PPP Book

[bravesurvivor411]

I just finished teresa twomey's book understanding postpartum psychosis: a temporary madness. I finished it in two days! Its a book about facts of PPP and about 15 stories of recovry of PPP. I skipped the stories of suicide and infanticide. I don't feel like I am in a good place to read them right now. I really recomend her book however it has stirred up a lot of memories and emotions. I feel like Im in a place today where I really fear relapse. It has only been since April of this year where I had my episode. (no previous mental illness before birth). I wondered if it is more healing or hard to hear others stories of PPP for other PPP survivors. Or maybe it is hard to hear at first then after processing it becomes more healing.

[Mims2014]

I feel exactly the same as you, i started in march and made a quick recovery but in terrified of relapse. My consultant says we are vulnerable to relapse but its extreme stress that triggers it or child birth has 50% chance. I'm just trying to reduce stress in my life and in going to take preventative meds for next birth. Hopefully someone more experienced will have something positive to say xx

[bravesurvivor411 in reply to Mims2014]

Thanks sally. Im trying to reduce all stressors. My job can be stressfull so im trying to let things roll off my back. Therapy helps with that!

[Mims2014 in reply to bravesurvivor411]

My job is also stressful, I'm a social worker with adults. Thanks for the tip and I'll look into therapy x

[JenniferM]

I experienced pp after the birth of my son over 18 years ago. I had no prior mental illness, either. It has been a long journey but it does get better. Remember recovery is a process and different for everyone. In my case, it took me two years after the onset to begin to feel that things were better.

Writing has been very healing for me and I was recently able to get my book about my experience published. I do not know if reading about pp experiences during my recovery would have helped me but I do know that my not having the opportunity to talk or share with someone that also experienced pp prolonged my recovery. I now do what I can to encourage and help others going through similar experiences. The reason I wrote the book is to let others know there is help, there is hope and they are not alone. I have gotten encouraging feedback from others but reading about pp has to be a personal decision and the right timing for the individual. If you are interested in learning more about my book. It is called A Mother's Climb Out of Darkness (amothersclimboutofdarkness....

I am in USA, where pp is not addressed very well so I try to encourage and help when I can. jennifermoyer.com

I wish I had access to an organization like APP when I was going through my experience. It would have helped me tremendously.

Warm Regards,

Jennifer

[bravesurvivor411 in reply to JenniferM]

Hi jennifer,

I talked to you on the phone a few weeks ago. And I just recently bought your book I just havent read it yet. It was very helpful talking to you on the phone.

Anne

[JenniferM in reply to bravesurvivor411]

So good to hear from you. I am glad it was helpful talking to me. If you every want to talk again, just contact me. Please take your time on reading the book. The right time will come. Thanks for touching base with me. It is good to hear from you.

Warm Regards,

Jennifer

[Kaffee]

It is hard to know what to say to help. I had had no mental health issues until I had PP after my daughter's birth at Christmas in 1984. I think it was about a year before I was myself again though it was a steady recovery aided at first unfortunately by medication. At my worst I resisted the drugs, I am a nurse am had a strong instinctive desire to not take them. I had no comprehension of the need to take something to slow me down and to manage my manic behaviour. My poor mind was alive with stories, thoughts, memories and many different emotions. I relived my whole life, told all sorts of stories about my past and my brothers. They were all true but I had been sectioned and kept in a horrible psychiatric ward in a hospital with night nurses who had no compassion. I found one very frightening as I had a strange perception of her and her edgy voice. I went on to a mother and baby unit which was better but still a very strange place. I gradually regained my senses and with the help of my then husband, was able to go home and start to be a mother again. I did not feed her for long as I lost the plot so could not continue.

I have not had any kind of similar type of episode since then. I am 56 now and was 26 then. I will never forget it and have mixed feelings about having had PP. Partly I feel a bit special as I have experienced a kind of madness and returned. Partly sad that I did not have a normal time being a new Mum .

I believe there is life after PP. I have been working as a nurse since she was 3 years old and PP has not prevented me from doing a good job. X

[dioni]

When I read Teresa Twomey's book, I was in the middle of my "difficult" times but on my way to recover. It really helped me a lot!! I found so much information gathered and I also felt like I was not alone. What I found very interesting was that women all over the world experienced the same symptoms (like the ones I had), no matter what their backround was. Another helpful book for me was that of Brooke Shields "down came the rain", mainly about depression, not really about PP, but it had lot's of emotions and feelings regarding new mothers.

[Hayleynevin]

Hi there! I was thinking the same a you. I've also got a book called women's guide through the darkness, I've began reading it and it seems quite intense and I'm worried that it coots be a set back to read I.e too upsetting and will worry me. X