The book I have been reading I have just fallen in love with. Down Came the Rain: My Journey through postpartum depression by Brooke Shields.
Normally I'm not into celebrity reading, but this one appealed to me. Just knowing someone famous has been through what I have and is unafraid to speak about it and write about it is very encouraging.
Reading this book was almost like reading my life story...with the exception that I'm not famous. We both went through infertility, though she had to go through IVF to get pregnant. Luckily I did not. The feelings and emotions she felt shortly after her daughter was born were so similiar to mine it's frightening. Just knowing I'm not alone in the way I was feeling and that I wasn't crazy was so helpful. Knowing I wasn't the only mom who wanted to run away made some of the guilt go away.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has gone through or is going through postpartum depression. I also recommend it to those who are currently pregnant. I was not informed on PPD at all before I had Ryan. I was so clueless, and I had never even heard of the possibility of having a crippling depression afterwards. It literally came out of nowhere. PPD affects 1 out of 10 women, ranging from mild depression to severe and even postpartum psychosis. One is more susceptible to PPD if one has gone through infertility, a difficult pregnancy or birth, a history of depression, including previous PPD. It's a common disorder that affects more women than we know and is not talked about much.
Kudos to Brooke for bringing it to light.
2 comments:
It is only through sharing the good times & bad that we seem to bond and understand each other as women. Thank God for that!!
I haven't had PPD, but agree far too few recognize & treat it. I hope all is well with you and your boys.
I just picked this up on audio book based upon your recommendation and I am LOVING it! I was never a Brooke Shields fan at all, but she is interesting, funny, and a really good writer! I have also started watching her new tv series Lipstick Jungle and like her there as well. I can't wait to get more into the book; I am in the beginning still with the miscarriage after the 1st IVF.
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