now. He is my hugest support system. He has done a lot for our little family, and now he has decided to go back to school. I am proud to be his wife!

In a nutshell, I have learned how to sleep less. My entire week goes like this: wake up, get ready for work, dress the baby, leave for work, work all day, come home, play with the baby, cook dinner, wash baby, put baby to bed, grade papers, do homework, relax, and sleep. Then I wake up in the morning and do it all over again. On the weekends I am lucky to sleep in until 8 A.M. I still have to grade papers and do some homework. I love spending time with the baby. Any free time I have is usually spent visiting family and running around.

My advice for anyone struggling to juggle multiple roles in their life is to find a great support system. Also, I would let them know that sometimes you just have to hit a pause button and take a time out. All of your roles will still be there waiting for you when you hit play again. Sometimes I get anxiety attacks, and sometimes I crash in bed by 8 P.M. Sometimes I have knots in my back the size of baseballs, and sometimes, more than often, I contemplate calling out of work. And even though sometimes I just sit in the shower and let out a good cry, I tell myself that I chose all of these roles that I have taken on. I have decided to better myself for my family. In life, I will lose some of the roles I am now, and I will adopt some new ones. All of these roles can be a struggle, but it helps create me!

“Read Part 1 and 2 of Kim’s 20-Something Story”

Kimberly Oteri is a South Philly girl with a severe case of the Dreamer’s Disease. She spends most of her time with her husband Chris, and beautiful baby boy, CJ. In her free time she teaches 6th grade Literature and Social Studies, is a graduate student in pursuit of a Masters in Special Education, obsesses over anything Harry Potter, and sings and dances like there is no tomorrow. Her passion for reading has inspired her to write–and now she blogs!

http://life2pointoh.com/2012/02/motherhood/