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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Necessary for all pregnant women and potential fathers, July 10, 2003
Postpartum Depression seems to wander into the nation's limelight every couple of years due to large scale tragedies - the most recent example being that of Andrea Yates and the deaths of her children at her own hand. Based on the statistics offered by this trio of Michigan based doctors, it is surprising the topic doesn't surface with more regularity.Nearly four of five women suffer from some sort of mood altering during and after pregnancy, on various levels. For the most part, even the women who are experiencing these mood changes view them negatively. After all, girls frequently look forward to having babies their whole lives, and why in the world would they not be excited, why would they be feeling down? Even more often, husbands, family and friends understand even less. The problem with the women having concerns over their feelings is that they often do not let anybody know they're having them. In cases where the mood swings are slight, it leads to an unnecessary lack of pleasure with the pregnancy. In cases where full-blown cases of postpartum depression develop, the lack of discussion can lead to disaster. Dr. Ronald Rosenberg has utilized his expertise in pharmacology, along with his position as an OB/GYN, and further studies as a psychiatrist to come up with a plan for recovery for women suffering at all different levels of this depression. His plan includes medical treatment, counseling - a field in which Dr. Greening is an expert, developing a social support system, and parent training skills, where Dr. Windell's skills come to the forefront. As the title states, this is a proven plan for recovery - with numerous examples of situations different women were in and how the plan affected their lives. The book is written with a clean, concise style. Each chapter begins with "Points to Ponder in this Chapter," a listing of anywhere from three to ten issues that the chapter highlights. The chapters are also included in a very straightforward manner, beginning with an explanation of what postpartum depression is, moving towards how to determine if you, or a loved one, are affected, and up through the various stages of the plan to recovery. This book thoroughly explains all aspects of postpartum depression in a manner that should make it easier for expecting mothers, and their families, to understand and accept what is happening. It is a book that all OB/GYN's should be forced to read (too many of them still don't understand postpartum depression well enough to help their own patients), and should be given to every pregnant woman, and read by her and the father of her expected child.
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