Why I Created Faith-Based Postpartum Affirmation Cards

I created these postpartum affirmation cards with myself in mind first.

I knew I was going into a postpartum season again, and I did not want to enter that season without reminders I could hold onto.

My first postpartum season was marked by depression, anxiety, and rage. Six years later, as I prepared for my second postpartum season, I knew I needed something different.

The first time around was incredibly hard. I was isolated during my pregnancy and postpartum season. I did not have the support I wish I had. And even when people tried to encourage me, I struggled to believe what they were saying was true.

People could tell me, “You’re a good mom.”

They could tell me, “This season will pass.”

They could tell me, “There are better days ahead.”

But in the middle of postpartum depression, anxiety, and rage, I could not fully receive those words.

I wanted to believe them.

I just could not.

I Felt Alone, Even When I Wasn’t Technically Alone

One of the hardest parts of that first postpartum season was the loneliness.

There were people who wanted to be around me. My husband was there. People cared. People wanted to help.

But I still felt alone.

Because I was the only one carrying what I was carrying in my body, my mind, and my spirit.

No matter how close someone was to me, they were not carrying the same weight I was. They were not inside the thoughts I was having. They were not feeling the anxiety, rage, fear, sadness, and exhaustion in the same way.

That kind of loneliness can be confusing.

You can be surrounded by people and still feel completely isolated.

You can be loved and still feel unseen.

You can have people nearby and still feel like no one understands the heaviness happening inside of you.

That was part of why I knew I needed something different the second time around.

I Needed More Than Words

When I prepared for my second postpartum season, I knew I needed more than a plan.

Yes, I needed support.
Yes, I needed people around me.
Yes, I needed to be honest about what I had experienced before.

But I also needed a way to remind myself of what was true when I could not find the words.

And for me, that came back to faith.

The first time around, it was not just that I struggled to believe encouraging words from other people. I even struggled to believe the scripture I was reading.

I would thumb through my Bible, trying to find a verse that stuck with me. I would try to pray, but sometimes the only prayer I could offer felt like begging God to save me in the dark moments.

I needed scripture and prayers that were already connected to the feelings I was having.

I needed reminders that pointed directly toward the places where I felt afraid, guilty, overwhelmed, angry, lonely, and unsure.

I needed something physical.

Something I could print out.
Hold.
Read.
Pray.
Return to.

I Needed Reminders I Could Believe Slowly

I needed to be reminded that I was still the mom I was intended to be.

I needed to be reminded that God was right there beside me, even on the hardest days.

I needed to be reminded that the sleepless nights and scary thoughts were not the whole truth about me.

I needed to be reminded that this season would not last forever.

I needed a safe place to return when I could not find safety inside my own thoughts.

These cards came from the things the first version of me could not believe yet.

They came from the reminders I wish I had during that first postpartum season.

They came from knowing that if I needed them, another mom might need them too.

These Cards Are For The Mom Who Needs Something Gentle

These cards are for the mom who is in postpartum now.

They are for the mom preparing for postpartum and feeling afraid of what might come.

They are for the mom who has heard scary stories about postpartum and wonders what her own season will look like.

They are for the mom who has already been through postpartum depression, anxiety, rage, or loneliness and wants to prepare differently next time.

They are also for the person who loves a mom and wants to give her something meaningful, gentle, and faith-rooted.

These cards are for moms carrying guilt, fear, anxiety, rage, sadness, or overwhelm.

They are for moms who love their children deeply but are struggling internally.

They are for moms who need reminders they can actually receive on a hard day.

Not Another Thing To Perform

I did not create these cards to become another pressure-filled practice.

They are not a checklist.
They are not another routine to keep up with.
They are not something you have to put on a daily reminder and then feel guilty about when you forget.

They are simply something that can be there when you need it.

You can print them out. Keep them beside you. Tuck them somewhere safe. Pull one out when you feel low.

Read it.

Pray it.

Breathe in and breathe out.

Let the words sit with you.

That is enough.

A Reminder For The Hard Season

If you are in a hard season of motherhood, I want you to know this:

You are still the mom you were intended to be.

God has not left you alone in this.

And you will get through this season.

You can find the affirmation cards at mamaoutspoken.com/affirmations.

I hope they can be a blessing to you or to a mom you know.