Postpartum Depression Quotes to Lift Your Spirits

Are you currently dealing with postpartum depression?

Below are postpartum depression quotes to help you overcome this illness. 

A study by researchers at the University of British Columbia found that women who experience breastfeeding difficulties are at an increased risk for postpartum depression.

This statistic can help highlight the link between physical health and mental health during the postpartum period, and may inspire readers to prioritize self-care and seek support if they are experiencing breastfeeding challenges.

How has postpartum depression affected your life? 

The Illinois Department of Public Health reports that 10 to 20 percent of new moms suffer from postpartum depression.

Symptoms of postpartum depression include irritability, worthlessness, and headaches.

There’s often a stigma that lingers around postpartum depression, which prevents many from stepping forward. 

If you are one of the millions who are currently dealing with this illness or know someone who does, we’ve curated quotes from celebrities, visionaries, and everyday parents to share their experiences and insight.

Take a look below at the postpartum depression quotes we’ve curated for those currently suffering. 

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration.

Our inspirational quote category page has even more inspirational and educational quotes.

Relatable postpartum depression quotes

According to a study by researchers at the University of Toronto, cognitive-behavioral therapy can be an effective treatment for postpartum depression.

This statistic can help inspire hope for readers who may be struggling with postpartum depression and may encourage them to seek out evidence-based treatments that can help improve their mental health.

1. “We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.” – Kenji Miyazawa

You will also enjoy our article on single mom quotes.

2. “Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it.” – Jacques Prevert

3. “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” – Robert H. Schuller

4. “It doesn’t matter how slow you go, as long as you don’t stop.” – Confucius

5. “Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.” – William James

6. “Once you choose hope, anything is possible.” — Christopher Reeve

7. “Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

8. “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” – Helen Keller

9. “There’s no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.” – Jill Churchill

10. “That is the biggest lie of depression. There is nothing good in leaving anybody behind.” — Marie Osmond

11. “Some of the first days after I came home, I was a little outside myself. My mother remarked that she noticed I had moments of lifelessness, but reassured me that this was entirely normal. It’s for things like that after having a baby that mothers really need emotional support.” – Celine Dion

Also read these baby quotes that new parents can relate to.

Postpartum depression quotes about getting through hard times

According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, women with a history of depression are at an increased risk for postpartum depression.

This statistic can help emphasize the importance of addressing preexisting mental health issues in order to prevent or mitigate the effects of postpartum depression.

12. “You start with a darkness to move through, but sometimes the darkness moves through you.” – Dean Young

13. “I felt like a zombie. I couldn’t access my heart. I couldn’t access my emotions. I couldn’t connect. It was terrible.” – Gwyneth Paltrow

14. “Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being.” – Albert Schweitzer

15. “The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.” – Epictetus

16. “It is only in our darkest hours that we may discover the true strength of the brilliant light within ourselves that can never, ever, be dimmed.” – Doe Zantamata

17. “I didn’t have postpartum the first time so I didn’t understand it, because I was like, ‘I feel great!’ The second time, I was like, ‘Oh, whoa, I see what people talk about now. I understand.’ It’s a different type of overwhelming with the second. I really got under the cloud.” – Drew Barrymore

18. “I mean, I look back now and realize that I was unprepared for what my emotions and body and energy level would, you know, consist of…There’s not enough, in my opinion, not enough working mothers who kind of talk about who they leaned on and how they got through that difficult time.” – Amy Poehler

19. “A big part of being a well-adjusted person is accepting that you can’t be good at everything.” – Kelly Williams Brown

20. “I had severe postpartum depression. When I got to the point of postpartum depression, there was no reason to get out of bed; I was too overwhelmed to get dressed. It was just so dark. I think that’s the only word I can explain.” – Marie Osmond

21. “It was like this weird alien overtook my body and every appropriate response was answered with the antithesis of what you would assume … Postpartum depression takes certain truths and turns them into the worst version of the truth.” – Brooke Shields

22. “Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think and twice as beautiful as you’ve ever imagined.” – Dr. Seuss

23. “I couldn’t sleep. My heart was racing. And I got really depressed. I went to the doctor and found out my hormones had been pummeled.” – Courteney Cox

24. “Good humor is a tonic for mind and body. It is the best antidote for anxiety and depression. It is a business asset. It attracts and keep friends. It lightens human burdens. It is the direct route to serenity and contentment.” — Grenville Kleiser

25. “Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack, a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” — Leonard Cohen

26. “I want to be honest about [postpartum depression] because I think there’s still so much shame when you have mixed feelings about being a mom instead of feeling this sort of ‘bliss.’ I think a lot of people still really struggle with that, but it’s hard to find other people who are willing to talk about it.” – Amanda Peet

27. “I am not bound to win, I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to the light I have.” – Abraham Lincoln

28. “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” – Confucius

29. “Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” – Buddha

30. “Being a new mother is supposed to be the happiest time of your life, but postpartum depression and anxiety strip that away for a time, but trust that it will not last forever.” – Judy Dippel

You might also like these baby boy quotes for expecting moms and dads.

