After Birth

In snowy upstate New York, Ari, a struggling mother of a one-year-old, and Mina, a nine-months-pregnant woman who is new to town, become comrades-in-arms.

Everything you need to know about caring for your new baby, from feeding to sleeping and everything in between - every parent's new best friend. 'Cath Curtin is the newborn baby guru! A calming voice, a gentle hand and a wealth of knowledge during one of the most incredible but terrifying times of your life - new parenthood. To have Cath's support after the birth of my first son was invaluable and I don't know how I would have done it without her!' Rebecca Judd Cathryn Curtin has delivered more than 10,000 babies over the last 40 years, so she understands how the first six weeks of a baby's life are vital for establishing habits that help create a healthy, happy routine for your baby and a loving lifelong bond between you and your child. In this practical and easy-to-use guide, Midwife Cath covers all aspects of a newborn's first weeks, from caring for your baby to coping with the sudden emotional and physical changes of new parenthood. By following her brilliant bath, bottle and bed routine, you'll enjoy a deep sleep for up to five hours in these demanding early weeks while your partner has some precious one-on-one time with your child. These first weeks of a baby's life can be a challenge for any new parent. Midwife Cath's invaluable experience and wisdom will guide you through them as well as help you establish a routine that will ensure a healthier, happier baby and better-rested and more confident parents.

Intimate stories from notable and influential women that celebrate the early stages of life and the start of motherhood. A book that changes the narrative about postpartum, Life After Birth illustrates what life is really like after birth—not just days and weeks later, but also years afterward. What is the transition to motherhood really like? From a parent in the military to a mother’s pregnancy of 42 weeks, Life After Birth is filled with accounts of strength, resilience, and power. Every birth is a unique story. While we tend to focus our attention on the arrival of a baby, in pregnancy parents are also introduced to a new self. Life After Birth reflects on the many physical changes as well as the myriad of feelings that are brought on by this transformation and the inseparable bond a new life brings. Revealing real experiences and raw emotions, this book is a celebration of life and a celebration of the human body.

The delivery of high quality and equitable care for both mothers and newborns is complex and requires efforts across many sectors. The United States spends more on childbirth than any other country in the world, yet outcomes are worse than other high-resource countries, and even worse for Black and Native American women. There are a variety of factors that influence childbirth, including social determinants such as income, educational levels, access to care, financing, transportation, structural racism and geographic variability in birth settings. It is important to reevaluate the United States' approach to maternal and newborn care through the lens of these factors across multiple disciplines. Birth Settings in America: Outcomes, Quality, Access, and Choice reviews and evaluates maternal and newborn care in the United States, the epidemiology of social and clinical risks in pregnancy and childbirth, birth settings research, and access to and choice of birth settings.

This guidebook will help mothers make sense of their unexpected birthing experiences. It will help them understand why they are struggling in the postpartum-no matter how many days, months, or years it has been. And, it will lead them through simple yet effective reflective exercises that they can do at home to help them feel better.

'An absolute treasure trove on women's physical and mental postnatal health' Milli Hill, author of Give Birth Like A Feminist and The Positive Birth Book 'Brilliant' Clover Stroud 'Essential reading for all parents to be' Marina Fogle 'Helpful, honest and humorous - which is exactly what we all need after birth' Ross J. Barr, acupuncturist and women's health expert While there is a wealth of advice for new mums on caring for their babies the same is not true for postpartum health. Fulfilling this vital need, After Birth is the ultimate postnatal primer for women facing changes to their bodies after having a baby. Addressing issues great and small - from hair loss and stretch marks, to bladder and bowel leaks, painful sex, diastasis recti and mental health - researcher and writer Jessica Hatcher-Moore brings together straight-talking advice on preparation for childbirth, healing, and recovery in the weeks, months and even years that follow. She also offers insights for partners, whose role is often overlooked at this critical time. Blending knowledge from the full spectrum of modern and traditional therapies with honest experiences from mothers, here is balanced advice with no agenda. Taking a broad look at what we can do for ourselves at home, and also when to seek expert help, After Birth will reassure, inform and empower women to reclaim their post-birth bodies.

Forget about the baby for just one minute; what about you? New motherhood changes everything. Few women are prepared for the radical shifts in identity, emotional intensity and relations with friends, family and the father of their child. In this fully revised and updated edition of the classic book that first bust the conspiracy of silence surrounding the upheaval of new motherhood, Kate Figes draws on medical and historical research, the invention of 'good' motherhood as well as personal testimony to reassure new mothers everywhere that they are not only normal if they find things difficult, but also doing fine.