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A murder at the hands of a mother is a heartbreaking deviation and a crime against nature! How can a mother commit such an appalling crime? How can she end the lives of the innocents she so recently bore and nurtured? A mother is supposed to be loving, protective, caring, and kind. She's supposed to nurture and guide her children from infancy into childhood and adolescence. The very thought of murdering a child—much less their own child—is not only bizarre but perhaps the most disturbing thought a parent could have! Exploring the ultimate betrayal of a mother's duty, Killer Moms: True Stories recounts 31 harrowing tales of motherhood gone wrong, including … Rachel David, who believed she was married to God Andrea Yates, who systemically executed each of her five children by drowning them Magda Goebbels, one of the most powerful women in Nazi Germany, the propaganda minister's wife and a Hitler favorite The ambiguous Casey Anthony case, whose acquittal shocked the public Melissa Drexler, aka “The Prom Mom,” who hid her pregnancy from everyone Rosemary West, one of England's most notorious serial killers Lindsey Nicole Blansett, whose solution to ensuring her children wouldn't suffer in the future was to make sure they did not have a future Nannie Doss, the “Giggling Granny,” who managed to murder four generations of her family in a killing spree that lasted 30 years Angela Camacho, who helped her husband murder her three young children because he believed they were possessed by witches. An unflinching look into humanity's dark side, Killer Moms is an unnerving read that delves into the twisted paths, the chilling motives, and the devastating consequences of maternal malice!

Somatic Maternal Healing introduces a cutting-edge understanding of the body into the growing field of perinatal mental health. Chapters lay out a complete trauma treatment model for maternal mental health, integrating psychodynamic and somatic clinical techniques within a systemic perspective. The book applies a biopsychosocial conceptualization of mental health in the perinatal period with a special emphasis on trauma and somatic trauma treatment.Somatic Maternal Healing is for anyone working clinically with mothers and new families, specifically therapists, clinical social workers, psychologists, psychoanalysts, psychiatrists, researchers, academics, clinical educators, and graduate students and trainees within these fields.

Motherhood and Mental Illness offers an in-depth, comprehensive relational psychotherapeutic framework to provide effective treatment for those experiencing maternal mental illness.This book addresses a current deficit in mental health resources and treatment and is designed to be an accessible, practical guide into the types and manifests of disorders and the diagnosis, treatment and management of maternal mental illness. It gives a solid understanding of the nature and complexity of maternal mental illness and offers clear guidance on how to provide treatment for successful recovery. Then, using a relational approach, the book offers useful therapeutic interventions grounded in clinical experience and research, which are elucidated with case examples. Covering the most common presentations and the confounders (alcohol, single parenting, drug abuse, self-medication) this is a guide of how to plan treatment, common mistakes that can occur, myths that prevail, and ethical dilemmas. The book will be suitable for psychotherapists and counsellors of any modality as well as any healthcare professionals who have frontline contact with women.

A unique exploration of the transformative experience of motherhood delving into its mental and emotional impact.Unraveling Motherhood includes conversations and real insights about maternal mental health, identity, vulnerabilities, and more for anyone who is lost in the blur of the voices in their minds, the overload, and the overwhelm. In this honest, reflective and relatable book, journalist and mother of two Geraldine Walsh includes a motivational toolkit for anyone navigating motherhood.Birthed from her own varying experiences of mental well-being, Geraldine Walsh discusses aspects of motherhood all pertaining to how one untangles this role. Unraveling Motherhood finds a balance between research, personal experiences, and workable processes that will leave readers feeling validated.Included within its chapters are helpful insights on how to look at situations differently and listen to one's mind in appropriate ways, along with added discussions with psychologists, exercises and journaling. Key discussion topics include:How to handle expectations vs. the reality of motherhoodManaging wellness and mental health during the early months/yearsDeveloping healthy habits for proper and holistic self-compassionLearning to reconcile identity before motherhood to the one afterwardsIdentifying ‘outside influences'(culture, friends/family, media, etc.) which affect how you evaluate yourself as a motherUnraveling Motherhood considers motherhood as a tightly woven knot of physical, mental, emotional and social changes... and then seeks to unravel that knot. Unraveling is good; stitching up is better—but when the pattern is not working out the way we were hoping, we must first unravel to start again.

