Beyond the Baby Blues: Anxiety and Depression During and After Pregnancy

by Rebecca Fox Starr

Most people have heard of post-partum depression. What many people do not know is that anxiety and depression can be experienced during pregnancy, as well, and the impact can be both debilitating and devastating. This book is a unique combination of one woman’s story of her struggle with perinatal distress and actionable advice from a professional in the field. Rebecca Fox Starr shares her personal story of marriage, motherhood, prenatal anxiety and depression, severe postpartum anxiety and depression, recovery process and hope for the future. Woven throughout the narrative, Dr. Amy Wenzel, a specialist in the field of Perinatal Mood Disorders, provides readers with clinical information and advice, addressing risk factors, warning signs, definitions and recovery options. Stories from other women who experienced prenatal anxiety or depression are included as well. No longer do women have to suffer in silence, question their symptoms, or try to hide their feelings. Here, readers will see themselves in the narrative and understand that the devastating effects of prenatal and post-partum depression can be confirmed, treated, and managed, giving them hope for a brighter future.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Mental Health, Self Help

160 pages, Hardcover

Published December 22, 2017

Reviews

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really important topic, so I’m glad Starr told her story and is working to end the stigma. She encourages new moms who are struggling to get the professional help they need, find support from loved ones, and treat themselves gently.

Unfortunately, I thought the writing needed editing... it’s full of clichés (comparing mental health to battle, storms, climbing uphill, fog, needing to put your own oxygen mask on first, etc.) and a bit wordy on how aMAZing her children are. It also feels more like a series of blog posts than a cohesive book. Sadly, I found it light on the promised “actionable advice” too. And it might need a trigger warning for pregnant women who are anxious about how birth will go?

Edited to add: in this vein, I *highly* recommend Megan Stielstra’s essays on her postpartum experience in “The Wrong Way to Save Your Life.”

[Mary Moury · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I misunderstood. I was looking for help with my own postpartum struggles and reading about her own rough battles only made mine flare. We desperately need more conversation about this topic, but this was not the book for me.

[~Reading Rambler~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative, and show the stories of different women that are suffering or have suffered from postpartum depression and what it can do to you.
I DO NOT recommend this book this to anyone that is pregnant. It has a lot of topics in it that can be very triggering. If you are currently suffering from postpartum depression I don't think I would recommend it then either. This book seems more like it is geared towards preventing depression than showing you the way out.

[Tonja Candelaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rating on this will rely heavily on the reader’s experience and where they are on their own journey. I applaud the author for writing some raw and clearly painful details. I think it’s also important that she opened up a conversation on what some women also experience during pregnancy and not just postpartum.

For me this book was difficult as it stirred up a lot of buried feelings I had around a scary birth, but I also think I needed it. It also hit home for me the way the author talked about the different ways passion can look in a relationship and the experience of the spouse and lack of experience/support for them as the non-patient.

[Nicole Fowler · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Valentine Lin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't feel like this book provided what it said it would. Sure, it has stories of PPD and the more women telling their stories and ending the stigma the better, but I didn't come away from this book feeling reassured or armed with coping techniques at all. If anything, it made me waaaaaay more anxious and aware of things that can go wrong with a pregnancy and postpartum period.

As a side note, the author was incorrect in some of the medical info she gave (for example, VBAC is possible and meconium stained amniotic fluid is not a sure sign of fetal distress), and her giving this false info can add to women's feelings of anxiety and dread.

I do not recommend this book.

[Cate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful read, I hope I don't ever have postpartum depression, but at least I'll be better equipped to handle it should I have it, and I'll be better able to empathize with those who do. It's good that this is being talked about.

[Adina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing. It’s honest, raw, sweet, and incredibly insightful! All parents to be, and their families, should read this book.

[Brooke Steffen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting information to know. Some of the stories were anxiety-inducing for me!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw and real stories that don’t sugar coat the scariness of PPD. Uplifting and hopeful!

[corie duff · Rating 5 out of 5]

So relatable

I couldn't put this book down, it was everything I'd hoped. I giggled, I agreed out loud and I cried. This book was real, honest and relatable. I am in a postpartum depression support group and have mentioned this book and read piece of it to my group.

[Elizabeth Masucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book on perinatal mood disorders

I was so moved by all of the honesty in these women’s stories. Rachel is so raw and eloquent. I highly recommend this book to every new mother out there.