Helping Yourself
The best way
to help yourself is to talk to someone and to get help rather
than suffering in silence. Visit your doctor preferably with someone
else to support you. Your doctor may suggest anti-depressants
to lessen the symptoms until you recover - these are non-addictive.
She may also suggest counselling. After you have seen your doctor
try to find someone to confide in, so that you do not have to
pretend everything is fine. If you find it hard to explain how
you feel, it may be useful to talk to a Support Mum from Hertfordshire
Postnatal Illness Support. Support Mums have gone through a same
or similar experience and are willing to listen and support you
during your recovery.
It is important
you take care of yourself so try to eat, drink, rest and sleep
regularly. Don't push yourself too hard! Take one day at a time
and one step at a time. If you make yourself do too much, it can
often make your symptoms worse. Accept all offers of help from
family and friends. You do not have to be Super Mum and in fact
she does not exist! If you need time out and can afford it, there
are childminders who specialise in caring for young babies for
short periods. Do not feel guilty for also meeting your needs
as well as your baby's/babies' needs.
No matter
how dreadful it seems at the moment the illness will pass. Don't
expect to be well immediately as it takes time to recover. Finally
pamper yourself with your favourite things as a way of telling
yourself that you are doing a fantastic job. A Mum is rarely praised
and never paid for her job. She does not get lunch breaks or annual
bonuses so create these pleasures for you!
PNI Publications
A
word of warning - people's personal stories of postnatal illness
can be very affecting particularly if you are feeling vulnerable
yourself, be aware of how they make you feel and only read them
if your feeling OK.
Booklist
These books
include personal stories of postnatal illness and recovery, books
written by doctors and experts on the subject, books about the
effect on dads, children and family and friends, and general self-help
books on how to cope with that difficult first year and how to
adapt to being a mum.
Eyes
Without Sparkle: A Journey Through Postnatal Illness
Elaine A Hanzak
Radcliffe Medical Press
ISBN: 185775655X
Surviving
Post-Natal Depression: At Home No One Hears You Scream
Cara Aiken
Jessica Kingsley
ISBN 1853028614
Down Came the Rain: A Mother's Story of Depression and Recovery
Brooke Shields
Michael Joseph (2005)
ISBN: 071814841X
Life
After Birth
Kate Figes
Penguin Books Ltd (2002)
ISBN: 0140252630
Depression After Childbirth: How to Recognize, Treat, and Prevent Postnatal Depression
Dr Katharina Dalton with Wendy M Holton
Oxford University Press (2001)
ISBN: 0192632779
Coping with Post-natal Depression: A Practical Self-help Book for Women Who Suffer (Overcoming Common Problems)
Fiona Marshall
Shelden Press (1993)
ISBN: 0859696812
Antenatal
and Postnatal Depression: Practical advice and support
for All Sufferers
Siobhan Curham
Vermillion
ISBN: 0091856078
Feelings After Birth: The NCT Book of Postnatal Depression
Heather Welford
NCT Publishers Ltd (2002)
ISBN: 0954301803
The
Year After Childbirth: Surviving the First Year of Motherhood
Sheila Kitzinger
Oxford University Press (1994)
ISBN: 0192861654
This
Isn't What I Expected: Overcoming Postpartum Depression
Overcoming Postpartum Depression
Karen Kleiman
Bantam Books (1994)
ISBN: 0553370758
Fatherhood:
The Truth
Marcus Berkmann
Vermillion (2005)
ISBN: 0091900638
The
Postpartum Husband: Practical Solutions for Living with Postpartum
Depression
Karen Kleiman
Xlibris Corporation (2001)
ISBN: 0738836362
Postnatal
Depression: Families in Turmoil
Lara Bishop
Halstead Press (2000)
ISBN: 1875684263
PND: Impact
on Families and Children
Marilyn Hackney
ISBN: (not
on Amazon)
How to Make a New Mother Happy: Quick and Effective Soloutions to New Motherhood's Most Common Problems
Uzzi Reiss
Hodder Mobius (2004)
ISBN: 0340829141
The Seven Stages of Motherhood: Making the Most of Your Life as a Mum
Ann Pleshette Murphy
Macmillan (2005)
ISBN: 0333780604
Calm Mother, Calm Child
Paul Wilson with Tania Wilson
Penguin Books (2005)
ISBN: 0141008997
If you
have any books that you have read and think will benefit other
sufferers, please e
mail the title us. Also it would be nice to publish your review
of the book.
Please click here to post a review
However if you are interested in buying any of the books and you
use the links above to go directly to Amazon.co.uk, a small amount
of the money you pay will go to support this web site.
|
