Mum posts powerful picture showing the reality of postpartum depression

A mum has been praised for sharing a very honest look into her battle with postpartum depression.

Tori Block, from California, shared an emotional post on Instagram, which showed her breastfeeding her son while suffering an emotional breakdown.

No stranger to documenting her journey into parenting on the social networking site, Tori revealed that she finally had the courage to share the raw realities of postpartum depression to remind herself how far she has come in her battle.

In the caption she wrote alongside the picture, Tori recounts asking her husband Shiloh to snap the photo while she struggled to breastfeed their son 'so I could remember how far I’d come, if I ever came out of it'.

She said: 'I was lower than low, I wasn't even myself. Looking back at this photo I remember perfectly the pain I felt, the dread in waking up everyday, the physical pain that engulfed me from thoughts in my brain.

'I had never known consuming, mind altering emotion such as this that flooded every fiber of my being, making its way through my veins like a plague. This is what postpartum depression looks like, or at least what it did for me.'

Tori then revealed that at her lowest moment, she considered suicide to escape the overwhelming challenges that came with her postpartum depression.

She added: 'I didn't want to leave this life, but it seemed like the only way that would rid me of the pain I was in. I didn't ask for it, it wasn't welcome. But there it was, and I kicked its f***ing ass and beat it to the ground before I let it consume me, or much worse, take my life. #thisisppd'

Many praised Tori for her honest post, with one commenting: 'Oh my goodness mama... this shot is so raw, emotional, sad and empowering at the same time. You are so strong and made it to the other side. Big hugs.'

Another said: 'This is where I am now. Struggling to say the least. Thank you for showing me I am not alone.'

Tori now hopes to encourage other mums to speak up about their own experiences.

'We need to talk about this silent killer', she told Babble. 'I thought nobody could feel what I was feeling. Everyone I knew who had kids seemed to be going through motherhood with ease. I had this newfound, unreal, unexplainable love for this little baby, yet I was simultaneously severely depressed. I didn't understand it.

'Ask for help. There is zero shame in doing that. In fact, it makes you brave. Let those around you know what you're going through, you'd be surprised at their willingness to help.'