Inconsolable: How I Threw My Mental Health Out With the Diapers [Paperback]

Marrit Ingman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 21, 2005

Marrit Ingman became a mother on February 27, 2002. She went crazy—also on February 27, 2002. Her journey began with a plate of carne guisada and led to an emergency cesarian, ankyloglossia, colic, gastroesphageal reflux, eczema, Zoloft, Paxil, peanut allergy, suicidal ideation, hepatitis, and a whole lot of pie. Ingman documents the agony of elimination diets and tearful, sleepless nights with the same candor and humor she does the ecstasy of mama’s night out and her own invention, the Playgroup Drinking Game.

Ingman addresses her own postpartum depression, her feelings of inadequacy, and her self-admittedly ridiculous perception that her infant son truly hates her. With irony, sarcasm, and wit, Ingman paints a portrait of parenthood far unlike the popular image of glowing bliss. She recounts the painful and difficult moments of babyhood with her colicky, difficult child with a mix of humor and anguish that reflects the transformative process of becoming a parent—the compromises, struggles, useless advice, and failed expectations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...takes the reader for a ride on the roller coaster of early parenthood, spouting ironic and often hilarious commentary." -- New York Newsday, Oct 3, 2005

"...the first and ONLY book [about] postpartum depression in a mother who has a child with medical issues." -- Anne-Marie Nichols, A Mama's Rant, January 31, 2006

"...these chapters are beguiling -- they're like e-mails from your funniest, most caustic friend." -- Austin-American Statesman, October 2, 2005

Marrit is a master at turning tears to belly laughs. -- The Austinist, December 22, 2005

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Seal Press (September 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580051405
• ISBN-13: 978-1580051408
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #744,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #60 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Postpartum Depression

More About the Author

I am a freelance journalist, an extremely adjunct educator, and a Crazy Mom living and working in Austin, Texas. I contribute frequently to the Austin Chronicle, which publishes my scathing and trenchant criticisms of stuff like Nanny McPhee and Cheaper by the Dozen 2. I've contributed to a variety of anthologies and published one book to date, a memoir of postpartum depression that is extremely cranky and unpleasant but 100% true. Consequently I will probably never publish again. I'm not a happy-happy-joy-joy person, but I fight on the side of lovable screw-ups everywhere. Fight on, you lovable screw-ups. We're not licked yet.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Your Mother's Parenting Book, September 28, 2005

By 

S. Reeser - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inconsolable: How I Threw My Mental Health Out With the Diapers (Paperback)

This book is brave, gritty, truthful, and dark- and yet Marrit Ingman is very, very funny. She is that rare writer who can bring forth her darkest thoughts, addressing topics such as PPD, an eczema-tortured child, one's fear of failure as a parent and the lack of available and actually helpful support, in such a way that the reader laughs in self-recognition- "Yes! She gets it! It's not just me!"

An affirming and reassuring read for those of us whose parenting experience has not been the rosy, Sears-painted picture we were led to expect.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this if you ARE pregnant!, October 14, 2006

By 

QueenEE "queen_ee" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inconsolable: How I Threw My Mental Health Out With the Diapers (Paperback)

The book starts out with, "Don't read this book if you are pregnant" (or something like that). I was six months pregnant with my first child, yet steamed ahead anyway. I am glad that I did. The description of the insanity, temporary or otherwise, that can be brought on brought on by modern motherhood that Ingman paints is exactly what a parent-to-be like myself needed, because it prepared me for the worst, and let me off the hook from the overambitious expectations that I had (elaborate birth plan that did not go as planned? check. Dreams of cooking my own organic baby food now making way for Gerber jars? check). The writing had a way of taking me to the absolute depths of her experience while at the same time injecting humor and compassion that made me feel like everything was going to be all right. I didn't expect to laugh out loud, but I did many times while reading.

This book is WAY more complex than any review can possibly hope to convey. It's personal, and political; funny, and sad. While reading, you realize that a lot of the problems Ingman faces are not just parents' issues, but women's issues. Are the mothers crazy or is the world crazy? Read and decide for yourself.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite books about early motherhood, June 21, 2006

By 

H. Case (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Inconsolable: How I Threw My Mental Health Out With the Diapers (Paperback)

This book was much less depressing than the title might suggest. I related to the author quite a bit, and think I may have posted at a website with her back then. So many memoirs about early motherhood are overly sentimental, or the authors are of a higher social class than I am, or are more settled into what I think of as a "typical" suburban life. Ingman captured all the ambivalence of new motherhood, and though she didn't come across as an exceptionally young mother, she still seemed hip. I too had a hard time reconciling the self that I was before kids with my new mama identity. I especially loved the descriptions of all the different types of moms, that was hilarious! Now that it's been 4 years since I had my last child, I am far enough from it that I can look back on it with a little bit of detachment and say that Ingman captured the feelings I had, almost exactly. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and really didn't want it to end.