Title Details

Introduction

Being depressed

What is depression? - official and unofficial definitions

What it feels like to be depressed

Who gets it and what causes it?

Explaining depression

What is postnatal depression?

Discovering the paradox

Different theories and different kinds of depression

The baby blues

Postnatal distress and depressed moods

Postnatal depression

What causes postnatal depression? Why me? Why now?

Different approaches to understanding women's postnatal experiences

Trauma following birth

Factors influencing PTSD

Worrying about the baby's health and welfare

Getting the best support over the postnatal period

Coping with depressed moods

Finding social support

Not all company is supportive

Getting support to prevent PND

What has happened to me?

Motherhood and the arrival of self-confidence

Happiness and loss: the paradox of postnatal depression

Introduction

The experience of loss

The healthy grief reaction

Losing sleep

Losing time

Bodies

Feeling too fat

Losing your looks

Losing your 'mind'

Losing my self

Being clear about who you really are

Finding yourself as a mother

Being a 'good' mother: the paradox of sacrifice

Introduction

What is the truth about the maternal instinct

Is maternal instinct a biological drive?

Is there a paternal instinct?

Is biology destiny?

Were you born knowing how to bath a baby?

The father's role

Is a good woman the same as a good mother?

But, what does make a good mother?

Negotiating the boundaries bewteeen self and other

Voices of the experts

Postnatal depression by proxy

Introduction

The paradoxical burden

Women's rage: gender relations or PND by proxy?

What do women expect?

Penelope's story

Wendy's story

Isobel's story

Understanding PND by proxy

Challenging the paradox and getting on with your life

Introduction

Taking control: when and how

Social support

Emotions fitness

Cognitive-analytic therapy (CAT)

Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT)

Physical fitness

Where do we go from here?

Conclusions

Portraits of the women

"..It performs, in a womanlike fashion, the important job of depathologising postnatal sadness...this is the ideal.." (The Times, 3 December 2001)

"..this book should be a 'must read' for dads, grandparents, anyone in the caring profession and any women who is about to tackle the monumental task of becoming a mother." (www.familyonwards.com 14 February 2002)

"It recognises how things are today with families living far apart, and the ever increasing load a mother has to carry." (Young Minds Magazine, May/June 2002)

"...In the patients' library this book could be extremely useful..." (Family Practice, Vol.19, No. 4, 2002)

"…I would recommend this book to any pregnant woman,…Well done to the author!!…" (Forparentsbyparents.com, 28 March 2003)

"…I would like to end by recommending pages 170-172 to psycho-therapists dealing with depression across the board…and also to those dealing with other mental disorder." (Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Vol.44, No. 6, 2003) 

"…a clear and practical book…" (The Sun, 16 September 2003)

"…definitely a book I would recommend for all." (Primary Health Care, September 2003)

“…gets to the heart of the matter…expecting and new mothers are shown how to take a more realistic approach…” (Stress News, April 2004)