Having a baby is surely one of the pinnacle events of a woman's life, full of joy, serenity, and contentment--or so society tells a new mother, who thus finds herself ill-prepared for the exhaustion, boredom, and isolation that can follow childbirth. The resulting depression--how it is experienced, and how it might be relieved--is the subject of Natasha Mauthner's insightful and compassionate book, which recounts the stories of new mothers caught between a cultural ideal and a far more complex reality.

In Mauthner's interviews with thirty-five new mothers in Britain and America, we see how women contend with images of motherhood as a state of bliss for everyone but themselves. The British women tend to view their depression as a personal failure of strength; American women, as a result of hormonal fluctuation. But all vividly describe a similar state of paralysis and loneliness, with alternating love, resentment, and guilt toward their babies.

Most usefully, these women reveal the positive impact that other new mothers had on their depression. Far more important than their own family's support or understanding, the sense of not being alone in their trials emerges as a key source of strength and healing for women struggling with postpartum depression.

As an ecologist, Sandra Steingraber spent her professional life observing how living things interact with their environments.  Now, 38 and pregnant, she had become a habitat—for a population of one.

Having Faith is Steingraber's exploration of the intimate ecology of motherhood. Using her scientist's eye to study the biological drama of new life being knit from the molecules of air, food, and water flowing into her body, she looks at the environmental hazards that now threaten pregnant and breastfeeding women, and examines the effects these toxins can have on a child. Having Faith makes the metamorphosis of a few cells into a baby astonishingly vivid, and the dangers to human reproduction urgently real. 

Previously Babies' Names and now reissued as An A-Z of Baby Names with new covers and essential updates, this bestselling A to Z will help you find the perfect name for your baby. The book lists over 2,500 names in common use in the English-speaking world with information on their meanings and origins. It spans traditional names, from Anne and Albert to Victoria and William, to modern names, from Azalea and Bryn to Brooklyn and Zanna and every name in between. Also included in this edition is an article on how to find the right name or create your own, as well as additional material within entries on well-known bearers of the name, real and fictional. In addition to the A-Z list of names there is an appendix including thematic indexes for many names categories such as Biblical names, names from television and films, names from literature and popular culture, pet forms and nicknames, as well as a list of the most popular names by year and by region. An A-Z of Baby Names has all the information parents-to-be need to make the all-important choice of naming their baby.

Yoga is an awareness of the link between breath, mind and body. The connection benefits the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing at all stages of life, but very noticeably during pregnancy. Yoga for Pregnancy and Birth offers you and your birth partner an effective, uniquely holistic technique which will help you maximise your health and wellbeing throughout pregnancy and beyond. It shows how to use yoga to give you a deeper insight into the process of pregnancy and create a yoga and breathing program which works uniquely for you and your baby. Learn a full range of adapted yoga postures intended to provide comfort, build stability and support the changes in your body. Breathing exercises will promote calm, boost vitality and help control labour pains, while yogic pelvic floor practices promote healthy tone and flexibility. And downloadable audio helps you set the pace of your breathing. Your pregnancy is a remarkable journey; learn how to use yoga to increase your comfort and control, and develop the skills to approach your labour with confidence. ABOUT THE SERIES People have been learning with Teach Yourself since 1938. With a vast range of practical, how-to guides covering language learning, lifestyle, hobbies, business, psychology and self-help, there's a Teach Yourself book for whatever you want to do. Join more than 60 million people who have reached their goals with Teach Yourself, and never stop learning.

When pediatrician Dr. Bob Hamilton's video showing how to soothe a crying infant hit the web, he became a YouTube sensation, garnering over 15 million views in ten days. With 7 Secrets of the Newborn Dr. Hamilton brings parents clear, sensible, warm advice on the first year with baby. Dr. Hamilton covers topics such as: * Sleeping (teach them gently to do it themselves) * Vaccinations (get them, all of them) * Breast feeding (wonderful for baby, if possible for mom) * Screen time (don't do it!) * Eating (let them make a mess) * Crying (the famous "hold") * Clothes (completely optional for the first six months) * Toys (simple and cheap are best) Dr. Hamilton brings 30 years' experience as a pediatrician, father, and grandfather to the page. His advice is science-based, slightly retro, and strives for a supportive and healthy growing environment for babies AND parents. With Dr. Bob, parents will be prepared to face baby's first year with common sense, confidence, and calm.

A powerful, personal reflection on miscarriage from an acclaimed health and science journalist, drawing on original interviews and ground-breaking research to offer fresh insight into this underacknowledged subject. After losing four pregnancies with no obvious cause, Jennie Agg set out to understand why miscarriage remains such a profoundly misunderstood, under-researched and under-acknowledged experience. Part-memoir, part-scientific investigation, Life, Almost documents Agg's path to motherhood and her search for answers. Tracing each tentative step of her fifth pregnancy - as her body becomes a creature she does not wish to spook - Agg dismantles the myths that we unquestioningly accept about our reproductive lives- Why are we told miscarriage can't be prevented when half of all miscarriages are of perfectly healthy embryos? Why is it normal not to tell anyone you're pregnant for the first three months? Why don't we know why labour starts? Drawing on pioneering research and interviews with world-leading experts, Life, Almost is a ground-breaking book that will change how you think about miscarriage, and a moving reflection on grief and love at the edge of life as we understand it.

The moral uncertainty and apathy in our society to the plight of unborn children springs from the failure to identify them as real people. As a Board Certified Family Practitioner, Dr. John Hey provides numerous captivating vignettes from his fifty year-long practice of medicine, experiences that brought him to understand that these Little People are precious to God, protected by God, and deserving of being treated with the dignity, care, and legal protections afforded to all those who have already been born. All our practices and obligations toward the unborn must be constrained by this fundamental understanding. Along the way, Dr. Hey answers the "hard questions" about abortion and infanticide and gives a clear Gospel call to all who have been broken by sin in their treatment of the Little People.

