After the Stork

Sara Rosenquist

Sujets

• Pregnancy

Informations

• Publié par: New Harbinger Publications
• Date de parution: 01 janvier 0001
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781608821365
• Langue: English

Extrait

“Sara Rosenquist’s take on postpartum depression is revelatory and full of hope. Her message is that what we believe shapes our biology as much as the other way around. With this new understanding, we can get back in the driver’s seat. We can choose our behavior, make plans, and acquire healthy habits of body and mind. In doing so, we can shape our own mental health destiny.”
—Ethan Watters, author of Crazy Like Us
“There are few ambitious, successful, and comprehensive guides to postpartum depression for non-experts. Fortunately for us, Rosenquist opens a path for ordinary couples to self-heal. Using direct, lucid prose and everyday examples, the author identifies and provides ways to relieve the distress of postpartum depression. I admire this book for its brilliant melding of compassionate insight, fascinating research summarizations, and presentation of exercises, chapter-by-chapter, to restore a sense of well-being.”
—Elaine Crovitz, Ph.D., emeritus faculty at Duke University Medical School
“ After the Stork is a detailed and thoughtful guide to the challenges that new parents encounter as they make this major life transition. It offers a wealth of different practical strategies that can be used by parents to minimize or mitigate postpartum depression. Because it is so evenhanded and thorough in addressing issues that both mothers and fathers may face, it is a must-read for couples expecting or welcoming their first child.”
—James F. Paulson, Ph.D., child and family clinical psychologist and associate professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School
“I am a female OB/GYN physician and a mother of four. After reading this book, I have insight that may help me not only be a better mom and wife, but also a better doctor. I appreciate Sara Rosenquist teaching us why depression can set in after having a child, but I also value her detailed steps and advice on how to prevent and overcome it. I will recommend this book to all my patients and friends.”
—Andrea Lukes, MD, OB/GYN physician at the Women’s Wellness Clinic in Durham, NC
“Books for professionals are often long on science and short on practicality, while those for non-professionals are often filled with advice not based on scientific facts. In After the Stork , Rosenquist has blended the best of both worlds. Professionals will learn about the daily realities of postpartum depression, and readers with new babies will not only get exceptionally sensible guidance, but will discover the science behind it in a format that is fascinating and easy to grasp. This is a must-read for those who care for new parents, and can serve as an invaluable roadmap for those who wish to prevent or overcome postpartum depression.”
—John C. Linton, Ph.D., ABPP, professor and vice chair of the department of behavioral medicine and psychiatry at the West Virginia University School of Medicine in Charleston, VA
“The information in After the Stork is empowering and practical, and offers couples and prospective parents a 360-degree view of the ways in which their lives will change, both positively and negatively, after the birth or adoption of their child. Not only does she offer them knowledge, which is potent in and of itself, but she provides clear and readily accessible exercises and strategies for proactively and reactively managing issues and problems that can—and will—arise in the postpartum period.”
—Catherine A. Forneris, Ph.D., ABPP, licensed psychologist and associate professor of psychiatry at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
“Rosenquist has written an incredibly helpful and comprehensive handbook for couples entering into the new world of parenthood. She thoughtfully and honestly describes many of the challenges that couples encounter during pregnancy and postpartum, including postpartum depression. This workbook is an invaluable guide for couples willing to invest some time and energy into preparing for parenthood and the inevitable lifestyle adjustments that come along with it.”
—Samantha Meltzer-Brody, MD, MPH, director of the University of North Carolina Perinatal Psychiatry Program
“In an age when pills are all too often relied upon as the first solution to life’s difficulties, Rosenquist offers a refreshing, evidence-based, psychological approach to the serious problem of postpartum depression.”
—Irving Kirsch, author of The Emperor’s New Drugs
“Rosenquist has written an eminently practical book about depression, especially appropriate for men and women embarking on parenthood. She provides interesting scientific data about depression, case studies of parents struggling with postpartum depression, and explains the concrete, practical things readers can do to both prevent depression and to help treat it. Seldom do you see a mental health book that is so realistic, understandable, and scientifically interesting. From years of clinical practice, she shares simple approaches to help parents and anyone who struggles with depression.”
