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The story starts with a beautiful birth and an answered prayer—then swerves into a darkness many parents never talk about. Audrey Frasier, a nurse and mom of two, opens up about the weeks after welcoming her second baby: elimination diets that collapsed to eight foods, mastitis and high fevers, a house hit by COVID, and nights carved into 30-minute scraps of sleep. Under the weight of it all, the thought finally surfaced: “I’m not okay.” Naming it—postpartum depression—changed the course.

We walk the full arc with her: the slow-building overwhelm, the moment a friend heard the strain over the phone, and the choice to stop breastfeeding cold turkey with compassion and closure. From there, the plan sharpens—medication adjusted, therapy booked, a lactation consultant who asked what “goodbye” needed to look like, and a midwife who treated food and sleep as clinical interventions. Most of all, the community moved. Friends mapped coverage for the fragile hours, organized a new meal train, showed up for six-hour stretches, and made sure she wasn’t alone long enough to sink.

What follows is a steady return: the baby’s screams fade on formula, eye contact turns into bonding, and the home breathes again. Audrey’s honesty reframes maternal mental health: postpartum depression isn’t just sadness—it can be rage, numbness, and feeling trapped while performing well on the outside. It’s also survivable with a clear name, a reachable plan, and people who carry some of the weight. If you’ve ever felt that fog—or know someone who might—this conversation offers a map, language, and hope.

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