Book description
The journey to motherhood is sometimes clouded with unrealistic
expectations and society's unfair judgement of any woman who isn't
immediately blissfully happy with her new baby. Giving birth is a major
life adjustment and rite of passage for all mothers. This book is for
anyone who is struggling or has struggled on that journey, who may be
grappling with confusion, anxiety, fear or anger. It offers hope,
support and comfort and a clear path out of what may feel like a
bewildering or overwhelming situation. Postnatal depression affects
around 30 per cent of mothers, but partners, children, extended family,
friends and colleagues all feel its ripple effect, and many mothers do
not know, or do not wish to acknowledge, that this misunderstood illness
can be treated just like any other. Written by a medical doctor, a
clinical psychologist and their patient, a writer, each author
contributes her own personal experience and expertise in the area of
postnatal depression to an open and enlightening discussion of just what
this illness is, how to recognise it and ways to achieve recovery of
body, mind and spirit. They call on health care professionals and
society at large to respond timeously, knowledgeably and with empathy to
what is, for many mothers, a medical emergency. Women from different
walks of life agreed to share with the authors, and now with the reader,
their tough yet transformational experiences of postnatal depression,
offering hope and encouragement and revealing the power of healing
through openness and the telling of their stories.
