The Postnatal Depletion Cure: A Complete Guide to Rebuilding Your Health and Reclaiming Your Energy for Mothers of Newborns, Toddlers, and Young Children

by Oscar Serrallach

Overview

While postpartum depression has become a recognizable condition, this is the first book to treat root causes of mommy brain, baby blues, and other symptoms that leave mothers feeling exhausted.

Any woman who has read What to Expect When You're Expecting needs a copy of The Postnatal Depletion Cure. Filled with trustworthy advice, protocols for successful recovery, and written by a compassionate expert in women's health, this book is a guide to help any mother restore her energy, replenish her body, and reclaim her sense of self.
Most mothers have experienced pain, forgetfulness, indecision, low energy levels, moodiness, or some form of baby brain. And it's no wonder: The process of growing a baby depletes a mother's body in substantial ways--on average, a mother's brain shrinks 5% during pregnancy, and the placenta saps her of essential nutrients that she needs to be healthy and contented. But with postnatal care ending after 6 weeks, most women never learn how to rebuild their strength and care for their bodies after childbirth. As a result, they can suffer from the effects of depletion for many years, without knowing what's wrong as well as getting the support and treatments that they need.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781478970293
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	06/05/2018
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	371,352
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Dr. Oscar Serrallach MBChB FRACGP is a Doctor of Functional Medicine with a special interest in Post-Natal Wellbeing. His initial studies in Functional Medicine coincided with starting a family, which led him to consider the science through the particular lens of pregnancy, birth and the post-natal period, observing his own partner and many mothers through his clinical work. Since 2010, he has dedicated his work towards applying Functional Medicine to the condition that he has identified as Postnatal Depletion. He currently lives near Byron Bay, Australia with his partner and their three children.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Part 1 Defining Postnatal Depletion

1 What Is Postnatal Depletion? 3

2 Physical Symptoms and Why They Worsen 21

3 Emotional Symptoms and Why They Worsen 39

Part II One Hundred Days of Repletion: Rebuilding Physical Wellness

4 Rebuilding Micronutrients 55

5 Rebuilding Macronutrients 80

6 Rebuilding Hormones 93

7 Rebuilding Energy 108

8 Rebuilding Sleep 124

Part III The Second and third Trimesters: Completing Physical Recovery

9 The Optimal Energy Food Plan 145

10 The Optimal Exercise Plan 184

Part IV Recovering Your Life

11 Recovering and Rebuilding Emotional Well-Being 221

12 Recovering Your Self-Love 236

23 Recovering Your Relationship with Your Partner and with Your Libido 243

Conclusion 261

Appendix A Jump-Start Your Recovery 263

Appendix B Resources 267

Thanks and Acknowledgments 269

Bibliography 271

Index 279

Editorial Reviews

05/15/2018
According to Australian family practitioner and debut author Serrallach, while the topic of postpartum depression has received more attention in recent years, less focus has been given to the smaller shifts in emotion and physical depletion experienced by a large percentage of women after childbirth. Baby brain—a term for the exhaustion, pain, forgetfulness, indecision, low energy levels, moodiness, and difficulty sleeping—is commonly reported by many women, asserts the author, who also reports that a mother's brain shrinks five percent during pregnancy as infants sap vital nutrients from her body. This stimulates the growth of a healthy baby but results in residual symptoms for mothers even months or years after giving birth. Moreover, women may cave to society's emphasis on the needs of baby first, which may cause them to feel they are selfish in spending time to ensure that their own physical needs are met by getting plenty of sleep and exercise. Serrallach states this is primarily an issue in Western cultures, pointing out that countries such as China, Korea, and Zimbabwe maintain customs that enable the physical and emotional healing of mothers and that we can learn from their practices. Additional information includes rebuilding micronutrients lost during pregnancy, balancing hormones, and healing your relationship with your partner and libido. VERDICT A practical volume that will be of use to mothers everywhere.

Library Journal

"When Dr. Serrallach first wrote about postnatal depletion on goop, he hit a nerve-particularly with the revelation that some women in his practice experience the after effects of having a child for 7-10 years later. It shouldn't be this way, nor does it have to be: This is the comprehensive guide to women's health for every mother-new, or years out-who has ever felt tired, rundown, or just not like herself. With great empathy and wisdom, Dr. Serrallach explains how to restore your health and vitality using nutrition, gentle exercises, and simple strategies to get you to finally feel like yourself again."—Gwyneth Paltrow

"The best programs and solutions for health issues are born of doctors that want to help themselves or their loved ones. That is how Dr. Serrallach arrived at his understanding of postnatal depletion, and what makes this book so helpful to women with the same issue, which is a world epidemic. His book is aguide to reclaiming optimal health that any mother who has given birth in the last seven years should read."
—Alejandro Junger, M.D., New York Times bestselling author of Clean, Clean Eats, and Clean Gut and founder of the acclaimed Clean Program

"Thank you Dr. Serrallach for writing this very eye opening and super important book! Postnatal depletion effects all moms, new or years out. It's so important to properly take the time and space to heal from your pregnancy and birth especially, in a culture where "getting back to normal quickly " is applauded. We all know it takes time for the new normal to work itself out, and you can't rush a process if you want it to have lasting, good and healthy results. I'm literally making all my clients and their partners read this as part of my pregnancy, doula and new mom coaching!"—Lori Bregman, celebrity doula, pregnancy and new mom coach; author of The Mindful Mom To Be

"Moms, let's be real: having a baby is hard. It can wreak havoc on your energy, your body, and even your concentration. Post-baby, women need to practice self-care more than ever before, yet have less time than ever before. With great compassion and creativity, Dr. Serrallach proposes an answer-we can make little changes to our sleep habits, our eating habits, the way we talk to our loved ones, and to our expectations for ourselves to protect and fortify ourselves every day. Every woman deserves good health, and The Postnatal Depletion Cure will show you how to reclaim yours."—Dawn Dais, author of The Sh!t No One Tells You: A Guide to Surviving Your Baby's First Year

From the Publisher