I know how hard it is to look at yourself after pregnancy and feel like the mirror is fighting you. That feeling of wanting to be present, wanting to feel like yourself, and still being met with pain when you look at your own body is something too many of us carry in silence. When I say, "I want you but the mirror won't let me," I am talking about the kind of postpartum struggle people do not always see. It is heavy, isolating, and real.

Postpartum depression and body-image struggles do not always look dramatic from the outside. Sometimes they look like quiet disconnection, shame, and feeling trapped inside a version of yourself you do not recognize. Too many parents are expected to push through, smile through it, and figure it out alone after giving birth. That is not care. That is abandonment at one of the most vulnerable points in a person's life.

I am calling on healthcare systems, obstetric providers, and maternal care clinics to require postpartum mental health screenings at every follow-up visit, not just a quick physical check. Parents should be asked real questions about depression, anxiety, and emotional distress, and they should be connected to support before they hit a breaking point. Postpartum care must treat mental health as essential, not optional.

If you know what it feels like to struggle after birth and have no one notice, please stand with me. If you love someone who has been there, stand with us too. Sign this petition and demand postpartum care that sees the whole person, not just the pregnancy.