Melissa White grew up in a small town in Northern California, where she resided until graduating high school in 1998.
After high school Melissa moved to San Diego, California to attend San Diego State University. While living in San Diego, Melissa began going to The Rock Church. After attending for a few weeks, she began to see that God loved her. Not only loved her, but wanted a relationship with her. At 20 years old, Melissa became a Christian and began living for God.
In 2003 Melissa married her best friend Ryan. Ryan and Melissa had been friends since high school and started dating soon after. In 2004 Melissa received a Bachelors of Science degree in the field of Computer Engineering and started working for a defense company in San Diego.
In 2005 Melissa and Ryan welcomed their first daughter Hailey. After having Hailey, Melissa began experiencing severe anxiety, fearing for her daughter’s safety. She struggled silently for three years, until she felt God urging her to seek counseling.
Through the counseling Melissa learned to use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help ease her anxiety and fear. It was then she realized that she had unresolved issues from her childhood. These issues were triggered after having her first child and were the root of her anxiety.
Still feeling the grip of her dysfunctional upbringing Melissa again turned to God for ultimate healing and freedom. During her Women’s Bible Studies, she was able to find true liberty through God’s word. Through the Bible study, Breaking Free: Making Liberty in Christ a Reality in Life, Melissa was released from the chains of fear that bound her, almost her entire life.
Since then, Melissa wrote the book, It’s Not the Baby Crying: A Woman’s Struggle with Postpartum Depression, where she shares this powerful story. Melissa talks about the disturbing thoughts of harm coming to her baby. She describes the strong grasp worry had over her. And she creates a window into her childhood, to allow the reader to see how her mind had become so broken. Melissa’s hope is that postpartum women struggling with disturbing thoughts, fear, and worry can find healing too. By sharing her story, she hopes that other women will not suffer for as long as she did.
Melissa now lives in Northern California with her husband Ryan and their two daughters, Hailey and Samantha. |
