"Being a Daddy has been without a doubt the greatest experience of my life. I have three awesome kids who I love unconditionally, they are aged 7,4, and 1. We play together or dance together every night and sometimes we play video games together, whatever hits our mood. Life is good. But not always easy or smooth. I’ve had my fair share of tribulations raising three kids. Thinking back on the tribulations, the worst moments have been the nights.

Our first kid and our last didn’t sleep, and my wife and I were constantly getting up in the middle of the night. When I become so sleep deprived, it affects my mood and mental state. As it would anyone. As my first got older, things got easier, I got a new job, and my depression went away. Years later my wife came to me telling me she has realized she had postpartum depression and wanted me to go on a walk with her with a group advocating for the awareness of postpartum depression. At the walk they had a few quick speakers and one mentioned that men also suffer from postpartum which made me realize that I had suffered from postpartum depression. The depression, lack of sleep, terrible thoughts, things I had gone through but just thought I was either a terrible person or a weak man. Not realizing what I was suffering from at the time.

When my second was born, I suffered from none of this. She was a great baby. Sweet and loving. Slept through the night. Then the third came. I mentioned they still don’t sleep right? When those same old feelings of depression began creeping back in I was able to realize what was happening this time around. My wife knew that ReBlossom was dedicated to the mental health of parents and reached out to them. They set me up with a program to give me six sessions with a therapist, Dr. Stevens. At first I didn’t really know what to expect. I had never talked to a therapist before. I met with Dr. Stevens and before I knew it, an hour had passed like it was five minutes. After each meeting I felt more comfortable with Dr. Stevens until it became something I looked forward to. I genuinely enjoyed my time with him and getting to talk to someone outside my immediate circle. It certainly helped my mood and helped me realize that I’m doing ok as a father and depression is a temporary hurdle in the road.

After the six sessions were over and I graduated from the mental wellness program he turned to me and told me I was a good father and that while I may be in the thick of it now, it will pass and get easier. I think about that a lot now that the program is over. I am genuinely grateful to ReBlossom for the opportunity to improve my mental health and the support I received. They helped make my life a little less heavy and helped me navigate the fog to help keep me on the path I need to be on. Thank you ReBlossom and Dr. Stevens."