On Friday, Alexandra from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, shared an Instagram photo with a moving caption about her experience with postpartum depression.
Alexandra described the experience as the "dark side" of pregnancy.
"Well, I know a lot of you guys are probably thinking 'why would she post this picture', but, it took me 18 months to get here, 18 months to not cry when I look in the mirror, 18 months to finally feel beautiful in my own skin again! No one warns you about the dark sides of motherhood and pregnancy, no one gives you a heads up on how much you change physically and mentally after you become a mother. It's been a long and hard postpartum ride for me. 18 months after my first son and 5 months after my second son I feel like I can finally see the light and it genuinely feels amazing. Cheers to you mamas who are battling postpartum depression and still getting up everyday for your children! Cheers to you mamas who still cry about the marks on your skin from birthing your perfect babies! Cheer to motherhood, cheers to knowing that this too shall pass! And things will get better."
The post has received hundreds of comments from people praising Alexandra for opening up about her journey.
Alexandra, who believes there is still a stigma around postpartum depression, told BuzzFeed she posted the image because she wanted to reach out to mothers who are dealing with similar issues: "I wanted other mums to know that they are not alone, I am right there with them."
"I think the only way to remove the stigma and make this topic easier to talk about is for mothers to talk about it openly."
If you think you or someone you know might be suffering from postpartum depression or a related illness, please visit PostpartumProgress.org.