Supermom: A Postpartum Anxiety Survival Story

by Stacey Ackerman

When your plate is too full, it eventually tips. Welcome to the world of a Supermom. When an overachieving, successful businesswoman tries to be perfect in every role of her life, it leads her onto a dark road of postpartum anxiety and panic disorder with psychotic features. A poignant memoir written with humor and heartache, this autobiography details the other side of postpartum anxiety, panic, and psychosis. Ackerman gently walks readers through her terrifying journey of how a seemingly charming life unfolds into a nightmare of physical and mental breakdown, ending with inspirational, heart-wrenching inner strength that gives hope to a world of women. Stacey Ackerman, otherwise known as Supermom, is an overachieving, type-A personality who survived a serious and debilitating mental health disorder after the birth of her third child. She shares her story in the hopes of helping other women survive a similar trauma. Her ordeal proves that a mental breakdown can happen to anyone, erasing the stigma of mental illness.

160 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2011

Reviews

[Sarah-Mae Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book when I began to notice my mood changing six weeks after the birth of my first son. Reading this account of one woman's struggle with Postpartum Anxiety helped me to take the steps required to put aside my ego and seek help. While the results (for me) were not related to a mental illness, I was falling into the same Type A "Supermom" personality traits that Stacey discusses as being more prone to anxiety and panic disorders; "I get bored, then overschedule my life, do ten things at once most of the time, run on an adrenaline rush, then come crashing down with exhaustion" (pg.125)

Stacey's story gave a lot of good insight into the world of perinatal and postpartum mood disorders and the stigma surrounding them. It also brought up a lot of very strong points about how the "system" fails to address these diseases and is not always approaching them properly: "I would love for there to be a place where new moms could go for support and healing, that is not in the confines of a mental health institution. In the future I would love to see more education on postpartum anxiety and other perinatal mood disorders, not just depression" (pg.128).

Overall, a very interesting read of one strong woman's struggle with postpartum anxiety and the system in which she was placed to heal.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been a long time since I have read a whole book in one day-- but this one, I did. I am so thrilled to see a book about postpartum mood disorders that are so rarely talked about. Kudos to Stacey for sharing her experience with people, in the hopes that they will not be ashamed to speak up if they are struggling as new parents.