DEAR ABBY: After 12 years of marriage, my husband and I finally have our first child, a little girl. Yes, I was very happy to have a child on the way, but I was also very depressed. My OB/GYN had to put me on anti-depression medication for it. I felt that only family should know and, while I was pregnant, my husband went along with it.
But now, if someone asks about my pregnancy or jokes about us having a second child, he will tell them he's not sure because during my pregnancy I was depressed. When I ask him please not to tell people about it, he says, "Why not? You have nothing to be ashamed of." How can I get him to understand that for me, it's not about shame but privacy? -- NEW MOM IN LOUISIANA
DEAR NEW MOM: While I agree that depression is nothing to be ashamed of, I also agree with you that some things should be kept private -- and your medical history is one of them. Perhaps your husband would understand if you analogize it with a man using Viagra. While he might use the little blue pill with abandon, many men would prefer folks to assume they didn't need the pharmaceutical assistance.