Easy Steps to a Safer Pregnancy - View e-book or Download PDF - FREE!
An interactive resource for moms on easy steps they can take to reduce exposure to chemical toxins during pregnancy.
These are easy to read and understand and are beautifully presented.
Resources for the Postpartum Period
These books and support groups will be of interest to any pregnant woman
or new mother, but especially to women experiencing postpartum depression
or at risk of experiencing such depression.
Postpartum Depression
Burak, Carl S. with Michele Remington. The Cradle Will Fall. New York:
D.I.Fine, 1994. True story of one woman’s struggle with PPD.
Comport, Maggie. Surviving Motherhood. Ashgrove Press, 1990. Looks at social
and physiological causes of PPD and treatments including natural and hormonal
therapies.
Dalton, Katharina. Depression After Childbirth: How to recognize and treat
postnatal illness. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989.
Dix, Carol. The New Mother Syndrome. Doubleday, 1985. First book that brought
PPD public recognition. Historical and psychosocial overview of PPD.
Dunnewald, Anne and Diana Sanford. Postpartum Survival Guide. New Harbinger,
1994. Straightforward "what-to-do" guide. Helps you determine extent of
problem and need for professional help.
Kleiman, Karen R. and Valerie D. Raskin. This Isn't What I Expected. New
York: Bantam, 1994.
Naisri, Shaila. Shouldn't I Be Happy? Hands-on question and answer guidebook
to all emotional problems of pregnancy.
Depression After Delivery
PO Box 1282
Morrisville PA 19067
800/944-4PPD
This organization provides information about PPD, supportive phone volunteers
to talk with, and a list of experienced/sympathetic professionals in your
area.
The following are clinics or counselors directly experienced in helping
women with PPD. For more information about such clinics see Mothering the
New Mother (see below).
Center for Postpartum Depression
2400 Chestnut Street, Suite 2203
Philadelphia PA 19103
215/561-6381
Ricardo J. Fernandez MD
Duke Postpartum Support Program
Duke University Medical Center
PO Box 3812
Durham NC 27710
919/684-3714
William S. Meyer, MSW
Mother Matters
Regional Center for Mother
and Child Care at Memorial Hospital
615 N. Michigan St.
South Bend IN 46601
219/284-7396
Jeanette O’Dell, RNC, MS
New Motherhood
Kitzinger, Sheila. The Year After Childbirth: Surviving and Enjoying the
First Year of Motherhood. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1994.
Plaiksin, Sally. Mothering the New Mother. New York: Newmarket Press, 1994.
La Leche League
PO Box 1209
Franklin Park IL 60131
800/LA-LECHE
Breastfeeding support group
National Association of Postpartum Care Services
PO Box 1020
Edmonds WA 98020
Provides referrals to postpartum doulas who assist new mothers at home.
Mothers at Home
8310-A Old Courthouse Road
Vienna VA 22182
703/827-5903
Supports mothers who choose to stay at home with their children.
Dealing with a Difficult or Traumatic Birth
Madsen, Lynn. Rebounding from Childbirth. Westport, CT: Bergin and Garvey,
1994.
Panuthos, Claudia. Ended Beginnings. South Hadley, MA: Bergin and Garvey,
1984.
Breastfeeding and Medications for Postpartum Depression
This topic is cutting edge and there’s not a lot of good information available.
It IS possible to breastfeed and take certain anti-depressants or natural
progesterone therapy, but this is not widely known, even among mental health
professionals. SUDDEN CESSATION OF BREASTFEEDING MAY WORSEN DEPRESSIVE
SYMPTOMS. Pursue correct information before making any choices. Also see
Chapter 7 of the Postpartum Survival Guide, Dunnewald and Sanford.
Altshuler, Lori, MD et al. Pharmacologic Management of Psychiatric
Illness During Pregnancy: Dilemmas and Guidelines. American Journal
of Psychiatry 153:5, May 1996.
Contact these professionals for more information:
Lee Cohen, MD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston MA 12114
617/969-3396
Katherine L. Wisner, MD, MS
Director of Women’s Services
Mood Disorders Program
Case Western Reserve University
11400 Euclid Ave., Suite 200
Cleveland OH 44106
216/721-4600
VBAC (Vaginal Birth after Cesarean) and Cesarean Prevention
Cohen, Nancy Wainer and Lois J. Estner. Silent Knife: Cesarean Prevention
and Vaginal Birth after Cesarean. New York: Bergin and Garvey, 1983.
Cohen, Nancy Wainer. Open Season: A Survival Guide for Natural Childbirth
and VBAC in the 90s. New York: Bergin and Garvey, 1991.
Flamm, Bruce. Birth After Cesarean: The Medical Facts. New York: Prentice
Hall, 1990.
International Cesarean Awareness Network, Inc.
1304 Kingsdale Ave.
Redondo Beach CA 90278
310/542-6400
An excellent resource with a supportive, informative newsletter, The Clarion.
Birth Alternatives Respectful of Women and their Babies
This topic is especially relevant to mothers who are at risk of postpartum
depression because the more interventive a birth a woman experiences, the
more likely she is to be depressed. Choose a birth alternative that will
empower you AND keep your baby safe.