Postpartum depression quotes about finding support

31. “There is a lot of misunderstanding, and I feel like there’s a lot of people out there who think that it’s not real, that it’s not true, that it is something that is made up in their mind… It’s something that’s completely uncontrollable, and it’s really painful, and it’s really scary, and women need a lot of support.” – Hayden Panettiere 

32. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new.” – Barack Obama

33. “Find ways to replenish your energy, strengthen your faith and fortify yourself from the inside out.” – Les Brown

34. “Healing takes time, and asking for help is a courageous step.” – Mariska Hargitay

35. “Do I wish I had never endured postpartum depression? Absolutely. But to deny the experience is to deny who I am.” – Bryce Dallas Howard

36. “The place of true healing is a fierce place. It’s a giant place. It’s a place of monstrous beauty and endless dark and glimmering light. And you have to work really, really, really hard to get there, but you can do it.” – Cheryl Strayed

37. “To me, forgiveness is the cornerstone of healing.” – Sylvia Fraser

38. “Progress and healing involves seeing every person as not so different from ourselves.” – Bryant H. McGill

39. “The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.” – Steve Maraboli

Postpartum depression quotes about motherhood

40. “Birth is the epicenter of women’s power.” – Ani DiFranco

41. “I believe the choice to become a mother is the choice to become one of the greatest spiritual teachers there is.” – Oprah

42. “Parenthood always comes as a shock. Postpartum blues? Postpartum panic is more like it. We set out to have a baby; what we get is a total take-over of our lives.” – Polly Berrien Berends

43. “We have a secret in our culture, and it’s not that birth is painful. It’s that women are strong.” – Laura Stavoe Harm

44. “The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.” – Honore de Balzac

45. “Motherhood is the greatest thing and the hardest thing.” – Ricki Lake

46. “In giving birth to our babies, we may find that we give birth to new possibilities within ourselves.” —Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn

47. “God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.” – Rudyard Kipling

48. “To all mothers in every circumstance, including those who struggle, I say, ‘Be peaceful. Believe in God and yourself. You are doing better than you think you are.’” — Jeffrey R. Holland

49. “Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had and dealing with fears you didn’t know existed.” — Linda Wooten

50. “There will be so many times you feel like you’ve failed. But in the eyes, heart, and mind of your child, you are super mom.” — Stephanie Precourt

Postpartum depression quotes based on personal accounts and research

51. “Protecting the lives of women in childbirth and in their postpartum months should be a common priority.” — Abigail Spanberger

52. “I deal with postpartum feelings by reaching out to mom friends. I became very close with some of the women in my prenatal yoga class.” — Alyssa Milano

53. “The very damaging, frightening part of postpartum is the lack of perspective and the lack of priority and understanding what is really important.” — Brooke Shields

54. “When you study postpartum depression, there is a very clear understanding that in communities where you see more support, there is less depression.” — Ariel Gore

55. “Mental illness lives all around us every day. I’ve seen it in other family members, I’ve seen it in friends, and I’ve dealt with it myself with my own postpartum depression.” — Rachel Hollis

56. “I went back to work about six weeks after I gave birth, which was crazy early, and experienced some pretty bad postpartum depression but didn’t know it at the time.” — Catherine Reitman

57. “This is a serious, serious condition that is also called postpartum psychosis. And that’s where, literally, you get so bad that you end up either hurting the baby or killing yourself.” — Marie Osmond

58. “Postpartum depression is a very real and very serious problem for many mothers. It can happen to a first time mom or a veteran mother. It can occur a few days… or a few months after childbirth.” — Richard J. Codey

59. “I suffered from a mild case of postpartum depression after my second child and the physical challenge of maintaining an overnight shift at CBS, a marriage, and two in diapers made the symptoms worse and everyone in the house paid the price.” — Mika Brzezinski

60. “In fact, during the postpartum period, many mothers don’t feel attached towards her newborn. So during such times they are quite sensitive and require special care. Still there are people who don’t think twice before making hurtful comments about how a mother looks. I fail to understand what satisfaction they get out of body shaming others.” — Angad Bedi

Postpartum depression quotes to relate to you

61. “After having my first daughter, Delilah, I had severe postpartum depression.” — Lisa Rinna

62. “I would always hear about postpartum, but I never really believed it was true.” — Kendra Wilkinson

63. “I didn’t know what had happened to me. I was stuck in this gray depression where I just wanted to retreat and pull the covers over my head and weep.” – Margaret Trudeau

If you’re enjoying these quotes, you’ll love our collection of powerful depression quotes that will provide perspective.

