Mothering Through the Darkness: Women Open Up about the Postpartum Experience - Paperback

by Stephanie Sprenger (Editor), Jessica Smock (Editor)

Approximately 1 in 7 women suffer from postpartum depression after having a baby. Many more may experience depression during pregnancy, postpartum anxiety, OCD, and other mood disorders. Postpartum depression is, in fact, the most common pregnancy-related complication--yet confusion and misinformation about this disorder are still widespread. And these aren't harmless myths: the lack of clarity surrounding mothers' mental health challenges can have devastating effects on their well-being and their identities as mothers, which too often leads to shame and inadequate treatment. In this one-of-a-kind anthology, thirty mothers break the silence to dispel myths about postpartum mental health issues and explore the diversity of women's experiences. Powerful and inspiring, Mothering Through the Darkness will comfort every mother who's ever felt alone, ashamed, and hopeless--and, hopefully, inspire her to speak out.

Author Biography

Stephanie Sprenger is a freelance writer, editor, music therapist, and mother of two young girls. Her work has been featured in Brain, Child magazine, The Huffington Post, and Mamalode, among other publications. She was a member of the 2013 cast of Listen to Your Mother Denver and was named one of BlogHer's 2014 Voices of the Year. She lives in Colorado with her family.

Jessica Smock is a writer, educator, former teacher, researcher, and mom to a toddler son and new baby girl. She earned her doctorate in educational policy and development from Boston University last year and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wesleyan University. She writes about parenting, education, and books at her blog, School of Smock, and her writing has been featured by Huffington Post, the Brain, Child website, Scary Mommy, iVillage, the Chicago Tribune, and Babble. She lives in Buffalo with her family, a Boston terrier, and a very bossy cat.