Baby Boot Camp: the New Mom's 9-Minute Fitness Solution. Kristen Horler & Amanda Vogel, $16.95

Created specifically for the postpartum body, this safe and highly effective fitness program enables mom to get back in shape while playing with her infant or toddler. Baby Boot Camp contains the strength exercises and stretches mom needs, with one base routine plus variations that progress as baby gets older and mom’s fitness level improves.

Depression In New Mothers: Causes, Consequences and Treatment Alternatives, 2nd Edition. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, $48.50

This book provides caregivers with a comprehensive approach to treating postpartum depression in an easy-to-use format, including treatment options that are safe for use with breastfeeding mothers. Addressing fatigue, pain, negative birth experiences, infant characteristics, and psychosocial factors, Depression in New Mothers: Causes, Consequences, and Treatment Alternatives presents a vital, cross-cultural view of depression in new mothers.

The Everything® Mother's First Year Book. Robin Elise Weiss, $17.95

The Everything® Mother's First Year Book is the invaluable resource you need to prepare for this life-changing event … This all-in-one guide helps you step into your role as mom as seamlessly as possible. Includes advice on:

• Getting through those first frantic days (and nights)
• Caring for baby and family as a whole, at the same time
• Dealing with mood swings and depression
• Returning to work outside the home
• Recovering your sense of self

Fit Mama: a Real-Life Fitness Guide for the New Mom. Stacy Denney & Kate Hodson, $19.95

From simple exercises to do with baby to full body cardio workouts, Fit Mama offers an effective, holistic approach to postpartum fitness. Stacy Denney and Kate Hodson know from experience that it doesn't happen overnight. They offer wise counsel on finding the time and energy to shape up gradually at first, and they motivate moms to amp it up as time goes by. With fully illustrated step-by-step directions and lots of encouragement along the way, Fit Mama delivers!

An award-winning reporter for the Washington Post, Tracy Thompson was thirty-four when she was hospitalized and put on suicide watch during a major depressive episode. This event … became the point of departure for an in-depth, groundbreaking book on depression and her struggle with the disease. The Beast shattered stereotypes and inspired countless readers to confront their own battles with mental illness. Having written that book, and having found the security of a happy marriage, Thompson assumed that she had learned to manage her illness. But when she took on one of the most emotionally demanding jobs of all—being a mother—depression returned with fresh vengeance.

Very quickly Thompson realized that virtually everything she had learned up to then about dealing with depression was now either inadequate or useless. In fact, maternal depression was a different beast altogether … The Ghost in the House, the result of Thompson's extensive studies, is the first book to address maternal depression as a lifelong illness that can have profound ramifications for mother and child. A striking blend of memoir and journalism, here is an invaluable resource for the millions of women who are white-knuckling their way through what should be the most satisfying years of their lives. Thompson offers her readers a concise summary of the cutting-edge research in this field, deftly written prose and, above all, hope.

Heartache and Hope: Living through Postpartum Depression. Parent Development Centre, Calgary; $45.00. 27 minute DVD.

Developed for both families and health care professionals, this inspiring video tells the stories of four couples and their postpartum experiences. In a compassionate and practical manner, this video discusses the signs and symptoms of PDD; everyday coping skills; breastfeeding while on medication; the importance of support for mothers; cultural expectations and the knowledge that postpartum mood disorders do subside.

Hillbilly Gothic: a Memoir of Madness and Motherhood. Adrienne Martini, $29.95

"My family has a grand tradition. After a woman gives birth, she goes mad. I thought that I would be the one to escape."

So begins Adrienne Martini's candid, compelling, and darkly humorous history of her family's and her own experiences with depression and postpartum syndrome. Martini delves unflinchingly into her own breakdown and institutionalization and traces the multigenerational course of this devastating problem … She also weaves in the stories of other women, both contemporary and historic, who have dealt with postpartum depression in all its guises, from fleeting "baby blues" to full-blown psychosis … New mothers and those who have struggled with parenthood — whether or not they dealt with depression — will find affirmation in this story of triumph, of escape from a difficult legacy, of hope for others, and of the courage to have another baby.

