The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Happiest Toddler on the Block 2-Book Bundle pdfdrive com

five minutes or four hours! And on top of that, I have
insomnia. I’m a light sleeper by nature, but now I’m
so attuned to Julie’s cry that I can’t sleep for longer
than a catnap. I’m anxious, exhausted … falling
apart.
“I watched my babysitter act so calmly around
Julie and I couldn’t help but feel that I was making
her worse with my awkward attempts at calming
her.”
I asked Sarah and Tom to come in so I could teach them the
Cuddle. I hoped much of Sarah’s problem stemmed from her
exhaustion, but I was also concerned about her having the baby
blues. After teaching them the 5 “S’s,” I encouraged Sarah to make
an appointment with a psychologist, just in case the techniques
didn’t help. Fortunately, the Cuddle made a dramatic improvement
in Julie’s screaming. Sarah quickly mastered the skills of calming
her and getting her to sleep longer. As Julie slept more, Sarah began
to feel like a better mom.
“Yesterday, I calmed my little baby in less than five
minutes! I was so proud! Within a week, I felt like the
darkness lifted and my life had turned around.”
True Postpartum Depression
One of the least discussed secrets about having a baby is
depression. During the first weeks of what should be the
greatest bliss of their lives, about five percent of normal moms
(estimates range from three to twenty percent) experience

---

strong feelings of sorrow and anxiety. If mild sadness after birth
is called the baby blues, then this more severe depression
should be called the baby “black-and-blues,” because it is a
bruising assault on a woman’s psychological health.
Crashing waves of emotion knock these women off their feet
and make them feel like they are drowning in sadness, shame,
anger, anxiety, pain, fear, apathy, exhaustion, and hopelessness.
It can take all the energy a mother has just to make a sandwich.
Oftentimes they have fantasies of hurting themselves or their
babies. These symptoms can occur at any time after delivery
and last from a few weeks to several months.
A woman who feels this way can become so fragile that
almost anything makes her think, Every other woman would
make a better mother. Or, I’m sure she’s crying because she hates
me. No matter what words of support her loved ones offer, she
feels totally adrift and thinks it’s impossible for them to really
understand how she feels.
This black hole sucks away a woman’s optimism and self-
confidence. Yet, at the same time, the shame and isolation
accompanying postpartum depression lead most of these moms
to keep their suffering a secret from their doctors.
However, depression is a medical illness. Although these
mothers often feel responsible for their condition, they should
have no more guilt than people suffering from allergies. Like its
milder version, the baby blues, postpartum depression is
believed to be caused by a temporary hormonal imbalance. It,
too, is made worse by the stress of fatigue, financial pressures,
family problems, and colic.
If you are feeling like this, you’re not alone. Many women
have experienced what you are going through. Fortunately,
there are some very effective treatments that can help you feel
better. Please, call your doctor. You may not even have
postpartum depression—low thyroid levels after delivery mimic
depression. And if you do have it, you can be greatly helped by
any one of a dozen excellent new medicines, hypnosis, light
therapy, or psychotherapy.

---