64. “I talk about postpartum depression and all these things I don’t hear a lot of women talking about on TV.” — Catherine Reitman

65. “After giving birth to my son, I had struggled with depression, and there were a lot of the same feelings I had when I was a teenager.” — Kendra Wilkinson

66. “I truly did deal with postpartum depression and no one pointed it out to me, and when you are in it you don’t know. I figured it out later on my own.” — Sonja Morgan

67. “With both kids, I started working out again at 16 days postpartum, but I treated myself with kindness, doing mild workouts, because my fitness level was lower.” — Gabrielle Reece

68. “Then I was unwell with [postpartum] depression, which no one ever discusses … you have to read about it afterwards, and that in itself was a bit of a difficult time.” — Diana, Princess of Wales

69. When [you’re told] about postpartum depression you think it’s: ‘I feel negative feelings toward my child — I want to injure or hurt my child.’ I’ve never, ever had those feelings.” — Hayden Panettiere

70. “’The Big Girls’ has always seemed to me to be a story about different kinds of families – a divorced mother with a child; a father with his child and his girlfriend; a mother of three children, suffering from postpartum depression; and the rigid artificial families maintained by women in prison – all potentially perilous.” — Susanna Moore

Postpartum depression quotes to encourage one moment at a time

71. “Bad moments don’t make bad mamas”. –Lysa Terkeurst

72. “We can do no great things; only small things with great love.” –Mother Teresa

73. “Postpartum is a quest back to yourself. Alone in your body again. You will never be the same, you are stronger than you were.” –Amethyst Joy

74. “Babies are always more trouble than you thought – and more wonderful.” –Charles Osgood

75. “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” –Eleanor Roosevelt

76. “The key is that I control my life; my life doesn’t control me.” –Gabrielle Reece

77. “Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” –Mary Anne Redmacher

78. “Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them — every day begin the task anew.” –Saint Francis de Sales 

79. “It will get better and it will get worse. As so long as you have a beating heart in your chest, the sun will come up tomorrow and you will get to try again.” –Jamie Lynn Hutchings

80. “Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead -A lot of it.” –Jeffrey R Holland

Postpartum Depression Quotes To Keep Your Spirit Up

81.“Motherhood changed me because it is so fundamental what you’re doing for another person. And you are able to do it even though it takes a lot.” — Meg Ryan

82. “First ask yourself: What is the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst.” — Dale Carnegie

83. “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” — Albert Einstein

84.“Postpartum depression makes you suddenly feel like a stranger to yourself, but knowing the clinical facts are the first step toward wellness.”  — Judy Dippel

85.“The life in front of you is far more important than the life behind you.” — Joel Osteen

86. “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” — Albus Dumbledore

87. “Worry is a rocking chair; it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere.” — Erma Bombeck

88.“There is hope in knowing this about postpartum depression: You are not the only one to experience this confining, crazy making inner chaos within yourself.” — Judy Dippel

89. “Don’t waste time bathing in the negative experience. Spin your energy and focus your attention on moving on.” — Les Brown

90. “It really doesn’t matter what’s going on right now. The only thing that matters is what you’re go to do about it. Do something powerful!” — Les Brown

Postpartum Depression Quotes That Give Strength And Comfort

91. “Enjoy every single moment. The good, the bad, the beautiful, the not-so-glamorous moments. And thank God through it all.” — Meghan Matt

92. “Remember that depression changes the way you feel about yourself and your perceptions of the world around you, including your marriage.” — Karen Kleiman

93. “You’re not weak, just vulnerable. As a matter of fact, women are at their very most vulnerable during pregnancy and postpartum.” — Shoshana S. Bennett

94. “Do I wish I had never endured postpartum depression? Absolutely. But to deny the experience is to deny who I am.” — Bryce Dallas Howard

95. “Grief is depression in proportion to circumstance; depression is grief out of proportion to circumstance.” — Andrew Solomon

96. “Making the decision to have a child — it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” — Elizabeth Stone

97. “We’re not crazy or insane. We are just people living with a condition.” — Emma Sinclair

98. “Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” — Nora Ephron

99. “Postpartum is very real. And there’s so many resources that we just have to help each other find what they are and keep getting the word out there.” — Reese Witherspoon

100. “There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.” — John Green

What do you know about postpartum depression?

Eradicating the stigma around postpartum depression begins with continuing the conversation.

We hope that the above selection of quotes encourages you to talk about this topic with your family and friends.

Remember, it’s okay to not be okay. 

If postpartum depression has affected your life, there are many resources available for you to learn more about the illness and get the help you need.

Visit the National Institute of Mental Health to learn more about postpartum depression.

If you need support, visit the website of nonprofit organization Postpartum Support International to connect with resources in your area. 

What’s your experience with postpartum depression?

Do you have any other helpful postpartum depression quotes to add?

Let us know your thoughts down below.