postpartum depression hopeChoosing the top writers on postpartum depression each year is one of the hardest jobs I have.  There are so many courageous mamas out there writing beautiful things.  When I started doing this a few years ago there just weren’t that many of you writing about antenatal and postpartum depression and anxiety.  Now there are so many, sprinkling every corner of the internet with inspiration and understanding for pregnant and new mothers.  It makes this nearly impossible!

In the past, I have chosen ten writers or thereabouts.  But now? How can I choose just ten? So I’ve expanded to 20 this year.  And please know that when I select just these 20, it’s to honor the beauty and honesty of these 20 mothers’ words but also to represent every single one of you who is saying out loud what so many feel they must keep silent.

Here are Postpartum Progress’ top 20 writers on antenatal and postpartum depression and anxiety in 2011, in no particular order:

1. Jill Williams Krause, Babyrabies, Acceptance: Postpartum Anxiety & Me

2. Erin Margolin, Postpartum Hell or Where Are My Pills?

3. Susan, Learned Happiness, Antenatal Depression: Part 1 and Part II

4. Cristi Comes, Motherhood Unadorned,  I’m Not A Bad Mom Because I Take Medication (this post started her awesome “I’m Not A Bad Mom” series)

5. Kimberly Morand, All Work & No Play Makes Mommy Go Something Something, Just What the Psychiatrist Never Ordered and Tales from the Plaid Couch and A Smile That’s Worth 1000 Words

6. Yael Saar, PPD to Joy, The Opportunities in Setbacks, And Rainy Day Letters (this post started her awesome “Rainy Day Letters” series)

7. Lexi, MammyWoo, A Whole Lot of Nakedness & the Odd Truth,

8. Robin Farr, Farewell Stranger: The Circle of PPD

9. Addye, Butterfly Confessions, An Initial Diagnosis

10. Katie Sluiter, Sluiter Nation, I Won’t Be Like Her and Dear Me

11. Lauren Hale, My Postpartum Voice, An Angry Sea

12. Becky Harks, The Stir, Barely Surviving Prepartum Depression (about antenatal depression)

13. Amber Koter-Puline, Beyond Postpartum, On Being Depressed vs. Suffering from Depression

14 Grace, Arms Wide Open, It’s In the Details 

15. Nish Weiseth, The Outdoor Wife, An Unwelcome Visitor 

16. Alena Chandler, Charmingly Chandler, What It Looks Like When PPD Attacks 

17. Miranda Wicker, Not Super Just Mom, Haunted

18. Suzanne Stanard, Pretty Swell, Scared

19. Jaime, James and Jax, I Barely Remember My PPD

20. Casey Mullins, B-Day D-Day

If I left a deserving person off of this list, goodness knows it wasn’t on purpose. It’s just nearly impossible to keep track of you all. So who did we miss?  Link up your favorites here as well, in the comments, so that we can read even more great posts on PPD.

Photo credit: © Maksim Samasiuk – Fotolia.com