Many celebrities have spoken about their battles with postpartum depression, including trailblazer Brooke Shields, who drew ire from Tom Cruise for daring to use medication, Alanis Morissette, who likened it to “being covered in tar,” and most recently Hayden Panettiere, who bravely announced that she is seeking inpatient treatment. Drew Barrymore, 40, has opened up about her depression following the birth of her second child. Interestingly, Drew felt fine after her first daughter, Olive, now three, was born but says that she felt like she was “under the cloud” after the birth of daughter Frankie in April of last year.

I had the chance to read Drew’s full People cover article, and I came away from it feeling like I wanted to hang out with her. I’ve never been a huge fan and usually consider her a bit “extra,” but as I said in my last piece on Drew, she’s very open and honest. She’s been working on self knowledge and on being a good mother and she has a kind of zen yet realistic perspective.

Incidentally, the People print story didn’t include the quotes from Drew about her depression, that was in an online article from People with new quotes. (It seems like she was super chatty with them.) I’m combining quotes from both below.

On experiencing postpartum depression
“I didn’t have postpartum the first time so I didn’t understand it because I was like, ‘I feel great!’ The second time, I was like, ‘Oh, whoa, I see what people talk about now. I understand. It’s a different type of overwhelming with the second. I really got under the cloud. [It was] short-lived, probably six months.”

On if she’ll have more kids
“You’re expected to say, ‘The window is still open,’ but I’m no spring chicken.”

On her mom
“[She] was doing her best while still being young herself. [Her] choices… are very hard to understand from the outside, but it was just two small people on this planet finding their own way. When you’re going to nightclubs at 7 years old and not going to school… it all got really out of control.”

She was in an institution at age 12 for 18 months
“My mom was like, ‘Someone figure this out; I can’t.’ It was like a military school for humility and gratitude and perspective. I had none. I had the weirdest life ever. And they kicked my ass until I walked out of there knowing what ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ meant for the first time in my life. I thank her every day for it. It was the best thing that ever happened to me.

On her life now
“I’ve become such a better person through Will and our kids. It’s all just made me better, you know? I feel like my life is an abundance – it’s perfect and totally imperfect. I’m so lucky.”

[From People Magazine, print edition and online, headers added]

There’s more from Drew in the print edition of People, including how she coped when she was suddenly emancipated and living on her own at 15, her relationship with her mother now, and her thoughts on exercise and her body. She’s very self deprecating about her body, saying that “I never looked good in a bathing suit, so now I look worse in a bathing suit… but I would much rather have my kids and look a little worse in a bathing suit!” She has two daughters under three, that has to be overwhelming. She doesn’t act like it’s no biggie or like she has it all under control. The more I hear from Drew, the more I appreciate what she’s bringing to the table. She’s got a makeup line and a wine brand and now a new book, but I don’t think she’s selling us an ideal. Maybe she’s as much of a hustler as any other celebrity but she doesn’t claim to have all the answers and I like that.

Look at how Drew is styled here! Hot.