Preventing postpartum depression

Psychologist and Postpartum Specialist Shoshana Bennett, PhD, shares advice to help expecting moms that can help to prevent postpartum depression
Postpartum Depression Prevention Tips - KidsInTheHouse.com
KidsInTheHouse the Ultimate Parenting Resource
Kids in the House Tour

Preventing postpartum depression

Comment
42
Unlike
42
Transcription: 
Whether a mom is high risk for postpartum depression or not, every mom needs a wellness plan. One of the biggest pieces to build into that plan is realistic expectations. She's not supposed to have dinner on the table at 6:00 o'clock when she first has a baby. Things like that. The pressure she puts on herself needs to go. Realistic expectations definitely top the list. Sleep at nighttime. Even breastfeeding moms can work out a plan where they can get a few uninterrupted hours at nighttime. It will protect her brain chemistry, big time. Exercise. Something getting those endorphins going. It will help her feel good emotionally. It's great for her physically. It's great for her brain chemistry, even if she is recovering in bed. There are still some breathing exercises she can do to boost her. She needs good physical support. She needs time just for her so she doesn't get lost in the shuffle. She should always have some time away from the kids to take care of herself. These are some of the basics for a wellness strategy, along with nutrition, that every mom should have in place.

Psychologist and Postpartum Specialist Shoshana Bennett, PhD, shares advice to help expecting moms that can help to prevent postpartum depression

Transcript

Expert Bio

More from Expert

Shoshana Bennett, PhD

Clinical Psychologist & Postpartum Specialist

Shoshana Bennett, PhD (“Dr. Shosh”) from the popular DrShosh.com Radio Show is the author of Pregnant on Prozac, Postpartum Depression For Dummies, and co-author of Beyond the Blues: Understanding and Treating Prenatal and Postpartum Depression & Anxiety.  She is also the creator of the new mobile app PPD Gone.  National TV shows including  20/20, Discovery Channel, The Doctors and The Ricki Lake Show feature Dr. Shosh as the pregnancy and postpartum mood expert and news stations such as CNN consult her. Several publications including the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News have written articles on Dr. Shosh’s work.  She’s interviewed regularly on national radio and has been quoted in dozens of newspapers and magazines such as The Wall Street Journal, WebMD, Boston Globe, Fit Pregnancy, Glamour, Parenting, Psychology Today, New York Post, Self, Cosmopolitan, and the Chicago Tribune. 

Dr. Shosh is a pioneer in the field.  She is a survivor of two life-threatening postpartum depressions. She founded Postpartum Assistance for Mothers in 1987, and is a former president of Postpartum Support International. Dr. Shosh helped develop the official Postpartum Support International training curriculum for professionals which is now considered the gold standard in the field. She has helped over 19,000 women worldwide through individual consultations, support groups and wellness seminars.  As a noted guest lecturer and keynote speaker, she travels throughout the US and abroad, training medical and mental health professionals to assess and treat postpartum depression and related mood and anxiety disorders. She earned three teaching credentials, two masters degrees, a PhD and is licensed as a clinical psychologist.

More Parenting Videos from Shoshana Bennett, PhD >
Enter your email to
download & subscribe
to our newsletter