The themes and issues explored are many: midwifery, intensive mothering, food allergies, workplace flexibility, family meals, childcare, education, popular culture, “opting out,” maternal empowerment, fathers, maternal activism, poverty, shared parenting, and work/life balance, and are examined from a wide range of perspectives including Aboriginal, Latina, African American/Canadian, military, single, poor, young, at-home, waged mothers, as well as mothers with disabilities. The volume argues that what is needed is a new “cultural conversation” on, and “a reframing” of, motherhood; one that is appreciative of the diversity of mothers’ lived experiences, attentive to the specific social context of twenty-first century motherhood, and audacious enough to imagine radical and transformative ways to mother and be mothered."--pub. desc.

Instead of preaching what mothers ought to do, psychotherapist Naomi Stadlen explains what mothers already do in the course of any exhausting day's work. Drawing from countless conversations with hundreds of mothers spanning more than a decade, What Mothers Do provides lucid insight into the true experience of motherhood and answers the perennial question common to mothers everywhere: What have I done all day? Stadlen's wise reflections, threaded throughout with the voices of real mothers, explore unsentimental reactions to motherhood-resentment, guilt, splintered identity, crippling inefficiency, and deadening fatigue. Yet the overriding sentiment is one of empowerment and wonder, as Stadlen illustrates how seemingly insignificant skills such as responding to a baby's colicky cry, being instantly interruptible, or soothing an overstimulated child to sleep profoundly contribute to an individual's socialization, self-worth, and curiosity. Remarkably perceptive and heartening, What Mothers Do will resonate with mothers everywhere in search of understanding and wisdom.

A powerful look at the importance of a mother’s presence in the first years of life **Featured in The Wall Street Journal, and seen on Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, and CBS New York** In this important and empowering book, veteran psychoanalyst Erica Komisar explains why a mother's emotional and physical presence in her child's life--especially during the first three years--gives the child a greater chance of growing up emotionally healthy, happy, secure, and resilient. In other words, when it comes to connecting with your baby or toddler, more is more. Compassionate and balanced, and focusing on the emotional health of children and moms alike, this book shows parents how to give their little ones the best chance for developing into healthy and loving adults. Based on more than two decades of clinical work, established psychoanalytic theory, and the most cutting-edge neurobiological research on caregiving, attachment, and brain development, Being There explains: • How to establish emotional connection with a newborn or young child--regardless of whether you're able to work part-time or stay home • How to ease transitions to minimize stress for your baby or toddler • How to select and train quality childcare • What's true and false about widely held beliefs like "I'm not good with babies" and “I’ll make up for it when he’s older” • How to recognize and combat feelings of postpartum depression or boredom • Why three months of maternity leave is not long enough--and how parents can take control of their choices to provide for their family's emotional needs in the first three years Being a new mom isn’t easy. But with support, emotional awareness, and coping skills, it can be the most magical—and essential—work we’ll ever do.

Babies Need Mothers How Mothers Can Prevent Mental Illness in their Children is a rare example of careful conceptual reasoning about basic categories in medicine. Ultimately this is what is sorely needed in rational thinking about the mysteries of mental illness. This book is a fascinating contribution and well worth reading, precisely because it upsets the applecart. I recommend it to anyone who wants to get beyond rigid categorization in psychiatry and look at enduring problems of the mind in new ways. Raymond Moody, Author, Life After Life; MD, Psy.D, PhD Philosophy Dr. McKenzies book is revolutionary. Some long sought answers to causes of psychosis and other severe mental illnesses are explained in clear and understandable language. He not only describes cause and effect, but also provides clear remedies for healing that are unique and long lasting. He shows clearly and unmistakably the way to recover health, and his findings could change the prevailing way of treating chronic mental difficulties. Harold Stern, PhD, Psychoanalyst This book is a further development of ideas described in Delayed Posttraumatic Stress Disorders from Infancy: The Two Trauma Mechanism by Clancy D. McKenzie, MD and Lance S. Wright, MD. I have used this latter book in my courses at Georgetown University, in courses on the family and courses on philosophy of psychoanalysis. The ideas of the book were enlightening, stimulative and provocative. I plan to continue to use the ideas of Dr. McKenzie in my classes. In his new book Dr. McKenzie makes recommendations about child rearing practices. His new book is rich in ideas and promises a fruitful debate about the psychological origins of mental illness. No one will regret reading this book. Wilfried Ver Eecke Professor in Philosophy Adjunct Professor in Psychology Georgetown University

Newborn Mothers is about doing less, not more. It answers your real questions about the transformation to motherhood including... Is baby brain real? Are you actually losing your mind? You heard it takes a village to raise a child, but what does that look like in the 21st century? You were told these are the best days of your life. ...

The main aim of this practical Handbookis to strengthen counselling and communication skills of skilled attendants (SAs) and other health providers, helping them to effectively discuss with women, families and communities the key issues surrounding pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, postnatal and post-abortion care. Counselling for Maternal and Newborn Health Careis divided into three main sections. Part 1 is an introduction which describes the aims and objectives and the general layout of the Handbook. Part 2 describes the counselling process and outlines the six key steps to effective counselling. It explores the counselling context and factors that influence this context including the socio-economic, gender, and cultural environment. A series of guiding principles is introduced and specific counselling skills are outlined. Part 3 focuses on different maternal and newborn health topics, including general care in the home during pregnancy; birth and emergency planning; danger signs in pregnancy; post-abortion care; support during labor; postnatal care of the mother and newborn; family planning counselling; breastfeeding; women with HIV/AIDS; death and bereavement; women and violence; linking with the community. Each Session contains specific aims and objectives, clearly outlining the skills that will be developed and corresponding learning outcomes. Practical activities have been designed to encourage reflection, provoke discussions, build skills and ensure the local relevance of information. There is a review at the end of each session to ensure the SAs have understood the key points before they progress to subsequent sessions.

The delivery of high quality and equitable care for both mothers and newborns is complex and requires efforts across many sectors. The United States spends more on childbirth than any other country in the world, yet outcomes are worse than other high-resource countries, and even worse for Black and Native American women. There are a variety of factors that influence childbirth, including social determinants such as income, educational levels, access to care, financing, transportation, structural racism and geographic variability in birth settings. It is important to reevaluate the United States' approach to maternal and newborn care through the lens of these factors across multiple disciplines. Birth Settings in America: Outcomes, Quality, Access, and Choice reviews and evaluates maternal and newborn care in the United States, the epidemiology of social and clinical risks in pregnancy and childbirth, birth settings research, and access to and choice of birth settings.