For many women, having a baby delivers all the profound joy they anticipated and brings happiness beyond description. For women who experience depression after the birth of a baby, this joy can seem elusive. Instead, women with postpartum depression (PPD) are often gripped with feelings of deep sadness, confusion, anxiety, and despair, and they are deprived of their anticipated joy in their first precious months with their baby. At some point, the question of having another baby arises. If you ask a woman in the throes of a depression this question, she may say, no. No more children. If you ask a woman who has recovered from postpartum depression if she wants more children, she may say, yes, but I'm scared to go through that again. This book was written to accompany these women on their journey toward a subsequent pregnancy after postpartum depression. What Am I Thinking contains essential information for a woman and her family who plan on having another baby after a previous experience with postpartum depression. As these women know, planning another pregnancy can be a process filled with profound anxiety, indecision, fears, and self-doubt. What if I get depressed again? What if it's worse this next time? What if something terrible happens? What if I'm making a mistake? Filled with self-help strategies, current treatment recommendations, and practical advice, this book offers women the hope, confidence, and support they need to make this journey in spite of their anxiety. With this resource and available knowledge in hand, they are likely to feel more empowered, enabling them to proceed with confidence.
Karen Kleiman, MSW, LCSW, Founder & Executive Director of The Postpartum Stress Center (postpartumstress.com), Licensed, Clinical Social Worker, co-author of "This Isn't What I Expected: Overcoming Postpartum Depression" and "Dropping the Baby and Other Scary Thoughts" and author of "Therapy and the Postpartum Woman", (postpartumtherapy.net) "What Am I Thinking: Having a Baby After Postpartum Depression" and "The Postpartum Husband: Practical Solutions for Living with Postpartum Depression", has been working with women and their families for over 30 years.
A native of Saint Louis, MO., Karen has lived in the Philadelphia area since 1982 with her two children and her husband. After graduating in 1980 from the University of Illinois at Chicago with her Masters in Social Work, she began her practice as a psychotherapist, specializing in women's issues. In 1988 she founded The Postpartum Stress Center where she provides treatment for prenatal and postpartum depression and anxiety. In 2009 New Jersey opened The Postpartum Stress & Family Wellness Center where they treat pregnant and postpartum women as well as children, adolescents and families.
In addition to her clinical practice, Karen provides specialized post-graduate training classes and inservices for healthcare professionals as well as consultation and supervision to therapists. She frequently lectures and continues to write on the topic of postpartum adjustment. Her work has been featured in local and national magazines, numerous radio shows, local and national television shows, "Inside Edition", The Oprah Winfrey Show and NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw.
Currently, Karen is affiliated with a number of on-line sites, where she writes articles, facilitates support chats and addresses concerns of postpartum and pregnant women. In addition to her work at The Postpartum Stress Center of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Karen maintains a general private practice where she treats individuals, couples and families.
