At only 27-years old, pop princess Britney Spears has lived a lifetime and then some. The young mother of two has been married and divorced twice. She has won many awards for her music, but she has also been belittled and chastised over her parenting skills.

Thankfully, the downward spiral which Spears was on is taking a turn for the better in many ways. She has lost the weight that made her a hot topic of discussion and derision. She is also making a comeback with her music.

Most importantly for Spears is no doubt the ability to once again spend quality time with her children, 4-year old Sean Preston and 3-year old Jayden James. During the time of her divorce, Spears was going through obvious emotional and mental problems. Ultimately, the boys’ father, Spears ex, Kevin Federline was awarded custody in 2008 much to her distress. Thankfully, she took control of her life and was eventually given shared custody of the boys.

Spears must be thrilled to be named the Best Celebrity Mom based on the result of a recently released poll. The poll conducted by UK-based company, Park Christmas Saving saw 74% 0f the votes going to Spears. The poll surveyed approximately 7, 000 people who were asked to name the best mothers in show business.

The Top 10 Moms Are:

• Britney Spears

• Christina Aguilera

• Angelina Jolie

• Jade Goody

• Katie Holmes

• Madonna

• Jessica Alba

• Jennifer Garner

• Nicole Richie

• Victoria Beckham

While some readers may not agree with the list, there is no doubt that Spears has cleaned up her act. She is clearly bouncing back in all areas of her life and this poll must be a welcomed boost to the singer.

Website ParentDish.com released the results of their Mother’s Day survey, and they say that our favorite celebrity mom is the lovely Jennifer Garner. Reese Witherspoon and Michelle Obama were tied for second place.

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have two adorable daughters, Violet and Seraphina, and are often photographed out as a family doing normal family things and looking very happy. Look! Sweatpants! Baggy t-shirt! Baby in a Baby Bjorn! She almost looks like one of us!

And how about the least favorite celebrity moms?

The most hated celebrity mom was Courtney Love, closely followed by Dina Lohan, and hot on her heels, Britney Spears.

Rock musician Courtney Love had her five-year-old daughter, Frances Bean, taken into care after being arrested for violent offenses, and being hospitalized after overdosing on drugs. Fame hungry Dina Lohan, Lindsay Lohan’s mom, wasn’t exactly the picture of motherhood for her and her other daughter, Ali Lohan, on their reality series, Living Lohan. And who doesn’t know about Britney Spears‘ strange behavior and custody battles over her sons?

Who are your favorite, and least favorite celebrity mommies?

One of the pitfalls of being a celebrity is the loss of privacy. Celebs can’t do the things most of us take for granted without being confronted by flashbulbs. Living in this fishbowl has even caused a few of them to snap from time to time. We are probably evenly divided on the issue of sympathy, some feeling that it comes with the territory and others, like myself, feeling that a little space is not too much to ask for.

One thing I’m sure we can all agree on, however, is that the children’s privacy should be protected, no matter how famous their parents are. Nicole Kidman, who gave birth to a daughter, Sunday Rose in July, has made it clear that she will protect her baby from unwanted attention.

‘When it comes to my kids, I’m like a lioness. I’m like, no one gets near my babies, ’she is quoted as saying. I can certainly understand that sentiment. The obsession with celebrity has created an industry onto itself, with tabloids and paparazzi being the main players. Sadly, these photographers often go too far for that one big shot.

I remember seeing footage of Britney Spears on TV during the height of her troubles. There she was, a young mother trying to make it to her car, carrying one of her sons and wading through a throng of photographers, all clicking away.

Her child looked like a deer caught in headlights, literally, because all these flashbulbs were going off and it was impossible to shield him from them. As I looked at the terrified face of that child I wondered if any one of those photographers cared about what they were doing to him. Would they have liked to see their own children in a similar position?

Sadly, the old adage of treating others as you would want to be treated doesn’t seem to mean much any more. So I say bravo to Ms. Kidman for making her position clear. Opening up about her feelings she said, ‘It’s almost like my heart is stretching – I’m feeling like all these muscles stretch with emotion. It’s a beautiful love but there’s a lot of fear and pain for her life.‘ I’m sure we can all relate to that.

Nannies have been used for years to help moms and families with any number of child rearing issues. But for every success story, there is probably a horror story lurking somewhere. This is especially true of celebrities, who are at greater risk simply because of their wealth and fame. Here are a few celebrity nanny scandals that have hit the headlines over the last few years.

Jude Law – The British heartthrob was exposed by the tabloids for having a fling with his children?s nanny. Jude owned up to his infidelity and made a public apology to his then fianc?, Sienna Miller, hi co-star in Alfie. However the scandal still brought an end to their relationship.

Britney Spears – Spears? nanny was lifting Sean Preston from his high chair when he fell and hit his head. Six days later they ended up carrying him to the emergency room. Thankfully, the child was fine, but child welfare officials visited her home, later deciding that everything was fine.

David and Victoria Beckham – Celebs often ask their nannies to sign confidentiality agreements. It?s not clear if these agreements cover infidelity, but David Beckham may wish he had thought of it. Former nanny, Abbie Gibson accused him of being a serial cheater, and claimed that his marriage to Victoria was heading for divorce. The couple filed suit, but the story had already made the front page.

Robert De Niro – Nanny Lucyna Turyk-Wawrynowicz stole a pair of diamond earrings belonging to De Niro?s wife, Grace Hightower. She spent some time at Rikers Island, and ended up being deported to Poland.

Madonna – Her former nanny decided to go the tell-all book route. Melissa Dumas? proposed book reportedly included information about Madonna?s marriage to Guy Ritchie, her religion, and the adoption of a baby from Malawi. According to reports, as soon as the lawyers became interested, the publishers lost theirs.

