First published 2009
Heather Armstrong thought she knew what motherhood would bring. She gave up beer, antidepressants, and her small chest when she and husband Jon decided to have a baby. The eighteen months that followed brought anxiety, constipation, nacho cheese Doritos, and love that threatened to explode her heart. As baby Leta grew and Jon returned to work, Heather faced lonely days and sleepless nights filled with endless screaming. Sometimes she wished she had never become a mother. Just as she prepared to hurl another gallon of milk at her husband, she committed herself to a mental hospital for a short stay. It became the best decision she ever made for her family. The creator of the wildly popular blog dooce.com shares her battle with postpartum depression alongside all the unglamorous details of pregnancy and motherhood that nobody mentions. She reveals how boring it becomes to care for someone who communicates primarily through bowel movements, and how that irresistible fresh baby smell can redeem everything.
Genres: mental-health, memoir, non-fiction, parenting
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: overcoming-adversity, personal-journey
272 pages · Hardcover · Gallery Books
Content warnings: depression, mental-illness