Allowing Postpartum Depression to be Talked About Prenatally

I wanted to send a book about Postpartum Depression (PPD) as part of a baby shower present to some dear friends. My husband however, thought it might be taken the wrong way and they might feel weird about receiving such a negative message - like I was trying to tell them they were crazy. And unfortunately he was right. It's just not okay a lot of the times to give that kind of helpful present to people without worrying that they will think that you think they are not good parents.

It makes me so sad to see how little PPD is spoken about to pregnant moms. Their might be a small paragraph about baby blues in a pregnancy book or their caregiver might mention PPD after she has given birth, but unless mom knows enough about PPD to want to learn more, she has to get that information herself.

So, here are mothers, not supported in thinking that perhaps she won't feel connected with her new baby. That it's normal and okay to wonder if she made a mistake in having a baby or that she isn't cut out to be a new mom. All these thoughts are totally normal and a lot of moms feel that lack of bonding or just going through the motions with their new baby. They don't mean she has PPD or that she is a bad mom.

PPD comes into play when these thoughts last longer than two weeks and mom doesn't get any relief from her sadness or anxiety. Meaning, she doesn't have windows of feeling loving and peaceful.

So, how do we get the word out about PPD to pregnant and new moms without worrying about hurting their feelings, spoiling their idea of what could happen after birth or upsetting friends? Any ideas?