Greatvine.com Guide Postnatal Depression

8/3/2019 Greatvine.com Guide Postnatal Depression

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A GREATVINE PARENTING GUIDE

Greatvine Advice for life

Postnatal Depression



WelcomeHere at Greatvine we’re dedicated

to helping you nd the best advice,

quickly and easily. From parentingand health to writing and business,

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experts is just a phone call away.

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Suering postnatal depression as

a mum can make you eel lonely,

distressed and bewildered. But it’s

important to know that with the right

support you can recover.

Having a close network o amily and riends helps,

but we can support you with direct, condential

access to leading psychologists, counsellors and other

postnatal depression experts. Many have personal

experience o overcoming the condition.

This Greatvine booklet contains invaluable advice

and expert tips on how to recognise and cope with

the symptoms o postnatal depression.

The specialists in the next ew pages are just a

small part o Greatvine. For advice you can trust,

visit Greatvine.com and see how we can make a

dierence to your lie. The experts are at the end o

the phone, whenever you need.

the baby blues?‘ There must be someone who

can help...’

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6

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In this edition

How can I banish

Meet the postnatal depression experts

Expert Q&A with Elaine Hanzak

Top tips for a beating the blues

Next steps for more advice



Laura Campbell

With specialist

training in postnatal

depression, Laura

has been able to

help numerous suerers get back

on their eet. Her clients have

included celebrities, high-fyers

and parents o multiples, all o

whom have beneted rom her

riendly, experienced ear. Laura’s

a qualied maternity practitioner

and aims to support women

through pregnancy and beyond.

Talk with Laura on 0906 400

6231 - £1.50/min*.

greatvine.com/laura-campbell

Elaine Hanzak

A ormer postnatal

depression suerer

hersel, Elaine’s

empathy and

practical techniques have helped

hundreds o mothers. Her novel

‘Eyes Without Sparkle – a journey

through postnatal illness’ described

her own experiences with puerperal

psychosis, the most severe orm

o postnatal depression. Elaine

inspires women and oers

practical suggestions or how to

make recovery easier and more

eective. Elaine now advises health

proessionals and amily support

groups worldwide about postnatal

depression care and treatment.

She’s spoken to a wide range o

audiences, including the European

Parliament, and has appeared on

national TV, radio and in magazines

& newspapers. Talk with Elaine

on 0905 675 4612 - £1.20/min*.

greatvine.com/elaine-hanzak

Geraldine Lee

Nurse and lie

coach Geraldine has

several decades o

experience helping

women with personal and

emotional diculties. An expert

Meet the postnatal depressionexperts


Speak with a top postnatal

depression specialist

whenever you need



on how motherhood can aect

mental health, Geraldine oers

empathy and compassion as well

as practical support or recovery.

Arrange to talk with Geraldine

at: greatvine.com/geraldine-lee

Ann Girling

A qualied

development

coach and ormer

health visitor,

Ann recovered rom postnatal

depression hersel. As a health

visitor Ann developed policy

or emale domestic violence

victims, but she eels most

ullled helping women who

are suering rom postnatal

depression and knows what a

dierence listening can make.

A co-author about postnatal

depression and speaker on

women’s issues, Ann can help

you on the road to recovery. Talkwith Ann on 0906 400 6223 -

£1.50 per/min*.

greatvine.com/ann-girling

Sonya Murray

A ormer nurse

and midwie

with 20 years o

experience, Sonya

is the co-ounder o an education

organisation which aims to

modernise antenatal education

and parenting support.

Sonya is passionate about

improving women’s emotional

health beore and ater birth.She works with the Scottish

Association or Mental Health,

improving the support or

pregnant women and new

amilies, and is an expert

contributor to national

newspapers and magazines.

Talk with Sonya on

0906 207 1133 - £1.00 per/min*.

greatvine.com/sonya-murray

Liz Wise

Liz is a qualied

counsellor who

has specialised

in postnatal

depression or 15 years. Having

suered the debilitating illness

twice hersel, she understandshow dreadul the experience

can eel and can also support

partners who are aected.

Liz wants suerers to know

that postnatal depression is

a temporary condition; ull

recovery is possible with the

right support and talking withsomeone who understands is a

large step to recovery. Arrange

to talk with Liz at:

greatvine.com/liz-wise

* from a BT landline. Calls from other

networks and mobiles may vary. 18+.

A GREATVINE PARENTING GUIDE • POSTNATAL DEPRESSION 5

Choose from hundreds of great

experts in over 80 topics, only at

Greatvine.www.greatvine.com



Expert Q & AElaine

Elaine Hanzak helps mums struggling with

postnatal depression. Here she answers

some of your questions about recognising,and coping with, the condition.

I can’t stop crying and am scared I’ve got

postnatal depression. Are there any pills or

it?

Postnatal depression can mean many things,

rom being a bit tearul to eeling suicidal. I you’re

having clinical symptoms o depression such as

poor appetite or loss o sleep and concentration,

medication can oten help to reduce these and speed

the process o recovery.But it’s not the answer or everyone as there

may be other reasons or how you’re eeling, such as

problems with a relationship, which counselling may

help.

Speak to your GP, as they can take account o

your previous medical history and discuss which

treatment may be best or you. Remember that

postnatal depression is an illness and the chemical

imbalance needs to be adjusted.

I longed or my baby son, but now I just

can’t seem to bond. I’m struggling to cope

and am scared I don’t love him.

For some new mums, it takes time to develop a

maternal bond. Until it happens, don’t eel ashamed,

scared or guilty - and try to appreciate that it’s not

your ault.

