"Motherhood Empowered: A Comprehensive Guide to a Healthy and Joyful Pregnancy Journey" is an empowering and informative book that takes expecting mothers on a journey through the various stages of pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Written with care and expertise, this comprehensive guide provides essential knowledge and practical advice to support mothers-to-be in making informed decisions and embracing the joys and challenges of motherhood. The book begins by emphasizing the importance of understanding a mother-to-be's life and the significance of holistic care. It covers a wide range of topics, including preconception health, essential nutrients, exercise, sleep, substance avoidance, prenatal care, stress management, coping mechanisms, and professional support. Each topic is explored in detail, providing evidence-based information and practical tips to ensure the well-being of both mother and baby. Throughout the book, readers will discover the importance of self-care, building resilience, nurturing the mother-child bond, and the role of partners, family, and friends in providing support during this transformative journey. The book also addresses important practical considerations such as budgeting for pregnancy and childbirth, understanding maternity leave and workplace benefits, preparing for childcare costs, and saving for future educational expenses. "Motherhood Empowered" also delves into creating a safe and nurturing environment for the baby, including baby-proofing the home, setting up the nursery, and considering environmental factors such as air quality and noise. It highlights the benefits of prenatal classes, explores different parenting styles and philosophies, and provides guidance on breastfeeding, infant nutrition, infant care, and safety. The book takes a comprehensive approach to addressing the physical recovery from childbirth, postpartum depression and anxiety, and the importance of self-care and support during this period. It also offers insights into resuming personal and professional roles, understanding childbirth options and interventions, pain management during labor, and the involvement and support of partners. With its engaging and accessible writing style, "Motherhood Empowered" equips expectant mothers with the knowledge and tools to navigate the transformative journey of motherhood with confidence, empowerment, and a focus on holistic care. It serves as a trusted companion, providing valuable guidance, encouragement, and support throughout the pregnancy journey and beyond.

Written by a nurse, this holistic guide for pregnancy and the postpartum experience provides foundational knowledge and intuitive wisdom to help new mothers support the optimal health of their baby and their own bodies. Get the answers to the big questions about pregnancy: • What kinds of foods should you eat and how do you prepare your body for labor and birth? • How does movement impact pelvic health and the baby's position in the womb? • How does the endocrine system and your brain change throughout pregnancy? • How does the microbiome influence your and your baby's health? Packed with practical information and helpful infographics, Amy J. Hammer helps you create the optimal environment for growing a baby and navigating the major transitions in a pregnancy—including nurturing pelvic floor health, the fetal and parental microbiome, and the science behind the stages of pregnancy from conception to postpartum. By providing vital and often ignored information about reproductive science, movement, and nourishment, this book empowers parents to make informed and personal choices about their pregnancy, birth, and beyond.

Expert, practical advice for complete mental and physical maternal health Kate Rope's Strong as a Mother is a practical and compassionate guide to preparing for a smooth start to motherhood. Everyone knows the secret to having “the Happiest Baby on the Block.” This is your guide to being the Sanest Mommy on the Block. It will prepare you with humor and grace for what lies ahead, give you the tools you need to take care of yourself, permission to struggle at times, and professional advice on how to move through it when you do. This book will become a dog-eared resource on your nightstand, offering you the same care and support that you are working so hard to provide to your child. It will help you prioritize your emotional health, set boundaries and ask for help, make choices about feeding and childcare that feel good to you, get good sleep, create a strong relationship with your partner, make self care an everyday priority, trust your instincts, and actually enjoy the hardest job you will ever love. This book is here to take care of you.

A candid, feminist, and personal deep dive into the science and culture of pregnancy and motherhood Like most first-time mothers, Angela Garbes was filled with questions when she became pregnant. What exactly is a placenta and how does it function? How does a body go into labor? Why is breast best? Is wine totally off-limits? But as she soon discovered, it’s not easy to find satisfying answers. Your obstetrician will cautiously quote statistics; online sources will scare you with conflicting and often inaccurate data; and even the most trusted books will offer information with a heavy dose of judgment. To educate herself, the food and culture writer embarked on an intensive journey of exploration, diving into the scientific mysteries and cultural attitudes that surround motherhood to find answers to questions that had only previously been given in the form of advice about what women ought to do—rather than allowing them the freedom to choose the right path for themselves. In Like a Mother, Garbes offers a rigorously researched and compelling look at the physiology, biology, and psychology of pregnancy and motherhood, informed by in-depth reportage and personal experience. With the curiosity of a journalist, the perspective of a feminist, and the intimacy and urgency of a mother, she explores the emerging science behind the pressing questions women have about everything from miscarriage to complicated labors to postpartum changes. The result is a visceral, full-frontal look at what’s really happening during those nine life-altering months, and why women deserve access to better care, support, and information. Infused with humor and born out of awe, appreciation, and understanding of the female body and its strength, Like a Mother debunks common myths and dated assumptions, offering guidance and camaraderie to women navigating one of the biggest and most profound changes in their lives.

