Drew Barrymore gave birth to daughter Frankie 18 months ago. She hadn’t experienced postpartum depression with her first daughter, Olive, so she was shocked to feel the way she did following Frankie’s birth.

“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,’ ” she says in a new interview with People magazine. “It’s a different type of overwhelming with the second. I really got under the cloud.”

Surprisingly, Drew Barrymore admits to being grateful for having had postpartum depression.

Drew Barrymore speaks about her post-partum depression: https://t.co/psqUJzovbv pic.twitter.com/ezsMAK1NzD

— GraziaUK (@GraziaUK) October 21, 2015

It was “short-lived, probably six months,” she says.

Experiencing postpartum depression helped Drew Barrymore learn to “Stay present in the moment.”

“It’s really important. I was in the kids’ class with Frankie and Olive this morning and I started fretting about some piece of work news that was just stressful,” she says. “You know, in like the Broadway Babies class and it’s the one-hit wonders day, and they’re singing I don’t even know what song, and we’re all doing our lollipop drums and I just thought, ‘Save it until after class.’ One thing at a time.”

Barrymore also believes it’s important for moms to impress upon their daughters that working is a positive thing.

“Putting a negative stigma on work is a go-to. It makes us feel like it proves to our children that we don’t want to work, we’d rather be with you,” Drew explains. “I want them to see that work can be a good, positive, fun, happy thing. I’ve worked since I was 11½ months old so I have to be able to work, too. But I have to put them first. I don’t know if it’s good enough for anyone but I’m doing my best.”

One of those positive work ventures for Drew Barrymore is her new line of cosmetics–Flower Beauty–and her eyeglasses line–Flower Eyewear. She is also touting the merits of her upcoming book, Wildflower, due out on October 27th. Her latest film, Miss You Already, premieres in the U.S. in November.

1 more week till @DrewBarrymore's #Wildflower hits shelves! Have you preordered yours? https://t.co/nd6QcS90rt pic.twitter.com/ktE1fcsCO4

— Dutton Books (@DuttonBooks) October 21, 2015

Drew Barrymore is proof positive that moms will postpartum depression, who get the help they need, can resume normal, active, and very healthy lives.