Finding out you are expecting for the first time is a magical experience. It can also be pretty daunting and nerve-wracking. We bet you're bursting with questions! Written by a team of healthcare professionals, My First Pregnancy is here to guide you through all stages of your journey, from finding out the good news to preparing for labour and meeting your baby. Brimming with reassuring advice and essential information, we will help you have a healthy and positive pregnancy. Inside you'll find: What to expect at antenatal appointments and how to decipher your notes Detailed information on scans and what tests are available to you How your baby is growing week by week - from first flutters to karate kicks! Tried and tested advice on relieving the inevitable aches and pains of pregnancy, and when to seek help Looking after yourself at work and how to plan maternity leave Preparing for labour - what to consider and how to keep calm It's your complete guide to a happy, healthy pregnancy.

This definitive guide offers a balanced and comprehensive approach, combining natural therapies with conventional options and up-to-the-minute research. The biology of natural fertility, conception, pregnancy and birth is explained and practical issues after birth are also covered, with advice on childcare, feeding, sleeping, and how to encourage development. For parents of toddlers there is much-needed help with temper tantrums, toilet training, bed-wetting, and encouraging social skills. Finally a reference section offers advice on common illnesses, health checks, first aid, healthy eating plans and enticing recipes for your child.

A dynamic new story about how babies make their way in the world--and how grown-ups have tried to make sense of these tiny inscrutable beings.

As a new parent, Nicholas Day had some basic but confounding questions: "Why does my son find the straitjacket of his swaddling blanket comforting and not terrifying? How can he never meet a developmental norm and still be OK? And when will he stop sucking my finger? "So he went digging for answers. They were not what he expected.

Drawing on a wealth of perspectives--scientific, historical, cross-cultural, personal--"Baby Meets World" is organized around the mundane activities that dominate the life of an infant: sucking, smiling, touching, toddling. From these everyday activities, Day weaves together an account that is anything but ordinary: a fresh, surprising story, both weird and wondrous, about our first experience of the world.

Part hidden history of parenthood, part secret lives of babies, "Baby Meets World" steps back from the moment-to-moment chaos of babydom. It allows readers to see infancy anew in all its strangeness and splendor.

The rights of pregnant workers as well as (the lack of) paid maternity leave have increasingly become topics of a major policy debate in the United States. Yet, few discussions have focused on the U.S. military, where many of the latest policy changes focus on these very issues. Despite the armed forces' increases to maternity-related benefits, servicewomen continue to be stigmatized for being pregnant and taking advantage of maternity policies. In an effort to understand this disconnect, Megan McFarlane analyzes military documents and conducts interviews with enlisted servicewomen and female officers. She finds a policy/culture disparity within the military that pregnant servicewomen themselves often co-construct, making the policy changes significantly less effective. McFarlane ends by offering suggestions for how these policy changes can have more impact and how they could potentially serve as an example for the broader societal debate.

Personal trainer, founder of Bumps & Burpees, and new mum Charlie Barker provides you with workouts designed specifically for you to do safely during your pregnancy. Learn how to keep your baby safe when working out and what physical changes you can expect in each trimester. Step-by-step exercises designed to develop your strength, fitness and flexibility, will help you to carry your growing baby in greater comfort, prepare you for childbirth, and recover well. Best of all, you can do it all at home, with minimal or no equipment. Inside the pages of this DK book, you'll discover: - The personal story of pre and postnatal fitness expert, Charlie Barker - Expert advice on what to expect during each trimester - 36 safe and effective pre and postnatal workouts - Step-by-step illustrated exercises for each trimester and postpartum - Q&As on the latest facts and outdated myths - Safety warnings and instructions on when to seek medical advice - Real-life stories for inspiration from other mothers Stay strong, fit, and safe throughout your pregnancy and motherhood. Charlie's holistic approach helps you prioritise your own health and wellbeing throughout pregnancy and early motherhood, for the benefit of you and your baby. Learn how to keep your baby safe when working out, what exercises you can and cannot do at each stage of pregnancy, what physical changes to expect in each trimester, and how to tackle common complaints such as morning sickness and swollen feet. This book is ideal for new mums, mums-to-be who enjoy exercise, fitness programme first-timers, and even regular exercisers planning to grow their family.

After his wife lost four pregnancies, Jon Cohen set out to gather the most comprehensive and accurate information on miscarriage - a topic shrouded in myth, hype, and uncertainty. The result of his mission is a uniquely revealing and inspirational book for every woman who has lost at least one pregnancy - and for her partner, family, and close friends. Approaching the topic from a reporter's perspective, Cohen takes us on an intriguing journey into the laboratories and clinics of researchers at the front, weaving together their cutting-edge findings with intimate portraits of a dozen families who have had difficulty bringing a baby to term. Couples who seek medical help for miscarriage often encounter conflicting information about the causes of pregnancy loss and ways to prevent it. Cohen's investigation synthesizes the latest scientific findings and unearths some surprising facts. We learn, for example, that nearly seven out of ten women who have had three or more miscarriages can still carry a child to term without medical intervention. Cohen also scrutinizes the full array of treatments, showing readers how to distinguish promising new options from the useless or even dangerous ones. ""Coming to Term"" is the first book to turn a journalistic spotlight on a subject that has remained largely in the shadows. With an unrelenting eye and the compassion that comes from personal experience, Jon Cohen offers a message that is both enlightening and unexpectedly hopeful.