These stories probably represent the tip of the iceberg. It?s tough when your profession opens you up to unscrupulous people looking to make a quick buck. The bottom line is, whichever side is at fault, they should keep in mind that it?s the children who will most likely be hurt.

Actress Gywneth Paltrow reveals in an interview for the May issue of Vogue magazine that she suffered from post partum depression following the birth of her second child. Two year old Moses was born in March 2006. The 35-year old multi award-winning actress said she didn?t know what was happening at the time and only realized she was suffering from the condition after she recovered.

According to the interview, Paltrow said “I felt really out of my body. I felt really disconnected. I felt really down? I felt pessimistic.” She believes she suffered from the condition because she stopped getting acupuncture when she was pregnant with Moses.

She and her husband, musician Chris Martin are also parents to four year old Apple, who was born on May 14, 2004. She did not reveal if she suffered any bouts of post partum depression following Apple?s birth.

The actress said in an article online that she has no immediate plans to add to her family right now because it?s hard being a mother. She also said that for her, pregnancy was also hard, especially because she was sick from start to finish.

Other celebrity moms who suffered from Post Partum

Actress Brook Shields? battle with post partum depression is well documented. Interestingly, talking about her condition and the treatment she received led to major arguments between Shields and actor Tom Cruise. Shield said she had to turn to medication, the anti-depressant, Paxil to overcome the condition. Cruise on the other hand strongly criticized her for using drugs.

Courtney Cox Arquette also suffered from post partum depression after giving birth to daughter Coco in 2005. Cox was treated with progesterone and credits that plus the support of friends for getting through. In a USA Today interview, the actress said that six months after giving birth she went through a stage where she couldn?t sleep and was really depressed.

During the early stages of her troubles, pop princess Britney Spears said that she was suffering from post partum depression.

Post partum depression can occur at any time during the first year after giving birth and not right after as some persons believe. A French study released earlier this year in the Journal of Clinical Nursing states that there is a link between the gender of the baby and developing post partum depression. In fact, the authors said that mothers who had boys were more likely to suffer from severe depression. The exception was in countries like China where having boys was preferred, hence a higher rate of post partum among women who had girls.

Britney Spears’ hospital stay has been extended to two more weeks. But before this, she made sure to fill the news with her antics, of driving around in her new car and getting lost, then getting hysterical. Britney supposedly has been prescribed with medications for bipolar disorder too, which she did not take and thus aggravated her condition.

There have been a lot of speculations already as to why Britney is going through a very bad meltdown. Some say her break-up with former boyfriend Justin Timberlake unhinged her. Some say it’s the break-up of her marriage. Some also say that this is a result of too much (fame, fortune) too soon.

Most probably, it’s a combination of all these. I also think postpartum depression should be added to the list of contributing factors.

Mayo Clinic states that symptoms of postpartum depression vary depending on the form of depression:

Signs and symptoms of the baby blues ? which last only a few days or weeks ? may include:

~ Anxiety
~ Sadness
~ Irritability
~ Crying
~ Headaches
~ Exhaustion
~ A sense of inadequacy

Postpartum depression may appear to be the baby blues at first ? but the signs and symptoms are more intense and longer lasting, eventually interfering with your ability to function. In addition to the signs and symptoms listed above, you may experience:

~ Constant fatigue
~ Lack of joy in life
~ A sense of emotional numbness or failure
~ Withdrawal from family and friends
~ Lack of concern for yourself or your baby
~ Excessive concern for your baby
~ Less interest in sex
~ Severe mood swings
~ Impaired thinking or concentration
~ Insomnia

With postpartum psychosis ? a rare condition that develops within the first six weeks after delivery ? the signs and symptoms are even more severe. In addition to the signs and symptoms listed above, you may experience:

~ Fear of harming yourself or your baby
~ Confusion and disorientation
~ Hallucinations and delusions
~ Paranoia

We have to remember that Britney was the Pop Princess for a long time, with everything going for her. But then she was suddenly married. Then she got pregnant. And within months of delivering Sean Preston (now two years old), she was pregnant again with Jayden James (now sixteen months old).

Especially during her first pregnancy, the tabloids have not been kind to her. Imagine being pregnant, with all your hormones raging, and being called fat and ugly at the same time? Imagine being under the mercy of paparazzi when you’re dealing with the changes in your life and the impact of the baby on your marriage?

And then her parenting skills were also criticized. I am not saying she didn’t make some bad calls but I will also not pretend to know how it felt like to be called a ‘bad mother’ by the press.

Having a baby was one of the more difficult times in my life. I only got to enjoy its rewards because I got steady and unconditional support from people who truly loved me. But every little thing can get to you. Every little thing can seem personal. And having to deal with so many changes is already enough to make a woman go mental, however briefly.

So imagine being Britney.

And then consider the fact that it’s not unheard of to hear extreme cases wherein a mother ends up committing suicide or killing her child/children because of postpartum depression. Britney dressing up and going on drinking binges and smashing her car on other cars is actually still tame, only her tricks usually make front-page news.

So could Britney be suffering from postpartum depression too? I say, highly likely.

It has been reported that in the wee hours of January 4, police were called to Britney Spears’ home where rumors are that she may have nearly overdosed. She is described as being hysterical and intoxicated on an “unknown substance”.

After a standoff with police that lasted nearly three hours, she finally turned over custody of her children to the police and ultimately to her ex-husband, Kevin Federline.

After releasing the children, she was placed in a gurney and into an ambulance and then taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. There has been no confirmation on the nature of her treatment, and on whether she overdosed. We’ll be tuned in for more news.