Women's Moods: What Every Woman Must Know About Hormones, the Brain, and Emotional Health

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Summary: Gratefully loving every minute with my new baby!
Review: When I was 5 months pregnant with my second child, a good friend suggested I read this book. I can't thank her enough! Though I had suffered greatly with depression after my first pregnancy, I had been unable to bring myself to get professional help. My upbringing had embedded in my mind the idea that "popping pills" was an easy way out for those people incapable of dealing with their own "true" feelings. So I tried (unsuccessfully) to combat my postpartum sadness, self-hatred, and anxiety with exercise, sunshine, good diet, etc., and to brush it all off as sleep deprivation and new-mom adjustment. Although this book stresses that sleep, exercise, and nutrition are important, it also helped me to accept that for some women, anti-depressant drugs may be the only way to successfully counteract the influence of hormones on thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Near the end of my second pregnancy, when I began to dread the birth of my baby, I became a patient of Driscoll's and decided to give anti-depressants a try. I'm now thoroughly enjoying every minute with my second baby, and I'm regretting greatly that the year after my first child's birth was a time of such great sadness. If you feel you may be depressed but are finding that you can't bring yourself to get professional help, this book may give you the nudge you need.