It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita (Hardcover)

~ Heather Armstrong (Author)
Key Phrases: penile disease, Avon World Sales Leader, Janet Jackson, Los Angeles (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

An irreverent and captivating memoir about the unexpected joys and glaring indignities of pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood - from the beloved creator of the most popular personal blog on the web, dooce.com

Heather Armstrong gave up a lot of things when she and her husband, Jon, decided to have a baby: beer, small boobs, free time -- and antidepressants. The eighteen months that followed were filled with anxiety, constipation, nacho cheese Doritos, and an unconditional love that threatened to make her heart explode. Still, as baby Leta grew and her husband, Jon, returned to work, Heather faced lonely days, sleepless nights, and endless screaming that sometimes made her wish she'd never become a mother. Just as she was poised to throw another gallon of milk at her husband's head, she committed herself for a short stay in a mental hospital -- the best decision she ever made for her family.

To the dedicated millions who can't get enough of Heather's unforgettably unique style and hilarious stories on her hugely popular blog, there's little she won't share about her daily life as a recovering Mormon, liberal daughter of Republicans, wife of a charming geek, lover of television that exceeds at being really awful, and stay-at-home mom to five-year-old Leta and two willful dogs.

In It Sucked and Then I Cried, Heather tells, with trademark wit, the heartfelt, unrelentingly honest story of her battle with postpartum depression and all the other minor details of pregnancy and motherhood that no one cares to mention. Like how boring it can be to care for someone whose primary means of communication is through her bowels. And how long it can possibly take to reconvene the procedure that got you into this whole parenthood mess in the first place. And how you sometimes think you can't possibly go five more minutes without breathing in that utterly irresistible and totally redeemable fresh baby smell.

It Sucked and Then I Cried is a brave cautionary tale about crossing over that invisible line to the other side (the parenting side), where everything changes and it only gets worse. But most of all, it's a celebration of a love so big it can break your heart into a million pieces.

About the Author

Heather B. Armstrong is an American blogger who resides in Salt Lake City, Utah. She and husband Jon Armstrong have a daughter and two dogs: Former Congressman Henry "Buck" Chucklesworth, called Chuck, and Dame Eleanor Ritzford-Fitzsimons Puffs, a.k.a Coco.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment (March 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416936017
• ISBN-13: 978-1416936015
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (119 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,961 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Mental Health > Postpartum Depression
  #53 in	Books > Nonfiction > Women's Studies > Motherhood

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A little uneven..., March 30, 2009

By	B. Eckel (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I must preface this by saying that I am a huge Dooce fan. I have been following Heather for years, and feel like I know her family personally. The book is well written, however feels very uneven. In one breath she's talking about lack of sleep leading to generally melting down, and in the next she's out shopping, visiting family, and writing Leta her monthly "I love you" letters. (Which btw - I also do for my daughter...) I find Heather an amazing writer - quirky, smart, caustic... But this was either poorly organized, or badly edited. I guess I expected more.

In my opinion, the best part of the book was when she talked about Jon and how he helped her through her depressions. They obviously have a strong marriage - and that was the one part of the book that didn't feel even slightly embellished. Honest, raw, and loving.

52 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars *shrugs shoulders*, March 28, 2009

By	Jana "Jana" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Heather Armstrong, proprietor of Dooce.com is a funny and fantastic writer, but this fell really flat for me and left me truly, truly disappointed (even though she loves Morrissey). And although I knew many of her blog entries would be included in the book (duh, they would have to), she doesn't really delve into anything particular to give a NEW reader true insight; almost like she skimmed over cruicial elements of depression, PPD, her real past with said depression. I think she rushed to have it published.

If you don't read her blog, this would still be a funny, sweet book, but I really wanted to learn more about her-not just a reiteration of the blog.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed Fan, May 8, 2009

By	D. Kettmann - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm a huge fan of Dooce but I couldn't finish this book. Between the CONSTANT RANDOM CAPITAL LETTERS and the fact that it was basically her blog, just updated to be in past tense, this book was overall a disappointment. I was really hoping for something more from Dooce. I know she does the capital letters thing on her blog but I had hoped she could do her humour and keep her voice without resorting to typical blog format.

Basically, if you're a newcomer to Dooce and missed all the drama surrounding Leta's birth, this book might interest you. But if you don't want to pay for it, just go peek through Dooce's archives - it's all right there.