Valerie Keinsley is a Christian, wife, mama to two, and home business owner residing in Indiana. She joins me on the podcast today to share her journey of dealing with prenatal and postpartum depression and anxiety, in the hopes that doing so will encourage fellow mamas and inspire them to be open and honest about their own struggles. I know the way she shares her heart today will be an encouragement to you and will provide the permission you may be needing to seek healing for whatever struggle you are currently facing.
What we Chat about in this Episode
~Valerie’s journey of dealing with both prenatal and postpartum depression and anxiety; how she came to realize what she was experiencing was more than just a case of the “baby blues”
~The fact that full-blown depression is not a gratitude issue in the life of a Christian; rather, it is a true medical illness that requires treatment
~How Valerie has gone about treating her depression even while pregnant
~How we go about reconciling taking medication every day while also having a crunchy mindset; the blessing that modern medicine can be
~The danger of the flippant “encouraging” things we say to struggling new moms; the importance of paying attention to those pleas for help from new moms
~The warning signs for postpartum depression that we need to be on the lookout for in ourselves and others
~Specific ways we can reach out to and serve those mamas we know who are struggling with prenatal or postpartum depression or anxiety
~Viewing treating your depression or anxiety as a means of serving your family
~How this journey has affected Valerie’s relationships, in particular her marriage
~And more!
Resources Mentioned
~“How to Talk so Little Kids will Listen: A Survival Guide to Life with Children Ages 2-7” by Joanna Faber and Julie King
~“Rest, Play, Grow: Making Sense of Preschoolers (Or Anyone Who Acts Like One” by Deborah MacNamara
~15% off discount code for Personal Creations’ Religious Gifts collection: GIFT15
Inspiring Quotes from Valerie
“You don’t need permission to go to your doctor and get help. True full-blown depression is not a gratitude issue. It’s a very real thing, it’s a medical illness you need to seek treatment for - and there is no shame in doing that.”
“God was not surprised when I was diagnosed with postpartum depression. It is a beautiful thing to be able to remember that, though I was surprised by it, He never was, and I can trust in His perfect plan.”
“Getting treatment is not only an investment in you, it’s an investment in your whole family. A mother is the heart of her home, so a healthy me means a healthy, whole family.”
“When you get vulnerable, if gives other people permission to do the same.”
“I regularly have to ask myself, if I were to loose everything tomorrow - my husband, my children, my friends, everything, would Jesus be enough?”
Where You Can Find Valerie Online
Website – ValierieKeinsley.com
Instagram – @valeriekeinsley
Valerie’s Etsy Shop - VallarinaCreative
To Leave a Rating and Review on iTunes
Have you been encouraged or inspired by today’s episode? If so, could I ask a little favor? If you could leave the podcast a rating and review in iTunes, that would be amazing! The more ratings and reviews a podcast receives, the more iTunes shows that podcast to other folks searching for shows to listen to, so by leaving me a rating and review, you truly are partnering with me in this podcast ministry to encourage and help as many women as we possibly can. Thank you so much for taking the time to do that! Here’s how:
If you’re on your computer:
- Access iTunes on your desktop and type Home and Hearth in the search box on the upper right hand corner.
- Click on the podcast photo when it comes up
- Click on “Ratings and Reviews” beneath the podcast title
- Under “Customer Reviews”, click on “Write a Review”
- Click on how many stars you want to rate the podcast and then write out your review and click submit
- You’re done! Thank you so much!!
If you’re on your phone:
- Open the podcasts app
- Click the search button on the bottom righthand corner (the magnifying glass) and type in Home and Hearth in the search box that will appear at the top of your screen
- Click on the podcast photo when it pops up
- Click on the reviews button near the top middle of the screen
- Scroll down a bit, if needed, until you see “Write a Review” and click on that
- Click on how many starts your want to rate the podcast, write out your review, and click “send” when finished
- You’re done! Thank you so much!!
How You Can Listen to the Podcast
~Here on the blog
~on iTunes
~on Stitcher
~on TuneIn
~on the Podcast Addict App
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