Mothering the New Mother: Women's Feelings & Needs After Childbirth: A Support and Resource Guide – A Comprehensive Postpartum Handbook for Family, Work, and Baby

by Sally Placksin

You don't have to be alone. Share the experiences, successes, and struggles of many other women before and after childbirth in this all-in-one mothercare guide about family, work, the baby (or second or third baby), and you. Includes checklists, plan-ahead suggestions, questionnaires, and much more. Drawn from three years of research, the author's own experience, and the candid recollections of many mothers—married and single, birth and adoptive, older and younger— the nine chapters in this comprehensive guide cover all aspects of the postpartum experience,

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2000

Reviews

[Melly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan. Needed to read this for doula certification but I found it to be very dated. Many of the references are from the 90s and it all feels ancient to me (my children were born in 2001 and 2005) so I can't imagine how mothers of 2015 would respond to it.
There was also a big reliance on personal anecdotes and stories -- that kind of thing is helpful in small doses, but if felt like padding and didn't add much.

[Alexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

While "Mothering the New Mother" had plenty of valuable information, it was not an enjoyable or easy read. It was also very dated - I looked up a magazine that was referenced many times and it no longer exists. This book could use an update.

[Janette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mothering the New Mother is an excellent book that covers just about everything a new mother needs to know about the changes in her and her environment once she becomes a mother.

Based on the premise that the needs of a "new mother would seem simple to define: rest so you can heal; gentle education and reassurance as you gain confidence in your mothering skills; nourishing food and drink for yourself; a relinquishment of practical chores to someone else so you can withdraw into yourself and your baby; knowledge about what is going on with your body and spirit; realistic images and guideposts about the range of feelings other women have experienced postpartum; a place to 'debrief' and talk about the birth itself and your emotions; most especially, some mothering for yourself, so you can feel protected and honoured and continually replenished at a time when many women say they feels as if they are forgotten, peripheral, or 'running on empty'."

Basically this quotation from the award winning author, Sally Placksin, and mother of two, says it all. This book has nine chapters covering everything a new mother needs to know; life after childbirth, differing cultural and historical practices from around the world; the first weeks; breastfeeding; postpartum depression; going back to work or staying at home; other children; and creating a postpartum plan. La Leche League philosophy is supported.

The writing is clear, compassionate and very informative. I found myself nodding in agreement so many times. Placksin indicates an intimate knowledge of this very important subject and the reader also benefits from the many personal stories of other mothers collected by the author.

Each chapter finishes with a list of helpful agencies and groups. Unfortunately, we in New Zealand can only dream about accessing so much help.

The book is quite large so perhaps it would be best if new mothers just read each chapter on a "needs to know" basis rather than trying to read it all at once.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really common sense. Maybe it needs to be said, but I think anyone who would buy and read this book is already mindful of the needs of the new mother.

[Dr. Dena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful book. A must-read for anyone wanting to understand motherhood in context. Perfect for developing theories and approaches that better support mothers and babies especially during postpartum. A useful read for anthropologists or peripartum professionals as well. Necessary to understand the ritual and transition that new mothers go through. Women and children are disproportionately affected by violence in this world. The transition to Motherhood is a vulnerable and high need time that is also very special and critical to the continuation of our species and way of life. It benefits us to have a better understanding of how to approach women especially in the absence of critical support systems and cultural norms that once upon a time better visualize and process this transition. In our modern world it seems women and babies as with elders are shoved to the book ends of society as everyone else speedily passes through. We need to remember the circle way of peripartum which really does connect with bump to Baby. I don't understand why some individuals in the birth world and others post critical comments it really does show a mismatch between the modern approach to organizing professional "care" for hire as opposed to some of these simple ways to support moms. I definitely don't snub my nose at this read. Thank you to the author for writing this book. I would love to see an updated and revised edition with new references and attention to what we know and don't know about postpartum to guide future research although that could be another book in and of itself. One of my favorites!

[Karina Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is often required reading for new doulas. It closely examines a woman’s journey into motherhood, along with all of the big emotions that go along with it. It covers the importance of creating a support network. It also examines stay at home moms and mothers returning to work. Finally, it has a section about siblings as well. Each chapter is also full of resources, though I did not check to see if the mentioned places were still functioning or not.

[Bryony Crain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was great. I was worried that it would feel very dated based on other reviews, but (sadly) not much has changed for women having babies since the 90s! Many of the quotes were the same things I hear from my clients today (as a perinatal mental health clinician). The resource lists were certainly dated, but I thought the other content was spot on and would be helpful for a pregnant woman to read in preparation for new motherhood.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading this during pregnancy, and to be honest it made me feel more depressed than encouraged. It made me long for the days that communities would help raise babies and new moms didn't have to work. It also made me wish I had a family that was more excited about taking care of ME, not just seeing the baby.

[Katieloowho · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some helpful ideas and i love the appendices but all in all it was a rough read.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for my Doula training. Sally Packsin is a great author and spells out the need for support during Postpartum extremely well! Every new mom should read this book as well as her birth partner!

[Maybelline · Rating 4 out of 5]

It blew my mind to see how little we have advanced in terms of support for new families and how we still have such an archaic maternity leave in USA.

[Deborah Sowery-Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

lots of information & resources, perhaps a bit too much for the pregnant or new mom but good resource for a support person

[Kelly Kolb · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Gives some good perspectives on the postpartum period and good ideas for planning for and finding the support new moms need. On the downside, it is wildly out of date (resource sections feature videotapes and no websites for example and doulas were only beginning to define the profession) and gets a bit redundant. Still, plenty of valuable perspectives on a wide variety of aspects of the first postpartum year so it is worth the read for moms to be. I hope they issue an updated edition.

[Jillian Freeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much a mother goes through during her pregnancy, but her birth and labor experience will leave a mark on her heart forever. She will never forget it. What follows her birth will give her the stepping stools to make her feel like a good mother. Everyone mother, mother in law, sister, sister in law, friends, spouses.... every person who plans to be supporting a new mom should consider reading this book. It will help you understand and prepare for all that a new mother will be walking through.

[Jasmin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book could potentially be very helpful, but I couldn't relate with a lot of the topics so I didn't find it very useful. If something does come up, or motherhood starts wearing me thin however, this book will be nice to have around.

[Rebecca Perini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Checklists , organization suggestions, questionnaires, "An Indispensable Companion for All Families" $19.99 makes a great shower gift for any mom who wants to be more organized and postpartum support.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for any mother. For my full review, please visit: http://www.associatedcontent.com/arti...

[Heather Burris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I particularly enjoyed hearing about how well other cultures take care of their new mothers. It was a good reminder and would likely be a good resource for a birth or postpartum doula.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recently read After the Baby's Birth by Robin Lim which was just so much better and covered the same topics and more that I feel like this one was such a chore to even skim through!