Where are the safe spaces for Black mums? Like many new mums, Sandra Igwe developed postnatal anxiety and depression, but found she was stereotyped and dismissed. Only by creating a community who'got it'did she find empowerment and joy. Sandra speaks out on the failings in the support that is meant to reach all mothers; but excludes Black women.

Embrace the joys of motherhood without losing yourself Motherhood is an amazing journey. It's a time of chaos and calm, joy and frustration, overwhelming stress and incredible fun. But as mamas strive to juggle the health of their children, their home and work lives, and their relationships, they can often put themselves last, risking physical and emotional burnout. Work. Mama. Life. is for all those mamas trying to achieve a better balance. Through a combination of evidence-based research, first-hand mothering experience, and easy-to-follow exercises, this guidebook will show mamas everywhere how to rediscover their joy, self and health in the face of the intense challenges working motherhood brings. In Work. Mama. Life, health and motherhood expert Ali Young delivers an expertly balanced combination of evidence-based research, clinical experience, and personal familiarity to help mums everywhere reclaim their lives and reset their health. Learn how to: understand matrescence and your ‘mother brain'identify early signs of stress and burnout find and embrace your village reinvigorate yourself and ditch fatigue bring lightness and brightness to yourself and others.A real book by a real mum filled with real tools for the real world, Work. Mama. Life is a practical, evidence-based, and authoritative resource for every mother who's sick of feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and burned out. Work. Mama. Life. will help every current, aspiring, or expecting mother to navigate their experience of motherhood and reclaim their life with calm and good health.

This text introduces readers to the diverse and unique ways art therapy is used with women who are undergoing various stages of the childbearing process, including conception, pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, and postpartum. Art Therapy and Childbearing Issues discusses a range of topics including the role of transference/countertransference, attachment and maternal tasks, and neuropsychology. The book also addresses several motifs that are outside cultural norms of pregnancy and childbearing, such as racial sociopolitical issues, grief and loss, palliative care, midwifery, menstruation, sex-trafficking, disadvantaged populations, and incarceration. Each chapter offers research, modalities, case studies and suggestions on how to work in this field in a new way, accompanied by visual representations of different therapy methods and practices.The approachable style will appeal to a range of readers who will come away with a new awareness of art therapy and a greater knowledge of how to work with women as they enter and exit this universal, psychobiological experience.

Hilfe für belastete Frauen in Schwangerschaft und Postpartalzeit - Angesprochen sind: Alle, die eine Gruppe für Schwangere und Mütter anbieten wollen - von der ÄrztIn und PsychotherapeutIn bis zur Hebamme und BeraterIn - In die Zukunft gedacht: Psychoedukation von Müttern ebnet den Weg für eine sichere Bindung und eine bessere psychische Gesundheit für Mutter und Kind sowie die gesamte Familie - Niederschwellig: Einmal die Woche à 90 Minuten am besten in der Gruppe, um fehlende soziale Kontakte auszugleichen - Hilfe durch: Stabilisierung, Wissensvermittlung und Entlastung Bevorzugt im Gruppensetting, aber auch in Einzelsitzungen, lernen Frauen Bewältigungsstrategien sowie mögliche Hilfen im Alltag kennen. In 18 Modulen geht es um die psychischen und körperlichen Veränderungen in Schwangerschaft und Stillzeit, die Entstehung von psychischen Beschwerden und deren Besserung. Weitere wichtige Themen sind die Einordnung der Phase der Geburt, das Zeitmanagement als Mutter und Familie, die Schlafhygiene, das Reduzieren perfektionistischer Ansprüche u.v.m. Auch das'innere Kind'und die eigene Familiengeschichte sowie Paarkonflikte werden thematisiert und mit den Frauen lösungsorientiert bearbeitet. Ziel ist es, dass Mütter über die neue Lebensphase und ihre psychischen Belastungen umfassende Informationen erhalten. Sie sollen in ihrer neuen Rolle gestärkt werden, Stress und Erwartungsdruck abbauen und sich besser in ihrer neu gegründeten Familie zurechtfinden. So können sie sich selbstbewusst gegen propagierte, unrealistische Idealbilder behaupten! Dieses Buch richtet sich an: Alle, die eine Gruppe für Schwangere und Mütter anbieten möchten: ärztliche und psychologische PsychotherapeutInnen, GynäkologInnen, HausärztInnen, Hebammen, SozialarbeiterInnen, MitarbeiterInnen von Beratungsstellen

