After the Fourth Trimester:A compassionate, clinical-meets-practical guide to understanding by Samira Valevra

After the Fourth Trimester by Samira Valevra

A clear, compassionate guide for the months after delivery, *After the Fourth Trimester* explains what’s happening in your brain and body, how to tell the difference between blues, depression, anxiety, OCD, and psychosis, and how to get help that works. Samira Valevra turns research into plain language and busy-day steps—screening that actually catches what you’re feeling, faster options when you can’t wait, and a two-week starter plan that lowers chaos and raises sleep. From night shifts and sharing feeds to intrusive thoughts, bonding that feels out of reach, and the guilt no one warns you about, this book is practical, tender, and doable.

Partners and families get a field guide. Safety comes first with clear red-flags and a personal plan. Feeding choices are linked to mental health without shame. Movement, meals, and blood sugar stabilize mood. And the long view—work, logistics, next pregnancies—arrives with steady tools. You are not alone, and there is a way through.

What you will learn
• What postpartum depression/anxiety are (and aren’t), and how common they really are
• How to distinguish blues, depression, anxiety, OCD, and psychosis—symptoms, timelines, urgency
• How the postpartum brain, hormones, sleep loss, and stress systems shape mood
• Medical “look-alikes” and complicators to rule out with your clinician
• Screening that works and what to expect at a first clinical visit
• Therapies that help now (CBT, IPT, exposure, group supports) and how to find them
• Medication and lactation, decoded—options, safety talk, and shared decisions
• Faster-acting supports (e.g., bridging strategies) when relief can’t wait
• A 14-day starter plan for sleep, structure, and small wins
• Night shifts that protect the parent mind; sharing feeds without shame
• Feeding choices and mental health—how to align care with your reality
• Movement, food, and blood sugar routines that steady energy and mood
• Skills for low-sleep days, intrusive thoughts, irritability, anger, shame, and guilt
• Micro-moments of bonding when bonding is hard
• How to ask for help—and accept it; a partner & family playbook
• Safety first: red flags, crisis steps, and a personalized plan you can reach fast
• When it’s not “just PPD” (bipolar spectrum, thyroid, anemia) and what to do next
• Logistics and the long view—work, childcare, money, and rebuilding a livable home

Who this book is for
• New parents in the early months or anyone still feeling off after the “fourth trimester”
• Partners, grandparents, and friends who want to support well
• Doulas, nurses, therapists, and community leaders seeking family-centered language

Keywords that help readers discover this book
postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, intrusive thoughts, sleep plan, medication and breastfeeding, faster relief, partner guide, screening that works, bonding, practical routines, long-view recovery

Open *After the Fourth Trimester* and start building the house you live in now—safer nights, steadier days, and a mind that can breathe again.