The Mother-to-Mother Postpartum Depression Support Book: Real Stories from Women Who Lived Through It and Recovered

by Sandra Poulin

“I thought I was the only one...” After she gave birth to a bouncing baby girl, Sandra Poulin felt like crying. And she did—for months. But they weren’t happy tears—Sandra felt worthless, could hardly sleep, and had thoughts of death. Like too many mothers around the world, Sandra had no idea that this common but baffling condition had a Postpartum Depression... “Shouldn’t this be the happiest time of my life?” What kind of mother, some might wonder, could feel depressed after having been so richly blessed with a baby? The every kind, women from all walks of life, from all over the world, younger and older. And here, in a unique collection, are their stories of battles with PPD, with intimate details about the symptoms, the struggles, and the strategies that helped them emerge victorious. Written by mothers, for mothers, this collection is an uplifting, enlightening—and perhaps even lifesaving—book.

Genres: Self Help, Mental Health

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so integral to my healing when going through PPD.

When I read this, I was so relieved to know that other women out there had gone through EXACTLY the same thing. They were all so honest and candid, which gave me the courage to do the same.

At one point, I even emailed the author to get some information on her treatment. Not only did she email me back with tons of personal details and information, but she checked in with me a couple of times during my recovery.

If you or anyone you know is unlucky enough to experience PPD, this book is a MUST have.

[Ciara · Rating 4 out of 5]

i checked this book out of the library like six weeks ago, when we first brought ramona home from the hospital & i was really struggling with how i felt about everything. i thought i might be sinking into partpartum depression, & the fact that i knew about it & had the wherewithal to go to the library & look for resources that could help me before things got out of hand is a testament to how much things have changed since the women in this book struggled with their post-baby depression experiences. a lot of them say things like, "we do well baby checks. well, they should do well mommy checks where women are screened for PPD symptoms before they leave the hospital & every appointment after that. there should be posters on the walls of OB offices listing depression warning symptoms."

i was screened like crazy for post-partum depression, though things were complicated by the difficult circumstances of my delivery & the fact that my baby was in the NICU. one of the red flags for PPD is, "are you unreasonably concerned about your baby's health?" when your baby is in the NICU, it's kind of hard to know what kind of concern is "unreasonable," you know? i was asked if i cried a lot. of course is did...but again, my baby was in the hospital. how much of the crying was in response to out of control hormones & a spiral into depression, & how much of it was a perfectly logical response to a really shitty situation?

anyway, my point is that obviously awareness of post-partum depression has changed pretty rapidly, thanks in part to books like this, i am sure. by the time i finally scrounged up the time to read it, i was pretty over my issues, but it was still interesting & useful to read it. poulin breaks the interviees experiences down into 18 categories, including moms of multiples, women who are angry at their husbands, women with breastfeeding problems, women who had PPD with every baby, & women who experiences postpartum psychosis. some of the stuff in the book could potentially be scary to a woman experiencing these symptoms, & there are far more references to god, the bible, jeses, etc than i was prepared for. i get that spirituality can help people through their worst moments, but there were no references to, say, allah or buddhist teachings. hmmm. but i did like that poulin made an effort to keep chapters short & easily digestible for moms without a lot of time for reading.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me all of an hour to read. If you're looking for support, or validation of any sort after having a baby, this book is for you. It covers every single scenario and situation after any type of birth. It's very relatable and helpful. All of these women in the book have completely recovered and that is so helpful to read about.

[Marenthacker]

I'm not sure if I had PPD or not, but just general postpartum issues are also discussed in this book. I think it is good to understand what does/could happen even if it hasn't happened to you, so you can be of assistance to other people as well.

[Maegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this book to anyone dealing with PPD in themselves or with a loved one. It's a bit like a "chicken soup" book, small vignettes of a woman's experience. Some very helpful hints.

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the stories in this book and think it will help mothers suffering from PPD to read and see that it will get better. However, I am not a fan of it being used as a school book for writing papers and critical appraisals because these are personal stories and I don't want to pick apart their stories.