This accessible guide addresses the nature of the intrusive and unwanted thoughts that can be common in new parenthood, and offers practical answers and advice on how to tackle these.With fresh material focusing on how to overcome barriers to disclosure and stigma, and updated treatment approaches and case descriptions, this revised edition explains exactly what these negative thoughts are, why they come about, and what can be done about them. Chapters offer information on the specific nature of perinatal anxiety and related disorders, along with take-home points and evidence-based strategies for symptom relief that clinicians can use effectively with new parents. Written by two leading clinicians in the perinatal community, in collaboration with two promising leaders in this specialized field, Dropping the Baby and Other Scary Thoughts, 2nd edition offers a compassionate approach to breaking the cycle of scary thoughts that is invaluable to new parents and clinicians alike.

It is vital that healthcare practitioners understand the psychological impact of childbirth when caring for women. This accessible guide is designed to improve the care that women receive and, as a result, public health outcomes related to maternal and infant wellbeing. This book outlines how clinicians can offer practical support to women after birth. It: discusses what we know about how women adapt to motherhood and develop a post-childbirth identity; outlines some of the causes and manifestations of post-traumatic stress following childbirth; provides practical guidance for setting up postnatal pathways for women traumatised by birth and how to communicate effectively; equips practitioners with the knowledge and skills to support pregnant women with a fear of birth; incorporates narratives from women to demonstrate how their births and related events were perceived and processed, before discussing how women's views can be used to inform future practice; highlights the importance of restorative supervision for healthcare professionals working in this area to promote staff resilience and sustainability. Drawing together theoretical knowledge, evidence, practical skills and women's narratives to help clinicians understand the psychology of childbirth and support women, it is of significant value to all healthcare practitioners engaged in maternity services.

After the birth of her first child, Nicola Redhouse experiences an unrelenting anxiety that quickly overwhelms her. Her immense love for her child can't protect her from the dread that prevents her leaving the house, opening the mail, eating. Nor, it seems, can the psychoanalytic thinking she has absorbed through her family and her many years of therapy. In an attempt to understand the source of her panic, Nicola starts to thread together what she knows about herself and her family with explorations of the human mind in philosophy, science and literature. What role do genetics play in postnatal anxiety? Do the biological changes of motherhood offer a complete explanation? Is the Freudian idea of the mind outdated? Can more recent combined theories from neuroscientists and psychoanalysts provide the answers? How might we be able to know ourselves through our genes, our biology, our family stories and our own ever-unfolding narratives? In this compelling and insightful memoir, Nicola blends her personal experiences with the historical progression of psychoanalysis. In the end, much like in analysis, it is the careful act of narrative construction that yields the answers.

I slept through my first labour. Eventually a midwife woke me. ‘It's time to push,'she said, pointing to the machine that was monitoring my baby. It showed contraction after contraction, spiking and declining with mountainous patterns like the heart rate machines on medical shows. Beside the machine was my husband, Steve's, face, watching me closely, complete with massive eye bags from worry and exhaustion; it appeared that while I'd been sleeping he'd been on high alert. Taking one for the team, you could say, which was only fair because apparently — I was about to push an entire human through my hoo-ha. With her career down the toilet, a husband who was never home, a baby screaming non-stop and her cries for help falling on deaf ears, Megan Blandford spent years saying,'I'm fine'. Spoiler alert (not really): she wasn't fine. Megan sank into postnatal depression and anxiety, with a highly negative inner voice leading the charge in the battle for better mental health. Until Megan faced a life-changing question: What if the enemy inside isn't the enemy after all? I'm Fine (and other lies) is a touching true story of motherhood: the challenges it presents, and the hope that can be found within it.

