Sara Rosenquist PhD - After the Stork : the Couples Guide to Preventing and Overcoming Postpartum Depression

Sara Rosenquist, Ph.D., maintains a clinical practice in Chapel Hill, NC, and specializes in reproductive health issues ranging from postpartum depression to sexual dysfunction.

Foreword writer Michael D. Yapko, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and marriage and family therapist in Fallbrook, CA. He is author of numerous books, including Breaking the Patterns of Depression.

Sara Rosenquists take on postpartum depression is revelatory and full of hope. Her message is that what we believe shapes our biology as much as the other way around. With this new understanding, we can get back in the drivers seat. We can choose our behavior, make plans, and acquire healthy habits of body and mind. In doing so, we can shape our own mental health destiny.

Ethan Watters, author of Crazy Like Us

There are few ambitious, successful, and comprehensive guides to postpartum depression for non-experts. Fortunately for us, Rosenquist opens a path for ordinary couples to self-heal. Using direct, lucid prose and everyday examples, the author identifies and provides ways to relieve the distress of postpartum depression. I admire this book for its brilliant melding of compassionate insight, fascinating research summarizations, and presentation of exercises, chapter-by-chapter, to restore a sense of well-being.

Elaine Crovitz, Ph.D., emeritus faculty at Duke University Medical School

After the Stork is a detailed and thoughtful guide to the challenges that new parents encounter as they make this major life transition. It offers a wealth of different practical strategies that can be used by parents to minimize or mitigate postpartum depression. Because it is so evenhanded and thorough in addressing issues that both mothers and fathers may face, it is a must-read for couples expecting or welcoming their first child.

James F. Paulson, Ph.D., child and family clinical psychologist and associate professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School

I am a female OB/GYN physician and a mother of four. After reading this book, I have insight that may help me not only be a better mom and wife, but also a better doctor. I appreciate Sara Rosenquist teaching us why depression can set in after having a child, but I also value her detailed steps and advice on how to prevent and overcome it. I will recommend this book to all my patients and friends.

Andrea Lukes, MD, OB/GYN physician at the Womens Wellness Clinic in Durham, NC

Books for professionals are often long on science and short on practicality, while those for non-professionals are often filled with advice not based on scientific facts. In After the Stork, Rosenquist has blended the best of both worlds. Professionals will learn about the daily realities of postpartum depression, and readers with new babies will not only get exceptionally sensible guidance, but will discover the science behind it in a format that is fascinating and easy to grasp. This is a must-read for those who care for new parents, and can serve as an invaluable roadmap for those who wish to prevent or overcome postpartum depression.

John C. Linton, Ph.D., ABPP, professor and vice chair of the department of behavioral medicine and psychiatry at the West Virginia University School of Medicine in Charleston, VA

The information in After the Stork is empowering and practical, and offers couples and prospective parents a 360-degree view of the ways in which their lives will change, both positively and negatively, after the birth or adoption of their child. Not only does she offer them knowledge, which is potent in and of itself, but she provides clear and readily accessible exercises and strategies for proactively and reactively managing issues and problems that canand willarise in the postpartum period.

Catherine A. Forneris, Ph.D., ABPP, licensed psychologist and associate professor of psychiatry at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Rosenquist has written an incredibly helpful and comprehensive handbook for couples entering into the new world of parenthood. She thoughtfully and honestly describes many of the challenges that couples encounter during pregnancy and postpartum, including postpartum depression. This workbook is an invaluable guide for couples willing to invest some time and energy into preparing for parenthood and the inevitable lifestyle adjustments that come along with it.

Samantha Meltzer-Brody, MD, MPH, director of the University of North Carolina Perinatal Psychiatry Program

In an age when pills are all too often relied upon as the first solution to lifes difficulties, Rosenquist offers a refreshing, evidence-based, psychological approach to the serious problem of postpartum depression.

Irving Kirsch, author of The Emperors New Drugs

Rosenquist has written an eminently practical book about depression, especially appropriate for men and women embarking on parenthood. She provides interesting scientific data about depression, case studies of parents struggling with postpartum depression, and explains the concrete, practical things readers can do to both prevent depression and to help treat it. Seldom do you see a mental health book that is so realistic, understandable, and scientifically interesting. From years of clinical practice, she shares simple approaches to help parents and anyone who struggles with depression.

John F. Wilson. Ph.D., professor at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine

Publishers Note

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books

Copyright 2010 by Sara E. Rosenquist

New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

5674 Shattuck Avenue

Oakland, CA 94609

www.newharbinger.com

All Rights Reserved

Epub ISBN: 9781608821365

Acquired by Jess OBrien; Cover design by Amy Shoup; Edited by Carole Honeychurch

The Library of Congress has Cataloged the Print Edition as:

Rosenquist, Sara E.

After the stork : the couples guide to preventing and overcoming postpartum depression / Sara E. Rosenquist ; foreword by Michael D. Yapko.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-1-57224-863-2

1. Postpartum depression--Popular works. I. Title.

RG852.R675 2010

618.76--dc22

2010025664

This book is dedicated to my own two highly imperfect parents, from one highly imperfect daughter, and to Mary and Emily who have taught me everything I know about being a mother.

Para todos los hijos de mi alma: Emily, and Andrew and Julia, and Julie, and Guillaume, and Gimena, and Hanako, and Gaia. For all those of the younger generation who occupy space in my heart: may the challenges of parenthood yet to come bring you infinite blessings.