Acknowledging that you have diculty bonding

with your baby is a big step towards solving the problem, so well done. First, talk to someone you can

trust about your eelings – this may be a postnatal

depression expert, midwie or health visitor, partner

or riend. I someone seems unsympathetic it’ll be

because they don’t understand, so it’s important to

speak to someone who does.

You needn’t be superwoman, so don’t expect too

much rom yoursel. Build a support team o riends

and amily, then delegate daily household chores so




you’re ree to spend time on you and your baby.

Baby massage can help. Get to know your baby’s

body and they’ll warm to your responses and vice

versa. With support, time and patience you and your

baby will bond – remember you’re both learning to

love each other.

Since my baby was born our monthsago I seem to be having relationship

problems with loved ones. How can I stop

mysel being horrible to them?

Research shows that women who have a strong

support network and close relationships tend to

recover rom postnatal illness quicker than those

without. But part o the illness aects your moods

and personality in such a way that it’s easy to alienate

others - or example, by being short-tempered andexpecting everyone to read your mind.

You may be resisting asking those closest to you

or practical help, but try to get over this. Take a deep

breath i you’re tempted to criticise anything which

isn’t exactly as you wanted – remember there’s more

than one way to change a nappy!

One approach is to work as a team so no-

one eels isolated. Everyone around you needs

inormation about your illness to increase their

understanding.

My baby is one year old and I still eel

exhausted and depressed. Could this still be

postnatal depression?

Strictly speaking, the term ‘postnatal’ reers

to the year ater childbirth. But i your symptoms

started during this period and haven’t been treated,

the label’s irrelevant.

It’s important to get proessional advice and take

steps to recovery. Don’t keep on suering in silence

and hope you’ll eel better automatically. Depression

is an illness that can aect us at any time.

I want another baby but suered badly

rom postnatal depression with my frst

child. Am I more likely to suer rom it the

second time around?Perhaps, but every pregnancy is dierent so you

won’t automatically suer next time too. There are

ways to minimise the risk and give you more control

and condence.

Beore you all pregnant, speak to your health

proessionals, amily and riends to think about what

worked and what didn’t work the rst time. Can you

remember the early signs o postnatal depression?

Tell people to look out or them and take action i

necessary.

My biggest piece o advice would be to plan or

the worst but expect the best.

It’s vital to get your support team in place and

make sure that in the early days ater giving birth you

get as much time as possible or rest, or you and your

baby. Use your plans to eel reassured and in control,

have the support structures ready, think positively and

visualise the happy pregnancy you can have.


Talk with Elaine

www.greatvine.com/elaine-hanzak

0905 675 4612£1.20/min from a BT landline. Calls from other networks and mobilesmay vary. 18+.



1Don’t be araid to

say you need help.

Fear o being thought a

‘bad mum’, or having a

baby taken away stops

many women rom getting the

help they need. Don’t suer

unnecessarily. Be assured that

the last thing anyone wantsto do is take your baby away.

-Geraldine Lee

2 Remember

that postnatal

depression is a

treatable illness

rom which you’ll

recover, even though at times

you may eel you’ll never be

happy again. -Elaine Hanzak

Top tips for beatingthe blues




3 One o the hardest

things about postnatal

depression is the eeling

o isolation. But you’re

denitely not alone.

Ask or help rom anyone you

know - especially a postnatal

depression expert or health

visitor. Someone else will be

there who can understand some

o what you’re experiencing.

-Ann Girling

4I the way you’re

thinking or eeling

doesn’t seem right,

speak with a postnatal

depression expert or

health visitor. They have lots

o experience o working with

mothers with various postnatal

illnesses. -Geraldine Lee

5Sometimes

you might eel

overwhelmed by

everything that needs

to be done. You may

just eel hopeless and helplessbecause you eel you can’t do it

all. So every day, try to do one

small thing or yoursel, even i

it’s getting dressed or putting on

some make-up. -Ann Girling

6

Remember that it’s

not your ault and

you’re not to blame.

Instead o eeling guilty

and ashamed, nd

experiences that make you eel

good. Linking these to the senses

is a great way to do this. Be as

kind to yoursel as you would

be to your best riend. -Elaine

Hanzak

7Have treats - pamper

yoursel with a warm

bath or something else

with a eel-good actor.

Fresh air and exercise

work wonders or shiting your

energies around. Do a bit more o

what you love. -Ann Girling

8 Postnatal

depression can eel

like a rollercoaster

- appreciate the better

times and look orward

to them in the down times.

-Elaine Hanzak


Find more great tips on

beating postnatal depression

www.greatvine.com/postnataldepression



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Postnatal depression can make you

eel lonely and distressed. While it

can help to talk to your loved ones,

it’s also good to know where you can

get expert advice.

Greatvine lets you talk on the phone with thecountry’s best experts, whenever you need. Choose

rom leading specialists in over 80 topics covering

all aspects o pregnancy, childbirth and parenting

– rom breasteeding and baby sleep to postnatal

depression and child nutrition.

The team includes counsellors, midwives,

breasteeding specialists, paediatricians, practice

nurses, parenting coaches, child nutritionists, child

psychologists and more.

With an average o ve qualications each the

experts oer advice you can trust. Friendly and

understanding, they’re here to help. Many also

contribute to TV, radio and to leading magazines &newspapers.

Simply browse the experts’ proles, choose a

specialist and talk whenever you need.

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Greatvine.com Guide Postnatal Depression