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JUST BUY HER A DRESS AND SHE'LL BE FINE Local author documents journey with postpartum OCD, and depression
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fter her journey with postpartum OCD, anxiety and depression, Amanda Gremillion wanted to use her story to help others. “My journey almost destroyed my marriage, had me questioning my religious beliefs for the first time in my life, and had me praying not to wake up again,” Gremillion said. “That was 10 years ago now, and my marriage is stronger than ever and so am I.” Gremillion wrote a book, “Just Buy Her A Dress and She’ll Be Fine: My Postpartum OCD, Anxiety and Depression Story,” which is now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle form and will be released as an audiobook in July. The Thompson High School graduate said she did not get help for her depression until her daughter was two years old. “People do not think postpartum mood disorders can last that long, but if untreated they sometimes can,” Gremillion said. “When my daughter was two, my husband left, and I finally lost it enough that I was no longer able to hide the symptoms from everyone. We eventually worked things out after being on and off again for about a year and half. During this time, I could not sleep so I would stay up writing down my thoughts until I could sleep, just to get them out of my head. This helped me to figure out what was wrong.”
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Contributing factors such as pregnancy, the death of a relative, and daily life struggles also added to Gremillion’s struggles. “I started Googling and began to think I might have postpartum depression,” Gremillion said. “I also had some of the conditions that can make postpartum depression more likely, including a family history of mental illness, a personal history with it, stressful life events, so I finally went to the doctor and to therapy for a short time.” Gremillion said therapy was difficult for her to afford, even being considered middle class. “I honestly could not afford therapy for as long as I probably needed it,” Gremillion said. “It is so expensive even with good healthcare. I did get on medication which was eventually life-changing for me.” Other helpful things for Gremillion during her journey included joining a Facebook support group, joining a supportive Sunday School class at First Baptist Alabaster, exercising and resting more, and trying to have more work-life balance. “The writing that I did also helped me to not only figure out what was wrong, but it helped me to heal,” Gremillion said. “It eventually turned into blogs. Many people I knew and even many strangers privately messaged me telling me how much it helped them to hear someone had gone through the same thing. Those blogs eventually turned into my book. I had wanted to write a book since I was a child, and now I finally had something to write about.” The book was initially published in 2012 under the name, “This Isn’t the Kid I Ordered.” Gremillion said she gave a lot of free copies away, and while some of the feedback was positive, she also received negative feedback from people that were closest to her. “This is to be expected when you write a book, but I was not in a place yet to handle that, so I took a break from it
for a while to focus on my healing and my family,” Gremillion said. “I decided to re-publish it again in 2019 partially thanks to my daughter.” Under a new name, Gremillion said feedback so far has been positive, and she hopes to help others possibly going through the same struggles. Gremillion said many people do not talk about their struggles and can often feel alone in their journey. “I just want anyone going through this to know, you are not alone, and you can get better,” Gremillion said. “A lot of people do not want to talk about it because it is depressing, which is why my book has some humor in it, and so do some of my blogs and posts on my pages. Learning to laugh about everything again was another step towards healing for me.” For those interested, Gremillion’s book can be purchased on Amazon in Kindle or paperback format. More information can be found at www.justbuyheradress. com, or themighty.com/u/ amandadodsongremillion. At least 10 percent of the proceeds from her book will be donated to various charities and organizations in order to provide support and raise awareness for postpartum OCD, anxiety, depression and other postpartum mood disorders.
