When the Winter Blues Hit Hard: How I’m Coping with Postpartum Seasonal Affective Disorder (and One Tiny Thing That Helps)
Battling postpartum seasonal affective disorder? Here’s how one mom is finding small win, and how a simple pacifier wristband, the Ingy Bingy Band, became a quiet lifesaver.
By Emily Rogers
There’s something about winter that hits different as a new mom. The days are shorter, the house feels smaller, and even the simplest tasks, emptying the dishwasher, making breakfast, or reading a board book, feel like heavy lifting.
I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety since I was a teenager, but postpartum seasonal affective disorder (yep, that’s a mouthful) brought a whole new level of exhaustion. It’s the kind that makes you stare at the ceiling at 3 a.m., knowing your baby will be up again soon, and wonder how you’ll find the energy to do it all over again.
If you’re there too, mama, I see you. You’re not lazy. You’re not broken. Your brain and body are doing their best to keep up in a season that feels dark in more ways than one.
One thing I’ve learned through all of this is that the little things really do matter. When you’re in survival mode, even small wins count as big victories. And that’s where something as simple as the Ingy Bingy Band, a pacifier wristband that velcros right around your baby’s wrist, became my quiet little hero.
Because let’s be honest, when your infant pacifier keeps falling out, it’s never just about the pacifier. It’s the constant bending over, searching under the couch, washing it again, and feeling your frustration spike for the tenth time that morning. The Ingy Bingy Band keeps the pacifier right where baby needs it, no more crawling around on the floor while your coffee gets cold (again).
It’s such a simple thing, but for me, it was one less stressor, one less meltdown trigger, one less reason to cry over something small that wasn’t really small at all.
So if you’re deep in the winter blues of new motherhood, give yourself grace. Let the dishes sit. Order takeout. Cry if you need to. And maybe, just maybe, make life a tiny bit easier with tools that help, like this sweet little pacifier bracelet that’s saved me more times than I can count.
Because mama, you deserve ease. You deserve small wins. And you deserve to feel a little more like yourself again, even if it starts with something as simple as an infant pacifier that finally stays put.
The Ingy Bingy Band is not your everyday pacifier clip! This game-changing pacifier wristband helps babies self-soothe at a younger age than ever before! Instinctively, babies gnaw on their hands in an attempt to soothe. The Ingy Bingy pacifier wristband keeps their pacifier right where they’ll find it, allowing your baby to comfort and calm themselves while you do whatever it is you need to do!
Our buttery soft wristband comes in two styles to accommodate every pacifier.
Our Pacific style should be used when your baby’s pacifier holes are near their nose and chin when in use. It is most commonly used with Avent, BIBS, Dr. Brown’s, MAM, Nuby, NUK, Medela, FRIGG, Nanobébé, Tommee Tippee, and Chicco pacifiers.
Our Sequoia style should be used when your baby’s pacifier holes are near their nose and chin when in use. It is most commonly used with Itzy Ritzy, Ryan & Rose, and The Dearest Grey pacifiers.
If you are still unsure which pacifier wristband style is right for you, check out our style guide or text the name and/or picture of your preferred paci & we’ll let you know which style is right for you!