This book explores the psychological aspects of pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood--an area usually overlooked in the perinatology literature. 20 multidisciplinary contributors discuss what parents and their children experience during this emotionally charged period. The result is a much-needed resource that will help health professionals to provide more supportive and empowering care.
Psychodynamic Interventions in Pregnancy and Infancy builds on Björn Salomonsson’s experiences as a psychoanalytic consultant working with parents and their babies. Emotional problems during the perinatal stages can arise and be observed and addressed by a skilled midwife, nurse or health visitor. Salomonsson has developed a method combining nurse supervision and therapeutic consultations which has lowered the thresholds for parents to come and talk with him. The brief consultations concern pregnant women, mother and baby, husband and wife, toddler and parent. The theoretical framework is psychoanalytic, but the mode of work is eclectic and adapted to the family’s situation and its members’ motivation. This book details such work, which can be applied globally; perinatal psychotherapy integrated with ordinary medical health care. It also explains how psychotherapy can be made more accessible to a larger population. Via detailed case presentations, the author takes the reader through pregnancy, childbirth and the first few years of life. He also brings in research studies emphasizing the importance of early interventions, with the aim of providing therapists with arguments for such work in everyday family health care. To further substantiate such arguments, the book ends with theoretical chapters and, finally, the author’s vision of the future of a perinatal health care that integrates medical and psychological perspectives. Psychodynamic Interventions in Pregnancy and Infancy will appeal to all psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists working in this area, as well as clinical psychologists, clinical social workers and medical personnel working with parents and infants.
Pregnancy provides a very public, visual confirmation of femininity. It is a time of rapid physical and psychological adjustment for women and is surrounded by stereotyping, taboos and social expectations. This book seeks to examine these popular attitudes towards pregnancy and to consider how they influence women’s experiences of being pregnant. Sanctioning Pregnancy offers a unique critique of sociocultural constructions of pregnancy and the ways in which it is represented in contemporary culture, and examines the common myths which exist about diet, exercise and work in pregnancy, alongside notions of risk and media portrayals of pregnant women. Topics covered include: Do pregnant women change their diet and why? Is memory really impaired in pregnancy? How risky behaviour is defined from exercise to employment The biomedical domination of pregnancy research. Different theoretical standpoints are critically examined, including a medico-scientific model, feminist perspectives and bio-psychosocial and psychodynamic approaches.
Psychodynamic Interventions in Pregnancy and Infancybuilds on Bj�rn Salomonsson's experiences as a psychoanalytic consultant working with parents and their babies. Emotional problems during the perinatal stages can arise and be observed and addressed by a skilled midwife, nurse or health visitor. Salomonsson has developed a method combining nurse supervision and therapeutic consultations which has lowered the thresholds for parents to come and talk with him. The brief consultations concern pregnant women, mother and baby, husband and wife, toddler and parent. The theoretical framework is psychoanalytic, but the mode of work is eclectic and adapted to the family's situation and its members' motivation. This book details such work, which can be applied globally; perinatal psychotherapy integrated with ordinary medical health care. It also explains how psychotherapy can be made more accessible to a larger population. Via detailed case presentations, the author takes the reader through pregnancy, childbirth and the first few years of life. He also brings in research studies emphasizing the importance of early interventions, with the aim of providing therapists with arguments for such work in everyday family health care. To further substantiate such arguments, the book ends with theoretical chapters and, finally, the author's vision of the future of a perinatal health care that integrates medical and psychological perspectives. Psychodynamic Interventions in Pregnancy and Infancywill appeal to all psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists working in this area, as well as clinical psychologists, clinical social workers and medical personnel working with parents and infants.
This handbook is currently in development, with individual articles publishing online in advance of print publication. At this time, we cannot add information about unpublished articles in this handbook, however the table of contents will continue to grow as additional articles pass through the review process and are added to the site. Please note that the online publication date for this handbook is the date that the first article in the title was published online. Perinatal psychology is a field devoted to understanding the biopsychosocial experiences of women and men during the transition to parenthood. These experiences include pregnancy, labor, delivery, adjustment and parenting during the postpartum period, lactation, family planning, adoption, infertility, and adjustment to perinatal loss.
This accessible, evidence-based book explores how important it is for midwives to understand the psychological aspects of care, in order to create positive experiences for mothers and families. The book provides simple explanations for why psychological care matters in midwifery practice and uses different theoretical perspectives of psychology to illustrate how it fundamentally contributes to good midwifery practice. The book addresses many core concepts and principles of psychology, including: Mother-midwife relationship Emotions during the childbearing continuum Perinatal mental illness Communications in midwifery practice The birth environment Stress and anxiety Providing support to families Attachment and bonding Reflective questions, activities, illustrations, tables, summary boxes and a glossary help readers navigate the book.Psychology for Midwives is essential reading for all midwives, students and allied health care professionals interested in the psychological dimensions of childbearing.
This book provides a collective examination of the theoretical, empirical, and clinical perspectives of pregnancy-related anxiety. Pregnancy-related anxiety is a distinct form of anxiety that is experienced by pregnant women and is characterized by pregnancy-specific fears and worries. This form of anxiety has been associated with a range of negative obstetric, neonatal, and maternal outcomes. There has been increased research interest in this form of anxiety, particularly over the last 15 years. The content is organized in three sections. The first section provides a thorough understanding of pregnancy-related anxiety, ranging from its historical development, evidence of its distinctiveness to the antecedents and outcomes of this anxiety for the mother and child. The second section examines key clinical issues around diagnosis and treatment specifically, current diagnosis/screening for this anxiety and approaches for intervention and treatment. The final section considers emerging areas of research such as pertinent issues around culture and acculturation which are key issues in an increasingly multicultural world. Moreover, the effects of pregnancy-related anxiety on the woman’s broader psychosocial functioning are considered with specific chapters on body image and sexual abuse, two key areas of concern. A seminal resource, this book provides a broad examination of the topic from multiple frameworks and perspectives which sets this book apart from other books in print. This book intends to inform and stimulate future research studies, as well as increase awareness and understanding of pregnancy-related anxiety. It is a must-read for researchers, educators, clinicians, and higher education students who care about delivering better support and services to pregnant women, particularly those who are vulnerable and distressed.