Now new moms, moms-to-be, stressed moms, and every mom in between can use the healing power of crystals to increase energy, improve focus, and stay calm throughout life's hectic moments. As a mom, you have enough to worry about. Your laundry list of responsibilities grows by the day, not to mention, children are also susceptible to the toxic energies around them. Let the natural, healing power of crystals help align your energy, clear your chakras, calm your mind, and keep you and your child open to love and happiness. In Crystals for Mom, discover all the ways crystal healing can benefit your specific needs as a parent, with expert advice about which crystals to use for any situation that may arise. Try emerald crystals to soothe children's nightmares or amber to calm a fussy baby, and black tourmaline to guard against bully parents, or holding rose quartz to remember self-love—each different crystal has a unique purpose and can help your hectic life become calm and fulfilling. Cherish each moment with your little one with this go-to guide that explains all the many benefits of crystals. Learn to select, prepare, and use crystals for meditation and energy healing and even learn tips and tricks to share with your kids, so they too can benefit from the positive energy found in these amazing natural healing stones.

Another Twinkle in the Eye is an essential guide for anyone contemplating another pregnancy after perinatal mental illness. The decision to bring a child into the world is rarely one that is taken lightly. When a previous pregnancy and early parenthood has resulted in poor maternal and/or paternal perinatal mental health, making a conscious decision to have another baby can be even more challenging.This unique book provides facts, resources, and discussion points to support people in making informed and comfortable decisions. It is also an essential resource for health professionals who support or are involved in the decision-making process of couples planning another pregnancy.The author combines personal experience with real-life stories from other parents. Also included are contributions from healthcare professionals. The book offers comprehensive coverage across five key areas: Reflection on the previous pregnancy, miscarriage or stillbirth, Decisions to be made when considering another pregnancy, Ways to plan for and to have a healthier experience, The role of healthcare professionals and facilities, and Self-help and complementary techniques for good mental health in the perinatal period.

Combining the thoughtful and expert narrative of a veteran mom of four children with the voices of hundreds of moms she surveyed, The Self-Care Solution offers insightful answers to poignant questions about how mothers take care of themselves, their relationships, and their jobs while raising their children—and how they don't. Here, mothers reveal their struggles with self-care, and the consequences of neglecting themselves and their relationships, and share successful strategies to combat these issues. Each chapter also includes reflective self-assessment questions for mothers to gauge where they are from a self-care standpoint, as well as lists of tried and true tools they can employ to achieve more balance, and ultimately more satisfaction, within themselves and in their relationships. Inspirational yet practical, The Self-Care Solution will dramatically impact women who are navigating the critical responsibility of motherhood while attempting to stay true to themselves.

From Pregnancy to Motherhood: Psychoanalytic aspects of the beginning of the mother-child relationship explores the mental states associated with pregnancy, birth and the early days of motherhood from a psychoanalytic perspective. Drawing on clinical research findings and the infant observation method originally developed by Esther Bick, the contributors examine a range of topics which include: how women's view of motherhood is influenced by social, cultural and biotechnological factors; how women's sense of identity changes throughout pregnancy and motherhood; how women's relationships with her family, partner and future child are shaped; and how mental health professionals can better understand ways to work with issues of maternal and infant mental health.Gina Ferrara Mori presents the research of psychoanalysts and psychotherapists working in different settings with mothers-to-be exploring their emotions, wishes, dreams, phantasies, fears during the'time'in which they wait for the birth of their baby and experience the various phases of their bodies'development. Their work discusses the specific and complex developmental process in female identity which the authors have termed the construction of the'internal motherhood/inner maternity'which becomes a'psychic container'establishing the pre-conditions for developing bonds, affection and their relationship with the baby once it has been born.From Pregnancy to Motherhood develops and elaborates theoretical thinking and research already available as well as presenting new material, it will be stimulating reading for psychoanalysts, psychologists, psychotherapists, gynaecologists, paediatricians, ultrasound doctors and technicians, midwives, social workers, healthcare assistants, registered and practical nurses, teachers and students.

