This Isn't What I Expected [2nd edition]: Overcoming Postpartum Depression

by Karen R. Kleiman, Bassriders

Overview

"Will I ever feel like myself again?"
"Why am I so sad and irritable all of the time?"
"Will my wife ever be like she used to be?"
"Why didn't anyone tell us to expect this?"

If you or someone you love is among the one in seven women stricken by PPD, you know how hard it is to get real help. In this definitive guide, postpartum experts Karen Kleiman and Valerie Davis Raskin offer compassionate support and solid advice on dealing with every aspect of PPD. Their proven self-help program, which can be used alone or with a support group or therapist, will help you monitor each phase of illness, recognize when you need professional help, cope with daily life, and recover with new strength and confidence. Learn how to:

Identify the symptoms of PPD and distinguish it from "baby blues"
Deal with panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive urges, and stress overload
Break the cycle of shame and negative thoughts
Mobilize support from your husband or partner, family, and friends
Seek and evaluate treatment options
Cope with the disappointment and loss of self-esteem

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738216942
Publisher:	Da Capo Press
Publication date:	10/29/2013
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	194,075
File size:	632 KB

About the Author

Karen Kleiman, MSW, LCSW, an international expert on postpartum depression, is the founder of The Postpartum Stress Center. Her other books include Dropping the Baby and Other Scary Thoughts and Therapy and the Postpartum Woman.

Valerie Davis Raskin, MD, is a Regional Medical Officer-Psychiatrist with the United States Foreign Service. She was formerly Chief of the Psychiatry Service and the Hines Veterans Administration Hospital, where she worked in the Women's Health Clinic, and was cofounder of the Women's Psychiatry Service in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

1 "I Haven't Been Myself Since My Baby Was Born": Recognizing Postpartum Depression 1

2 "I'm Making Myself Crazy": Breaking Negative Thought Patterns 31

3 "I Just Want This to Go Away": Putting Feelings First and Accepting Postpartum Depression 47

4 "I'm Falling Apart": Coping Techniques 65

5 "I'm Tired, Fat, Ugly, and Still Wearing My Nightgown at Noon": Making Time to Take Care of Yourself 85

6 "Is There Anything I Can Take to Make This Go Away?": Medication and Postpartum Depression 107

7 "Where Do I Go for Help?": Getting the Most Out of Professional Therapy 145

8 "No One Understands Me": Getting the Support You Need 173

9 "What's Happening to My Marriage?": Helping Your Husband to Help You 187

10 "Will My Wife Ever Be the Same?": When Your Wife Has Postpartum Depression 203

11 "This Is Supposed to Be the Best Time in My Life": Fantasies and Expectations of Motherhood 225

12 "What Happened to That Person I Used to Be?": Exploring Your Losses and Reclaiming Your Self-Esteem 243

13 "Will I Be Just Like My Mother?": Working Through Intergenerational issues 263

14 "I'm Starting to Feel Like Myself Again": As You Begin to Recover 281

Recommended Reading 297

Resources 299

About the Authors 301

Index 303

Editorial Reviews

"A thorough description of postpartum emotional problems and their treatment can be found in a comprehensive new book...[It] includes a very valuable chapter on how husbands can help their wives when postpartum depression overcomes them."—Jane Brody

InfoDad.com, 11/7/13

“A thorough discussion of psychological and physiological factors involved in PPD, with advice on what to do to overcome it.”

BookViews Blog, 12/31/2013

“Anyone encountering [post-partum depression] or who knows someone encountering it should definitely read [this book].”

Protoview
“Kleiman, a social worker who runs a treatment and training facility for prenatal and postpartum depression and anxiety disorders, and Raskin, a psychiatrist, describe the physiological, psychological, and environmental factors involved in postpartum depression and ways to overcome it.”

From the Publisher