"Channel B"

“Channel B”

By:Megan Stielstra

"Postpartum Depression"
Postpartum depression is something that happens to millions of
new mothers and fathers all over the world. It can have a great toll
someone's mental health, and it can last forever if it isn't treated.
For more information on PPD and for ways to find help visit http://www.postpartumprogress.com/the-symptoms-of-postpartum-depression-anxiety-in-plain-mama-english
(Picture provided by: womenshealthmag.com)

Megan Stielstra is the author of three collections titled: The Wrong Way To Save Your Life, Once I Was Cool, and Everyone Remain Calm. Also according to her website, meganstielstra.com, she goes around the country to classrooms and conferences to speak on the importance of writing and having an education. She also teaches a creative nonfiction class at Northwestern University. Her essay “Channel B” was featured in the 2013 edition of The Best American Essays, and it is the story of her postpartum depression after childbirth. Months after she had given birth to her son she couldn’t call him by his name; he was just Boy with a capital b or Him with a capital h. While looking at her son’s baby monitor one night, she realizes someone else’s baby is being shown on channel b. Although it was awkward watching a stranger’s baby, she just wondered how the mother was dealing with her new child and it wasn’t until one special night she found out. The author was in a slump and when she heard the mother on channel b crying, for the first time in a while, she knew she was not alone. When spring came, the author’s postpartum depression was gone and so was the stranger’s on channel b.

Nobody is alone in the world, whether we want to believe it or not. Someone is bound to be in the same situation that you might find yourself in, and it is okay because you will find a way out of your slump. This was the purpose of Megan Stielstra’s “Channel B” and she aimed it towards those who are depressed and feel trapped in their situation. The context of this essay has to do with postpartum depression awareness and the toll it can have on somebody. Postpartum depression (PPD) can affect anyone and it comes in different forms that not many people know about. It can affect both men and women, and we should take some time to realize that it does take a large toll on someone’s mental health. The author describes everything in a way that makes it seem so vivid and she is very descriptive about everything she’s feeling, so she really helps the reader understand what she is going through. I believe Megan Stielstra accomplished her purpose because when she finds out the stranger on channel b is going through the same thing she no longer felt so secluded from the rest of the world. She showed the reader that there is someone who has/is going through what you’re dealing with, and she gave the readers hope. We should have hope for a better tomorrow, whether we get one or not.