Inconsolable: How I Threw My Mental Health Out with the Diapers. Marrit Ingman, $17.95

Inconsolable is the story of Marrit Ingman’s journey through postpartum depression, told with frank and unrelenting honesty — and with a good dose of sarcasm and wit. It is a vivid portrait of motherhood that is unlike the picture-perfect image of parenting that exists in the popular culture. Details of her depression, rage, feelings of inadequacy, suicidal fantasies are all there — along with the unplanned cesarean section, ankyloglossia, colic, gastroesophageal reflux, eczema, Zoloft, Paxil, peanut allergy and hepatitis. This is a book for parents who don’t see themselves in the “expert” books, who get no relief from well-meant advice from family, friends or the family doctor. This is a book for the reader who needs to know that she is not alone.

The Journey to Parenthood: Myths, Reality and What Really Matters. Diana Lynn Barnes & Leigh Balber, $42.50

New and expectant parents need support and confidence. The Journey to Parenthood is designed to provide that. It assists in exploring and analyzing thoughts and feelings about childbirth and being a parent. This book is about being realistic. It draws on the experiences of many parents from a wide range of backgrounds, to look at the different perceived expectations and cultural pressures imposed on new and expectant parents. It is full of helpful guidance to lead parents towards discovering the role that is right for them. Highly recommended for parents, health and social care professionals, therapists and counselors.

Mindful Motherhood. Cassandra Vieten, $22.95

Practical tools for staying sane during pregnancy and your child's first year.

Postpartum Depression Demystified: an Essential Guide for Understanding and Overcoming the most Common Complication after Childbirth. Joyce Venis & Suzanne McCloskey, $20.95

Postpartum depression is the most common complication women experience after childbirth. Yet this serious mood disorder, characterized by sadness, anxiety, feelings of hopelessness and guilt, insomnia, and thoughts of harming the baby or oneself, continues to be widely misunderstood and frequently misdiagnosed. In Postpartum Depression Demystified, renowned PPD authority Joyce Venis and Suzanne McCloskey, both PPD sufferers themselves, turn their combined experience and expertise into an insightful and supportive guide for everyone living with and seeking to understand this condition.

Postpartum Depression: a Guide for Front-Line Health and Social Service Providers. Lori Ross, Cindy-Lee Dennis, Emma Robertson Blackmore & Donna Stewart; $18.95

Postpartum Depression: a Guide for Front-Line Health and Social Service Providers provides practical advice for social service, community and health care workers who may have contact with women experiencing postpartum depression (PPD). Based on clinical experience, current research and best-practices, the authors provide a unique perspective on what front-line workers can do to understand, recognize and support women who may be suffering from PPD. Some of the questions answered in this guide include:

• What is PPD, what causes it, how common is it and what are the risk factors?
• Why does PPD often remain undetected?
• What can front-line workers do to prevent or detect PPD in the women they work with? What can they do to help?
• How is PPD assessed and treated?
• How does PPD affect a women's partner, children, family and friends?
• What self-care strategies can be recommended?

Through parent interviews, vignettes and helpful tips, this program offers a practical and realistic view of the early postpartum period.

(Note: this price is for Home use only. For prices on public performance rights, please contact us).

Designed for clinicians delivering postpartum care, including physicians, midwives, OB-GYN nurse practitioners, and women's health practitioners, this text overviews the six different mood and anxiety disorders that may present during a woman's postpartum year. Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders focuses on assessment, screening tools, diagnosis, treatment, and implications for practice, and includes case studies to integrate the process.

This book describes setting up and managing a discussion group for new mothers to provide support and introduce women to others at the same life stage in a safe environment. It shows how facilitating this structured activity can be positive and empowering for all concerned. It is practical and stimulating reading for everyone involved professionally with postnatal women. Contents include:

• Background and preparations for a postnatal group
• The world of motherhood
• Maternal health
• Planning the group
• Managing the group
• Expectations and reality Roles of motherhood
• Changes in relationships
• Parenting style
• Focus on feelings
• Building self-esteem

When Baby Brings the Blues: Solutions for Postpartum Depression. Ariel Dalfen, $21.95

A leading expert on postpartum depression offers new mothers an insightful, medically sound guide to recovery. When Baby Brings the Blues leads women out of the maze of depression, offering medical and psychotherapeutic options, and practical lifestyle changes. Complete with a PPD diagnosis questionnaire, a treatment plan checklist, and a table of medications and side effects, this upbeat guide also includes an impressive array of resources for further support and programs available in the US and Canada.