Postnatal Support – the 6 best postnatal books
Why Postnatal Preparation Matters
When we are pregnant we spend a lot of time preparing for labour and birth, buying clothes and kit for baby. We focus on the 9 months or so leading up to baby arriving. But we often spend zero time preparing for what comes next! In this blog post you will find my recommendations for some of the best books for postnatal recovery.
We might have attended a breastfeeding class and possibly an early days of parenting class, everyone will tell you to get lots of sleep for when baby arrives, and we have some vague idea that life is about to change. But we are NEVER prepared for the all consuming, life-changing event that is becoming a new parent, and particularly for the first 12 months of this new life.
When you are pregnant you really can’t know how it’s going to be for you postnatally because you can’t predict your birth journey, your recovery needs, your baby’s personality and needs, your resilience levels. But you can get an idea of what you might expect, some inspiration from others who are professionals in the field or have shared their experience in a bid to help others to be able to navigate their postpartum recovery and transition more easily.
We may be over the moon to welcome our new baby, we may have waited a very long time for the occasion, or it might have happened quickly. We might be moving to parenthood with a partner or on our own. We might be a mix of elated and anxious or a little bit more of one or the other. No-one can be in our shoes, and no-one can really explain what the shift from pre-pregnancy life to postnatal life will be like for us.
Matrescence
There is ever growing research and science into how our body and brain change as new mothers who have birthed our babies, and also into how our brains change as new fathers or non-birthing parents. Knowing a little about this will be helpful for you to understand how and why, once your baby has arrived, you are feeling big emotions, how your bond with your baby is developing, how you can feel high on love for your little one in one moment, and completely exhausted and overwhelmed in the next. How your whole sense of self shifts and sometimes feels lost. This is normal.
“Matrescence is a term that describes the physical, emotional, and psychological transition a woman goes through when she becomes a mother... It’s hard to wrap your arms around the immense impact of motherhood on cognition and brain until you experience it yourself. Simply put, matrescence is the process of becoming a mother.” Lauren Hays, thematrescence.com
“In my expanded definition, the process of becoming a mother or matrescence, the term first coined by Dana Raphael, Ph.D. (1973) and which I later built upon, is a developmental passage where a woman transitions through pre-conception, pregnancy and birth, surrogacy or adoption, to the postnatal period and beyond. The exact length of matrescence is individual, recurs with each child, and may arguably last a lifetime! The scope of the changes encompasses multiple domains --bio-psycho-social-political-spiritual-- and can be likened to the developmental push of adolescence. “ - Matrescence Definition written by Aurélie Athan, Ph.D. (2016)
Postnatal Support
If you take time during your pregnancy for evidence based postnatal information - books/audio books, podcasts, blog posts, and social media accounts (rather than celebrity accounts and hear say) you will help yourself to find practical tools and deeper understanding of your journey ahead.
You can arm yourself with places to refer back to, to help you navigate the ups and downs of the first few days, weeks and months of caring for your baby 24 / 7 on little sleep.
There’s not as much information out there for postnatal recovery as there is for pregnancy labour and birth, and in the UK we are pretty much left to our own devices after our 8 week check. But I have gathered what I consider the best books for postpartum recovery and postnatal support and would love you to read them, listen to them, buy them or borrow them from a friend or library. You won’t regret it and they will be your guiding hand for the first 12 months of parenthood.
An important note… Mental Health and Postnatal Depression
Please see your GP or Health Visitor if you feel that you can’t cope, suspect you have postnatal depression, or need other mental health support. You are not alone, it can affect more than 1 in 10 women for up to a year after birth.
Other places to find help:
https://maternalmentalhealthalliance.org/
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/post-natal-depression/overview/
6 Best Postnatal Books
Find them all at my bookstore https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Breathingspaceyoga or other good booksellers
Life After Birth – Jessica Prescott & Vaughne Geary
What the cover says:
In Life After Birth, doulas Jessica Prescott and Vaughne Geary share their evidence-based approach to the lost but ever important art of caring for yourself as a mother, including over thirty naturopath formulated herbal and wholefood recipes to nourish you through the postpartum and beyond. Jessica and Vaughne provide guidance and support for all people on the wide and diverse spectrum of motherhood – from nutritional support, to sleep and breastfeeding tips, communication tools, managing siblings, nourishing your body, mental health awareness and so much more.
By helping you to tune into your body and honour the cyclical nature of womanhood, Life After Birth will support you to thrive in your new role as mother.
What I say:
I loved this book straightaway. It has easy to read and dip into sections covering all areas of postpartum recovery. It has practical tools and tips throughout which are suitable for everyone post birth. It’s holistic approach is like receiving a warm hug.
There is a really useful quick guide section on easy tips for nutrition and things to add to your diet. There are also some lovely wholefood recipes included and I’d recommend you think about these when you or someone supporting you has time to use them. – the authors are Australian, so there are a few ingredients you might have to find alternatives to.
I would really recommend this as the top book to buy for quick reference postnatally.
Find the Authors at https://mamagoodness.com.au/
Motherkind – Zoe Blaskey
Also see her podcast Motherkind on all podcast platforms
What the cover says:
Modern Motherhood is overwhelming.
We’re expected to parent perfectly, bounce back, enjoy every moment, smash it at work and look after everyone’s health and happiness. But what about our own?
Zoe Blaskey, the host of chart-topping Motherkind podcast, has helped millions of mothers remember that they matter too. In theis judgement-free book she will empower you with the tools to say no to guilt and pressure and yes to confidence and joy.