—John F. Wilson. Ph.D., professor at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine
the couple's guide to preventing and overcoming postpartum depression
Sara E. Rosenquist
New Harbinger Publications, Inc. -->
Publisher’s Note
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.
Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books
Copyright © 2010 by Sara E. Rosenquist
New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
5674 Shattuck Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
www.newharbinger.com
All Rights Reserved
Epub ISBN: 9781608821365
Acquired by Jess O’Brien; Cover design by Amy Shoup; Edited by Carole Honeychurch
The Library of Congress has Cataloged the Print Edition as:
Rosenquist, Sara E.
After the stork : the couple’s guide to preventing and overcoming postpartum depression / Sara E. Rosenquist ; foreword by Michael D. Yapko.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-57224-863-2
1. Postpartum depression--Popular works. I. Title.
RG852.R675 2010
618.7’6--dc22
2010025664
This book is dedicated to my own two highly imperfect parents, from one highly imperfect daughter, and to Mary and Emily who have taught me everything I know about being a mother.
Para todos los hijos de mi alma: Emily, and Andrew and Julia, and Julie, and Guillaume, and Gimena, and Hanako, and Gaia. For all those of the younger generation who occupy space in my heart: may the challenges of parenthood yet to come bring you infinite blessings.
Contents
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1. Postpartum Depression: More Than Just Hormones
Chapter 2. Habits of Thought
Chapter 3. The Social Side of Depression
Chapter 4. Expectations Meet Reality: The Perfect Storm
Chapter 5. Getting Some: Sleep and Sex After the Baby
Chapter 6. The Dance of Parenting
Chapter 7. Money: Beyond Smoke and Mirrors
References
Foreword
When you see a happy mother and father playing with their baby, talking to him or her in that sing-song voice accompanied by obvious expressions of pleasure on their faces, you are witnessing one of the most magical moments possible in human relationships. Remarkable things are happening within the brains and bodies of each family member, and vitally important things are happening in the relationships between them that will have a profound impact on their individual lives as well as their lives together as a family.
In stark contrast, what happens when depressed moms and dads just can’t find it in themselves to offer a smiling face, do the sing-song bit, hold, or even just make eye contact with the baby? The negative consequences are shared by mothers, fathers, and babies, but the impact on the newborn is especially serious. Normal brain development requires an involved parent regularly stimulating that brain through play and a rich array of interactions. Likewise, normal social, physical, and behavioral development requires parents to fully and meaningfully engage with their child. A mother lost in the abyss of postpartum depression suffers, but so does the baby she is too detached from to effectively parent. A father too preoccupied with how bad he feels to engage with his baby can go on despairing, but his baby may pay an even greater price for his suffering than he does.
The time leading up to and immediately following the birth of a child is an extraordinarily sensitive time in the lives of babies and their parents. The relationship between the mother and father undergoes a huge transition, and the quality of the relationship with the newborn will have enduring effects that can quite literally last a lifetime. That is why it is so critically important to do all you can to prevent postpartum depression when possible or respond to it as quickly and effectively as you can if it develops. Dr. Sara Rosenquist, an expert on postpartum depression, has used her extensive experience to write this frank and practical book to help readers reduce the likelihood of postpartum depression and to minimize its negative effects if and when it surfaces.
To her credit, Dr. Rosenquist has taken a much broader view of postpartum depression than experts have done previoulsy. She provides compelling reasons to think of postpartum depression as something much more than just biochemistry run amok; she considers psychological as well as social factors that contribute to the onset of postpartum depression. She makes the point clearly that a multidimensional problem can’t be effectively treated in a one-dimensional way. She considers insightfully the roles of unrealistic expectations, distorted thinking, and even sexual and financial pressures on the quality of one’s relationship with one’s co-parent as well as with the baby. The range of