What do Princess Diana, Gwyneth Paltrow, Brooke Shields, and Mary Jo Codey all have in common with 950,000 other women in the U.S. each year? They all have suffered from postpartum depression, a disabling mental health syndrome. In Happy Endings, New Beginnings, Dr. Feingold presents her unique approach for navigating the journey through postpartum disorders. Guiding women through the challenges, feelings and distressing symptoms, she leads them to a new view of the postpartum experience and how to make it a positive, life-changing event. Here is an inspirational book filled with fascinating true stories of women Dr. Feingold has coached through post-birth disorders to take control of their new lives and find lasting fulfillment, as she did in her own life. It also provides a new perspective for therapists and other health professionals treating women during this critical period.

Many midwives will care for women who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), whether these women disclose this or not. Pregnant and birthing women commonly experience their bodies becoming'public property', a variety of sometimes intimate medical procedures, and limited choices on where and how care is provided. For CSA survivors, who have suffered loss of ownership over their bodies as children and may experience recurring feelings of powerlessness and loss of control, these factors can combine with impersonal and medicalised settings and practices to deeply traumatic effect.'Sexual abuse is all about power, not sex.'- interviewee Many midwives also experience powerlessness and loss of control as professionals as a result of these same settings and practices, and those midwives who are themselves CSA survivors bring a particularly acute awareness of this and of the needs of survivor mothers. This unique study sets out to gain a deeper understanding of the needs of these mothers by exploring them alongside the parallel experiences of survivor midwives. It explores the insights and reflections they together bring to midwifery, and the positive results of more collaborative, personal, communicative and ultimately empowering practices for all involved.'The significance of this book is far wider than its immediate subject, for it offers us the opportunity to rethink our professional coping strategies. If we seek to make all our professional relationships ones of equality and opportunities for growth, as would benefit someone who has suffered abuse, then we can all grow and flourish.'- from the Foreword by Mavis Kirkham

What if I drop my baby when I go down the steps? What if I burn the baby in the bathtub? Thoughts like these can be frightening to new mothers, but are a common symptom pregnant and postpartum women can experience. Dropping the Baby and Other Scary Thoughts addresses the nature of these intrusive, negative and unwanted thoughts. Kleiman and Wenzel offer answers to the women who seek information, clarification, and validation in this useful resource for healthcare professionals working with these mothers. Written by two clinicians who have established themselves as leading experts and authors in this specialized field, this book maintains a compassionate tone that will be a voice familiar to many women in the postpartum community. Whether you must confront these negative notions personally or in your practice, this book will explain what these thoughts are, why they are there, and what can be done about them.

“Gives the reader insight not only into the effects of addiction on the entire family, but solutions for those in the grips of family trauma.” —Barb Rogers, author of If I Die Before I WakeWith three children under five, a set of twins and a newborn, Rachell Brownell wanted to feel like an adult again. So she turned to three bottles of white wine a night.Through wit and honesty, Brownell lets readers into her world of addiction, but also towards hope. Examples of community, wisdom, and support provide a map for anyone trying to get through the early stages of recovery.Learn how a couple of glasses of wine lead to a big problem. Understand how mommy cocktail groups and the desire to feel like “more than a mommy” can lead to addiction. In Mommy Doesn't Drink Here Anymore you will find:The good, the bad, and the ugly of parentingThe truth about the first year of recoveryHope for a light at the end of the tunnel“Whether you are struggling to reconcile your addiction or looking for guidance as a mother, woman, human being, Brownell's journey of self-awareness and self-discovery is sure to motivate and inspire. A triumph of a memoir for all women enduring.” —Rebecca Woolf, author of Rockabye: From Wild to Child“Comfort, encouragement and support are interwoven with her words. A gift for anyone who is seeking their own Truth regarding addiction and recovery.” —Barbara Joy, author of Easy Does It, Mom“In this frank memoir, she journals her slide into alcoholism and her first year of recovery... Brownell doesn't pull any punches about the ugly side of her addiction.” —Library Journal

