What No One Tells You: A Guide to Your Emotions from Pregnancy to Motherhood

Description

Your guide to the emotions of pregnancy and early motherhood, from top reproductive psychiatrists Dr Alexandra Sacks and Dr Catherine Birndorf. With a combined thirty years of counselling new and expectant mothers, Drs Sacks and Birndorf have seen firsthand how the pressure to be perfect, and perfectly happy, leaves women feeling confused and even ashamed of the conflicting emotions that can bubble up during pregnancy. In What No One Tells You, the two psychiatrists show why it's natural for 'matrescence' - the birth of a mother - to be as stressful and transformative a period as adolescence. From the swirl of trepidation and joy of seeing that plus sign, to the complexities of bonding with a tiny yet mighty newborn human, the authors provide a roadmap for mothers-to-be, exploring the emotions (both positive and negative) that can develop, explaining the psychological backstory as to why, and offering women a practical guide for managing the ups and downs of this exciting and exhausting time. After years of hearing their patients say, 'But how come no one told me?' Drs Birndorf and Sacks are ready to share their secrets with the world.

Alexandra Sacks, MD, is a reproductive psychiatrist affiliated with the Women's Program at the Columbia University Medical Center and a candidate at the Columbia University Psychoanalytic Center for Training and Research. A leading expert in "matrescence," she is known for popularizing the concept in her TED talk with over one million views worldwide. Catherine Birndorf, MD, is Co-Founder and Medical Director of The Motherhood Center, a treatment center in New York City for pregnant and new moms experiencing anxiety and depression. Dr. Birndorf's area of psychiatric expertise is in reproductive mental health, helping women with emotional distress during times of hormonal change, from menses to menopause. She specializes in treating women before, during and after pregnancy, as well as at other times of transition in their lives.