"Becoming Mother" tells the story of a woman becoming a mother. It is a reflective memoir that spans from pregnancy through the end of the first year postpartum. It follows the author as she resists, denies, copes with, and ultimately embraces her identity as a mother. This isn't a guide or a parenting book. Its goal isn't to convert you to one brand of motherhood or another. Instead, its goal is to show you what becoming a mother can be like. Without sarcasm. Without boasting or martyrdom. Just the plain, messy truth of what it's like for one to become two.
Having a baby is a private miracle, yet it is also the source of much shared joy. For this reason, women and families in every country and every culture have customs to ensure that the journey into motherhood is marked and remembered. From yoga-inspired routines for resting during pregnancy to favorite proverbs printed on the khangas used to carry African newborns and the origins of the baby shower to the Japanese ritual where Sumo wrestlers make babies cry, each page of On Becoming a Mother is filled with inspiration, humor, and insight about the beginnings of parenthood. This beautifully curated collection of traditions, folk songs, stories, crafts, lessons, and advice from mothers around the world is the perfect gift for the new mother or mother-to-be.
Multi-award-winning author Rachel Cusk’s honest memoir that captures the life-changing wonders of motherhood. Selected by The New York Times as one of the 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years “Funny and smart and refreshingly akin to a war diary—sort of Apocalypse Baby Now . . . A Life’s Work is wholly original and unabashedly true.” —The New York Times Book Review A Life’s Work: On Becoming a Mother is Rachel Cusk’s funny, moving, brutally honest account of her early experiences of motherhood. When it was published it 2001, it divided critics and readers. One famous columnist wrote a piece demanding that Cusk’s children be taken into care, saying she was unfit to look after them, and Oprah Winfrey invited her on the show to defend herself. An education in babies, books, breast-feeding, toddler groups, broken nights, bad advice and never being alone, it is a landmark work, which has provoked acclaim and outrage in equal measure.
"This volume offers a comprehensive review of all the current knowledge on maternal role attainment since Reva Rubin's seminal work. Drawing from research in nursing, maternal-child health, psychology, sociology, and social work, the book examines the psychological transition to motherhood from a contemporary, multidisciplinary perspective." "Special circumstances such as preterm birth and single parenthood are discussed, as well as the effects of maternal employment and maternal age (such as teens and older mothers). This volume should be of value for use in courses in maternity nursing, women's studies, community and social psychology, and social work, as well as for health professionals providing care for the woman during pregnancy and early motherhood."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Bestselling author Reichl embarks on a clear-eyed, openhearted investigation of her mother's life, piecing together the journey of a woman she comes to realize she never really knew.
"Hot on the heels of Anne Taintor's wildly popular first collection, I Can't Be Good All the Time, this hilarious volume brings together Taintor's best-loved images, plus brand new material sure to prompt a knowing snicker, all celebrating the follies of family, home, and hearth. As always, Taintor's sassy creations -- vintage illustrations paired with witty new and impertinent observations -- inspire deliciously less-than-well-mannered thoughts ("Gosh, he went well with her drapes."). These sharp-tongued favorites are sure to please her devoted fans and newcomers alike."--Publisher description.
Orb had a rare gift--the magic which manifested whenever she sang or played her harp. No one could resist her music. But she knew that greater magic lay in the Llano, the mystic music that controlled all things. The quest for the Llano occupied Orb's life. Until she met Natasha, handsome and charming, and an even finer musician. But her mother Niobe came as an Aspect of Fire, with the news that Orb had been chosen for the role of Incarnation of Nature--The Green Mother. But she also warned of a prophecy that Orb was to marry Evil. Could she be sure that Natasha was not really Satan, the Master of Illusion, laying a trap for her...?
Becoming Mum is a truly unique self-help book. It is the first book written to support women, all women, through the psychological passage to motherhood, empowering them to become the kind of mother they wish to be. The psychological passage to motherhood is undoubtedly one of the biggest and most important transitions of a woman's life. It is not without its challenges. Even without complications, becoming a mum includes dramatic physical challenges, from morning sickness to the birth itself. It also has wide-reaching flow-on effects, as it changes a woman's relationship with her partner, her career, her family and her friends. Becoming a mother is a joyous adventure for many, but it is also an adventure that includes physical, mental and emotional challenges, as well as enormous personal adjustment. In Becoming Mum, Dr Koa Whittingham, a clinical and developmental psychologist, parenting researcher and mother, draws on the latest research, her clinical experience and her own experiences as a mother. In each chapter you will find suggestions on how to apply the concepts presented in Becoming Mum to your unique situation, including coping with challenges such as miscarriage, postnatal depression and preterm birth.Discover:- your unique parenting values, and how to harness these to become a confident and happy mother -how to use mindfulness and acceptance to create a loving bond with your baby and support your baby's emotional development- techniques for coping with criticism, unhelpful advice, distressing emotions and physical pain -how to keep your romantic relationship healthy and your support network strong- flexible, step by step strategies for facing major challenges that can be adapted to your personal circumstances Becoming Mum is grounded in the latest scientific literature on parenting and psychological health, drawing from mindfulness-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Attachment Theory. The book encourages women to enjoy motherhood and builds each woman's self-confidence as a mother by helping her to discover-and live by-her unique mothering values. Further, Becoming Mum liberates mothers from the dual pressures of self-doubt and criticism from others, empowering every mother to parent her child in the way that she feels is best for her own unique baby. Becoming Mum is written in a flexible style that supports each woman's individual circumstances. The practical strategies provided in the book can also easily be adapted to suit further challenges such as miscarriage, postnatal depression and preterm birth. Mums deserve psychological support that is nonjudgmental, empowering and liberating-support that is grounded in each woman's values and easily adaptable to each woman's circumstances and now they can find that support in Becoming Mum. Become the mum that you want to be!
At the age of thirty-nine, Sarah Kowalski heard her biological clock ticking, loudly. A single woman harboring a deep ambivalence about motherhood, Kowalski needed to decide once and for all: Did she want a baby or not? More importantly, with no partner on the horizon, did she want to have a baby alone? Once she revised her idea of motherhood—from an experience she would share with a partner to a journey she would embark upon alone—the answer came up a resounding Yes. After exploring her options, Kowalski chose to conceive using a sperm donor, but her plan stopped short when a doctor declared her infertile. How far would she go to make motherhood a reality? Kowalski catapulted herself into a diligent regimen of herbs, Qigong, meditation, acupuncture, and more, in a quest to improve her chances of conception. Along the way, she delved deep into spiritual healing practices, facing down demons of self-doubt and self-hatred, ultimately discovering an unconventional path to parenthood. In the end, to become a mother, Kowalski did everything she said she would never do. And she wouldn't change a thing. A story of personal triumph and unconditional love, Motherhood Reimagined reveals what happens when we release what's expected and embrace what's possible.
