We were lucky to catch up with Amanda Barrett recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Amanda, really appreciate you opening up about a very personal topic with the hopes that it can help someone out there who might be going through it. What can you share with us about your journey with postpartum depression and how you overcame PPD? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
I was diagnosed with Postpartum Anxiety, but I think those fall in the same category so I hope it helps to discuss my own experience even though it technically isn’t PPD. I had severe PPA, and there were nights that it was incredibly bad. It was a very lonely feeling even though I have a very supportive husband. It made me feel like I was not a sane person, and it was overall really tough for me to admit some of the anxious thoughts and feelings I had. Eventually, I realized this couldn’t be normal – so I started therapy. Initially, I was doing BetterHelp and loved the anonymity of it. I don’t think there *should* be a stigma or shame around seeking therapy, but there often is and I felt that. Eventually, I really wanted a more “real” experience of therapy, so I figured out that my therapist was surprisingly local to me and I started seeing her via video calls and got even more out of it! She helped me SO MUCH to get through what was something real to be anxious about and what wasn’t. She taught me that anxiety has a very great purpose in our lives, until it crosses the line and takes over (which is what had happened to me with PPA, I was functioning purely out of anxiety). She helped me recognize the points at which I needed to shift, so that I didn’t keep going down the anxiety rabbit hole.
If it weren’t for my incredibly supportive husband and amazing therapist – I would probably still be struggling today!
PPA/PPD may not be “normal” but it IS very common. Don’t suffer alone. You are not a bad person for wanting help, you are not less of a mother, and you CAN get better. Lack of sleep in the first few months with your body and hormones changing are crazy combination of things that are stacked against you.
You’d be surprised how quickly things will improve by talking to a qualified person about what you are going through. They can give you all the tools to add to your toolbox so that soon enough, you’re fully equipped to get through situations better than you did before. I think it’s always a work in progress, but it doesn’t have to be so hard!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Hi! I’m a motherhood photographer serving the greater Nashville area. My business is named after me, easy to remember, Amanda Barrett Photography. I focus on helping families preserve the magic of motherhood (parenthood). This looks like a variety of things, but most prominently, this looks like helping you capture and preserve those tiny features before they change. I think it’s important to capture your daily life, but let’s face it – most of those images (while I do 100% believe they’re beautiful and important) don’t end up living on our walls. My job is to help you choose the most important images from your session, and get those printed whether that’s to live on your walls, in an heirloom album, or a beautiful keepsake box – or a mix of all of the above! I want your children to grow up in a home seeing their faces on the walls. This is another way to show them that they are important, they are a valued member of the family, they are loved. I can’t tell you how often my daughter talks about the pictures of her on the walls of our home. We often hear “that’s you, and that’s daddy and that’s me!” She knows she is part of us. Of course there are a million other ways to show her that (and we do), but this is a simple and fun way to show her as well! I help you create memories during a session, so those gorgeous images also are a reminder of the fun you created that day as a family!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Perseverance. Absolutely the number one thing for me has been perseverance. Starting a business from the ground up (even one that seems to be simple and straightforward on the outward appearance), is tough and not for the faint of heart. There are so many lessons and hardships along the way that you have to just keep going to get through. When I started, I didn’t realize how many “hats you have to wear” as a sole business owner. In my mind, it seemed simple enough, but there is so much more to it that goes on behind the scenes. You just have to decide you want it badly enough, and keep on going. When it gets tough, keep going.
Research. My corporate career was in research and development – and in general, research is just part of who I am. So, learning to adequately and appropriately research just about anything is a skill that has helped me build a business. I didn’t know the first thing about any of it, and had to take the time to teach myself (and it’s always a work in progress to stay up to date on all the things!) Don’t be afraid to ask questions, lots of them… and then go find the answers!
Communication. When you’re running your own business, communication skills are an absolute must. Not only for the sake and health of your business, but for your home life as well. Having open communication with my husband is vital for living this dream of mine. You’ll need great communication skills for so many things in business, whether for outsourcing, networking and certainly when working with clients. Learning effective communication comes with time and effort. Check out linkedin learning for some great resources, and honestly, consider going to therapy. I think everyone could use some of that anyway!
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Absolutely! I’d love to work with doulas, midwives, lactation consultants, and others in the service or retail industries who are serving pregnant women or moms of young children.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://amandabarrettphotography.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandabarrettphoto
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amandabarrettphoto
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amanda-barrett-photography-llc/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@amandabarrettphoto?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Image Credits
All images by Amanda Barrett Photography
