Down Came the Rain : My Journey Through Postpartum Depression

"This is a great, informative book that I just finished reading, eight months pregnant. I can agree with the reviewer who suggests it may not be good reading for someone who is in the midst of post partum depression, but in that case perhaps a supportive friend or family member can read it and help the suffering mom get the help she needs. Granted, Brook's case was extreme, and perhaps (as suggested by another reviewer) was closer to post traumatic stress syndrome when you consider all the things in the few years and weeks that led up to this point in her life; so I don't think most women need to fear this extreme type of PPD happening to them. But, I think it's good to know how bad it CAN get and where to get help - there's a list of resources in the back of the book.

As for the negative reviews blasting Brook for her celebrity, don't let that determine whether you buy this book. Those are cheap shots, as if celebrities aren't allowed to be human (I mean, come on, the criticism for her having a nurse clean her off in the hospital, suggesting she's some diva for not doing it herself - she almost died after her emergency c-section! how inhumanly insensitive can you be?). I did not find the book to be self-glorifying in the least. Quite the opposite, in fact. She was real and put deeply personal stuff in this book for the benefit of women who may suffer the same or similar things, at the risk of getting exactly the type of criticism that some have put forth. Bravo to her."
~ Written on 2008-10-02

"Describes Post Partum Depression

WARNING! Depression hurts and those who do suffer depression may not enjoy this because the main content is her struggle downward. The majority of this book is on the downward trending patterns. This is not happy reading. Do not read this if you just had a baby; do not gift this book to a person who you think has post partum depression and you just want them to "see" that depression is treatable. This is definitely NON-pregnancy reading.

If you have never been able to explain the magnitude and self loathing of depression, Brooke has done it for you. She spends a lot of time describing the slippery slope of feeling out of sorts and not very excited into feeling your absolute and unexplainable worst. In the audio version she reads the story herself and it really does get across the stymied feelings of those around her who could not understand what was going on. She should be on top of the world. Instead she felt it was on top of her.

She documents her way through the maze of depression and page after page you keep saying to yourself "And the Doctor was not on to this???". I think that is part of the point of her writing this, normal healthy people can get very serious depression and the people around them do not know how to react and they do not put depression into the mix. They just work around the equation hoping that this will pass. In her case it was never going to pass on its own.

She covers the awful trip back to herself and how as a person she was as perplexed at how to "feel better" as those around her were to have her be better. This is at times a story you want to speed up and skip over more and more of the exhaustive recounting. Again that is the point of the story- depression is an exhaustive journey.

We recommend the audio more that the written word because it has Brook telling her own story and you can feel her emotions as she tells her story. We also recommend that you buy this discounted because it is not a body work that you keep in your collection unless this topic is related to your field. For the average reader: this is a read and pass it along to another book or an ah-ha! reading to explain something that you may have already have gone through. RICH CHICKS specializes in independent reviews to help you invest in the right product for your dollar. We have left many reviews all over this site.
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~ Written on 2008-09-19

"Five stars for this book. I experienced everything Brooke Shields described in her book almost 24 years ago with the birth of my first child. No one (family or doctors) knew what was wrong with me. Of course, I didn't know what was wrong with me since I had wanted a baby so badly and had been fine until the birth of my child. The feelings of despair and regret began in the hospital and almost immediately after giving birth. It was the most confusing period of my life because no one understood. I believe this book is very valuable to all women suffering from this devastating and, at times, unexpected illness."
~ Written on 2008-09-07

"No matter how many other women I speak with who have experienced PPD, I am still relieved to know that I wasn't the only one. I always want to hear their story. I was able to identify with so many aspects of Brooke's depression: guilt, confusion, exhaustion, delusions, but still her experience was uniquely hers. I appreciate the fact that although she is a celebrity, she appears approachable and normal and is a great spokesperson for this condition. I was happy to see that she came out her depression with promising results. This was a really good book."
~ Written on 2008-07-17

"This book is so well written, that I would suggest it to anyone who is thinking of having children, or anyone who suspects that they may be suffering from postpartum depression. At first, Brooke just WANTS a child so much. When she finally gets the child, she starts to go through the depression. To add to her sadness, her father dies soon after she has her daughter. She then starts to have divided feelings about her child. She also starts to resent having her freedom greatly compromised. (Even to the point of having a death wish.) Sadly, her mother and others threw 'generic advice' at her, and this nearly drove her to suicide. We can sympathize when she says: "I was a healthy minded and capable woman who simply shouldn't have had a child." It is interesting that when she started to work again, and when she was able to express her honest feelings to objective friends, she really started to sound much better. She also places demands on our sympathy when she points out her flaw: "I had put so much time, effort, and emotion into getting pregnant that I had not really considered how my life might change once I actually had the baby." She also raises a really important issue: "I know families are never perfect, and I am learning to let go of wishing they were." She underlines that 1 in 10 women go through postpartum depression, and that if you suspect you have it, you must seek help. She also says that it is: 'NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF.' She also points out that: "Above all, IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU DON'T LOVE YOUR CHILD." Not only is this book beautifully written, but it is full of vital information. Also, Brooke shows that while we have weaknesses, it IS possible to rise above them. "
~ Written on 2008-05-01