The Cradle Will Fall

Each year, an estimated two million new mothers experience postpartum depression (PPD), commonly known as the ``baby blues.'' Four thousand are sufficiently affected to be a danger to themselves and to their infants. Vermont resident Remington, whose story was featured on Donahue , was one of these. Though her pregnancy was desired, she began to have difficulty during her last trimester. After a traumatic delivery resulting in her son's hospitalization, Remington became increasingly depressed, and when her baby came home, she had no interest in caring for him. Despite supportive family and friends, her depression worsened, culminating in her killing her son and inflicting a near-fatal gunshot on herself. This account, written with Burak, the state psychiatrist who testified in court on the author's behalf and treated her for seven years, is a disturbing portrait of severe PPD. Remington's experience should serve as an alert to those who would shrug off PPD as mere baby blues. (Sept.)