Book tackles mental health issues in motherhood

The Arabic edition of “This Is Postpartum” has been launched in the UAE coincide with Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, a global campaign dedicated to creating conversations and changing attitudes towards mental health challenges in motherhood.

The book is a translation of the English title which was first published in 2020 and authored by Tilda Klumpenaar, a therapist specialising in prenatal and postpartum depression (PPD) and is published by Dubai-based publisher The Dreamwork Collective.

Born out of her own experiences of postpartum depression, Klumpenaar’s book is a fuss-free compilation of real-life stories and tried-and-tested tips to help parents get their life back, and feel more confident, happy and balanced in their new role. Explaining her motivation for writing the book, Klumpenaar said, “When I went through postpartum depression I felt so guilty and ashamed. I wondered how other moms were doing all of this. I felt so lonely all the time. When I finally got mental help through an amazing therapist, she told me most women don’t talk about it, that all moms feel ashamed and guilty when they have PPD and that’s the reason I had never heard of it. When I finally started to feel better, I decided to write down everything that I found helpful. If I could help just one mom to get out of her isolation during PPD, the book would be a success for me.”

Speaking about her journey in creating the book, she said, “The writing process was effortless for me. I loved writing it so much because I was ready to break the taboo around maternal mental health issues. I wanted to keep the book very real, which is why I also share stories of others, besides my own. I felt a sense of humour should also be in there, because PPD is such a serious topic. I wanted to keep it light too.”

Having published the English edition of the book almost five years ago, Klumpenaar already knows how the subject resonates with mothers, and believes that it is important to extend these critical conversations into Arabic-speaking families.