Coast mother uses endurance training to combat postpartum depression

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) – People feel called to exercise for many reasons — whether it be weight loss, heart health, or recreation. But for one woman on the Coast, it’s fueling her quest to be the best mother she can be.

Bridgette Hamlett is a safety worker at Chevron, a volunteer firefighter, a mother and an endurance athlete.

Hamlett was a college softball player, but her dedication to endurance training did not come until after the birth of her second child.

“One day, I was just doing a CrossFit workout post-partum. I was a couple of months postpartum, and it just hit me: ‘This workout really sucks.’ I just thought about that deeper, and I just came up with the choice to learn to be okay with being uncomfortable,” Hamlett said.

Mental health and fitness

Hamlett said exercise helped boost her mental health after the birth of her second child.

“After my second son, I did have postpartum depression, and I was very fortunate to have a husband that did pay attention to me and was able to notice the signs, but I think that if I didn’t have my workout community and I wasn’t working out the way that I was, it could have went a lot worse,” Hamlett said.

According to the Mississippi State Department of Health, based on 2021 data, nearly 21% of women in the state reported symptoms of postpartum depression.

Hamlett is encouraging new mothers to take up fitness.

“Pregnancy in itself is kind of rough. So, I think staying active while pregnant is the biggest tip I can give anyone,” Hamlett said. “It gave me an outlet and a way to feel refreshed when I started getting really anxious about things. It is 100% the best medicine for that.”

Hamlett still feels the call to challenge herself, hoping to teach her kids valuable lessons in the process.

“Constantly, in my mind I’m thinking, ‘Man, if I quit, then I show them it’s okay to quit, and if I keep going, I show them that hard work does pay off,’” Hamlett said. “I just want to show my kids that it is okay to be uncomfortable, and that’s just life.”

Hamlett has her eyes set on the Clash Endurance Duathlon, prepping for over 20 miles of running and biking.

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