Through proven coaching tools, real life-stories from the Motherkind community and transformational expertise from podcast guests such as Dr Gabor Mate, Philippa Perry and Dr Becky Kennedy, you’ll learn how to redefine your relationship with guilt, process difficult emotions and appreciate your own worth.
Along the way, you’ll see that perfection is a trap, master the art of setting boundaries and ultimately learn a new way to thrive in motherhood.
What I say:
I wish I had been able to read this book when I was in my early postnatal period. It would have really helped me to not fall into the traps of trying to do it all, of struggling with the balance of what my children needed, my family needed and what I needed. Reading it now my children are in their teens I have still got such a lot from this book.
Each chapter has a quick read section at the end and journalling questions throughout to help you make sense of how you are feeling. It offers tools and ideas to support yourself postnatally to thrive and feel fulfilled as both a mum and as yourself outside of your new role.
Find the Author at: https://www.motherkind.co/
Why Postnatal Recovery Matters – Sophie Messager
What the cover says:
During pregnancy the focus of antenatal preparation is the birth itself, and the importance of the postnatal period is often overlooked. Yet postnatal recovery (or lack of it) can have consequences for the long-term health and wellbeing of both mother and baby.
In Why Postnatal Recovery Matters Sophie Messager draws on her experience as a scientist and doula to show that thinking ahead to after the birth can get new families off to the best possible start.
What I say:
This is an evidence based book which covers why we often miss out the care of the mother postnatally because baby is so all consuming. The key areas of postnatal recovery we should prioritise – rest, healthy food, social support, bodywork and getting help. And has a useful section on how to create a postnatal recovery plan for yourself during pregnancy.
It is a great book and offers lots of links to other good areas to read, research and other information. A great overall guide.
Find the Author at: https://sophiemessager.com/
The Fourth Trimester – Kimberly Ann Johnson
What the cover says:
This holistic guide offers practical advice to support women through postpartum healing on the physical, emotional, relational and spiritual levels - and provides women with a roadmap to this very important transition that can last from a few months to a few years.
Kimberly Ann Johnson draws from her vast professional experience as a doula, postpartum consultant, yoga teacher, body worker, and women's health care advocate, and from the healing traditions of Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, and herbalism - as well as her own personal experience.
What I say:
Kimberly Ann had a difficult birth and postnatal experience despite being a yoga teacher and in tune with her body. It was a shock to her that birth could have such long term affects on her body. The book stems from her recovery and her work supporting women to have the best birth possible, heal well whatever their birth journey and above all care for themselves as well as their baby.
Whilst many births are positive and straightforward, there are also births that are difficult. This book will help you to know that you are not alone in your experience and that you must prioritise your own health and well-being postnatally as much as your baby.
There are many ideas and techniques that Kimberly Ann covers and you will find the ones that make most sense to you to consider before baby arrives. And then there is a wealth of information to use after baby has arrived to suit your individual needs postnatally.
Find the Author at: https://kimberlyannjohnson.com/
After Birth – Jessica Hatcher Moore
What the cover says:
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.
What I say:
I heard Jessica speak on a webinar and was compelled to buy her book. It shares her journey from being very physically fit, to having a baby and discovering just how difficult postnatal recovery can be. She shares some really helpful information which she has gathered through her own experience and research. Postnatal life is not just about the baby – it is also about your transformation as a new parent, physically and mentally and how to navigate the challenges whether they are small or large.
Find the Author at: https://www.instagram.com/jessicajanehatcher/
Matrescence – Lucy Jones
What the cover says:
During pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood, women undergo a far-reaching physiological and psychological metamorphosis. There is no other time in a human's life course that entails such dramatic change-other than adolescence. And yet this life-altering transition has been sorely neglected by science, medicine and philosophy. Its seismic effects go largely unrepresented across literature and the arts. Speaking about motherhood as anything other than a pastel-hued dream is virtually taboo.
In this ground-breaking investigation, acclaimed science journalist and author Lucy Jones brings to light the emerging concept of 'matrescence'. Drawing on new research across various fields - neuroscience and evolutionary biology; psychoanalysis and existential therapy; sociology, economics, ecology and cultural history - Jones shows how the changes in the maternal mind, brain and body are far more profound, wild and enduring than we have been led to believe. She reveals the dangerous consequences of our neglect of the maternal experience - today, one in ten women develop a mental illness in the first year of new motherhood; a third of mothers with more than one child suffer from postnatal depression - and she explores the patriarchal and capitalist institutions that have created the untenable situation mothers face today.
Here is an urgent examination of motherhood and mental health, which seeks to unshackle mothers from the weight of unrealistic medical, cultural and economic expectations. It is an unignorable rallying cry to deepen our understanding of matrescence, and to make the experience of pregnancy, birth and child-raising better for future parents.
What I say:
This is a really good book to deep dive into matrescence, why it is a really important growing area of research and how our understanding of the total transformation we go through as birthing mothers/ people (and also how transformation occurs for non-birthing parents) may help to create a much more comprehensive understanding of the weight of parenthood.
This book acknowledges the changes that happen outside our control in the postnatal period – like those of puberty, pregnancy and menopause – and helps to normalise the challenges of motherhood. This book will help you to rally against the culture of ‘as long as baby is ok’ or ‘I’ll get through it’ or ‘I should be loving this’ , and to instead understand why things are difficult during this transition, how you can ask for help and make your experience better.
I also love that connections to the natural world are laced through this book, grounding it in the living world as a whole and offering tools for nature to help heal us postnatally too.
Find the author at: https://lucyfjones.com/books/
Please let me know if you enjoy reading them….