One new mother in twenty is diagnosed with traumatic stress after childbirth. In Birth Crisis Sheila Kitzinger explores the disempowerment and anxiety experienced by these women. Key topics discussed include: increasing intervention in pregnancy the shift in emphasis from relationships to technology in childbirth how family, friends and professional caregivers can reach out to traumatized mothers how women can work through stress to understand themselves more deeply and grow in emotional maturity how care and the medical system needs to be changed. Birth Crisis draws on mothers'voices and real-life experiences to explore the suffering after childbirth which has, until now, been brushed under the carpet. It is a fascinating and useful resource for student and practising midwives, all health professionals, and women and their families who want to learn how to overcome a traumatic birth.

Designed for clinicians delivering postpartum care, including midwives, OB-GYN nurse practitioners, and women's health practitioners, this text overviews the six different mood and anxiety disorders, and provides the implications for practice, and screening tools.

Mood and anxiety disorders are very common during the perinatal period, with severe consequences not only for the mother but also for the child and the whole family. Recent research has shown how maternal stress, anxiety and depression can adversely influence a child's early and later development. It is therefore widely accepted that mental disorders in the perinatal period require special attention and uniquely modified treatments including pharmacological, nonpharmacological and psychotherapeutic approaches. In this volume, a group of internationally renowned experts review the most important topics of the field from both a clinical as well as a preclinical perspective - the history of psychiatry of motherhood, questions of classification of these disorders, the effects of chronic maternal stress on fetal development and a child's vulnerability to later psychiatric illness, the risk of perinatal infanticide and suicide and finally the most important forms and modifications of therapies for perinatal mental disorders including questions of pharmacotherapy during pregnancy and breast-feeding, the relevance of gonadal hormones, specific forms of psychotherapy as well as alternative treatment strategies for pregnant and breast-feeding women. In this book, clinicians and researchers from the fields of psychiatry, psychology, psychotherapy, neurobiology and psychoneuroendocrinology, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology as well as their students will find valuable information for their daily work.

The first love in our lives is our mother. Recognizing her face, her voice, the meaning of her moods, and her facial expressions is crucial to survival. Dr. Christine Ann Lawson vividly describes how mothers who suffer from borderline personality disorder produce children who may flounder in life even as adults, futilely struggling to reach the safety of a parental harbor, unable to recognize that their borderline parent lacks a pier, or even a discernible shore. Four character profiles describe different symptom clusters that include the waif mother, the hermit mother, the queen mother, and the witch. Children of borderlines are at risk for developing this complex and devastating personality disorder themselves. Dr. Lawson's recommendations for prevention include empathic understanding of the borderline mother and early intervention with her children to ground them in reality and counteract the often dangerous effects of living with a'make-believe'mother. Some readers may recognize their mothers as well as themselves in this book. They will also find specific suggestions for creating healthier relationships. Addressing the adult children of borderlines and the therapists who work with them, Dr. Lawson shows how to care for the waif without rescuing her, to attend to the hermit without feeding her fear, to love the queen without becoming her subject, and to live with the witch without becoming her victim. A Jason Aronson Book

Agonize no more, frustrated moms! Moms with ADD is here to help. Rather than pathologize ADD or speculate on causes or medical rationales,Moms with ADD enables readers to recognize ADD and optimize their parenting skills. Filled with anecdotes, quotations, and examples, Christine A. Adamec, coauthor of Do You Have Attention Deficit Disorder?, offers practical coping strategies for family- and job-related concerns. This easy-to-read manual is guaranteed to make moms with ADD happier at home and in the office.