In today's western cultures, the typical pregnancy focuses on the baby to the exclusion of the woman herself, so that the entire experience has become more about preparing for the baby's arrival than looking closely at oneself to prepare emotionally for all of the changes that creating a new life brings. Sacred Pregnancy was written to help the pregnant woman journey within herself to prepare for the birth of her baby. Sacred Pregnancy is a gorgeous four-color book especially created for mothers-to-be to reflect on the many personal milestones of the full gestation period of a pregnancy. With beautiful professional photos that correspond to each topic, Sacred Pregnancy also features a journal space for the pregnant woman to record her thoughts and feelings. Each week the mother-to-be is given information on her baby, her body, and her spirit and is asked to reflect on these via the topic of the week, which touches on a variety of issues such as sexuality, fears about labor, becoming a mother, courage, rite of passage, adornment, body image, meditation, and sisterhood to name a few. Mothers-to-be are invited to look deeply at the issues unique to their journey and find a centered, peaceful place to live their pregnancy fully. Lastly, Sacred Pregnancy includes place for the new mother to record her birth story and a large resource section on various birthing options and supports for pregnant women. “From the spiritual (how to visualize your perfect birth) to the practical (a large section on birthing options), this pregnancy journal is a spiritual adviser and supportive doula all in one.” —Fit Pregnancy magazine For more information, visit the Sacred Pregnancy website.

Your guide to the emotions of pregnancy and early motherhood, from two of America’s top reproductive psychiatrists. When you are pregnant, you get plenty of advice about your growing body and developing baby. Yet so much about motherhood happens in your head. What everyone really wants to know: Is this normal? -Even after months of trying, is it normal to panic after finding out you’re pregnant? -Is it normal not to feel love at first sight for your baby? -Is it normal to fight with your parents and partner? -Is it normal to feel like a breastfeeding failure? -Is it normal to be zonked by “mommy brain?” In What No One Tells You, two of America’s top reproductive psychiatrists reassure you that the answer is yes. With thirty years of combined experience counseling new and expectant mothers, they provide a psychological and hormonal backstory to the complicated emotions that women experience, and show why it’s natural for “matrescence”—the birth of a mother—to be as stressful and transformative a period as adolescence. Here, finally, is the first-ever practical guide to help new mothers feel less guilt and more self-esteem, less isolation and more kinship, less resentment and more intimacy, less exhaustion and more pleasure, and learn other tips to navigate the ups and downs of this exciting, demanding time

"What a gift to new and expecting moms. You have no idea the mountain and rollercoaster you're about to embark on, but Nurture somehow gives you a peek in and gives you essential information to help ground you." –Catherine McCord, founder of Weelicious and One Potato A comprehensive and judgement-free pregnancy companion: Nurture is the only all-in-one pregnancy and birthing book for modern mothers-to-be and their partners who want a more integrative approach. Author Erica Chidi Cohen has assisted countless births and helped hundreds of families ease into their new roles through her work as a doula. Nurture covers everything from the beginning months of pregnancy to the baby's first weeks. This empowering book includes: • Supportive self-care and mindfulness exercises, trimester-specific holistic remedies, nourishing foods and recipes for every month of pregnancy, and expert tips for every birth environment. • More than 40 charming and helpful illustrations, charts, and lists can be found throughout. • Dozens of important topics that every modern mom needs to know including fetal development, making choices for a hospital, home or birth center birth, the basics of breastfeeding, tips on what to expect postpartum, and more. Nurture is an all-inclusive pregnancy and birthing guide book that gives soon-to-be mothers and their partners the information they need to make decisions, feel confident, and enjoy the beauty of creating new life. Nurture is a thoughtful and helpful gift for expecting mothers and their partners. Erica Chidi is co-founder and CEO of Loom in Los Angeles, CA. She began her work in San Francisco, volunteering as a doula within the prison system, working with pregnant inmates. She went on to build a successful doula and health education practice in Los Angeles and has been featured in Women's Health, Vogue, Goop, The Cut and Marie Claire.

Having a plus size pregnancy? There's so much misinformation about having a plus size pregnancy that it's hard to know what to truly expect. Can I have a healthy pregnancy? Am I high risk because of my size? When will I start to look pregnant and how can I find cute plus size maternity clothes? Order the My Plus Size Pregnancy Guide today to get all the answers!You'll learn the keys for having a positive and healthy plus size pregnancy!Topics Includeo Embrace your bump and develop a new appreciation for your bodyo What's a B belly? (hint: it's completely normal)o Tips for finding plus size maternity clothes, belly bands, and nursing braso Realistic information about increased risks, how to reduce your risks and make informed decisionso Look at nutrition in a new lighto Physical activity can be fun throughout pregnancy (and I can't wait to tell you how!)o Game changer: working with a size friendly care providero Hiring a doula can make a big impact on your pregnancyo And so much more!Worksheets & Templates o Body Love & Body Languageo Maternity Photographer Inquiry E-mail Templateo My Healthy Habits Checklisto BRAIN Toolo 15 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Size Friendly Care Providero 7 Questions to Ask When Selecting a Hospitalo Doula Inquiry E-mail TemplateStop Googling and start feeling empowered today! "This guide is wonderful and I'm grateful to have found it. I've learned things that I never gave much thought to in my first pregnancy, but that have made this second pregnancy much easier, and empowered me to have the pregnancy and birth that I want. It's given me the tools I need to make this my own experience and not fall into the "obese pregnancy" trap that some providers set. Thank you, Jen, for compiling such great resources to keep at my fingertips!" - Megan Nelson"This guide is such an AMAZING resource and is unlike anything else that is out there! It is comprehensive but not overwhelming. It is enjoyable to read while also presenting a wealth of important information. This guide will help women to have more empowered, positive pregnancy experiences by covering all the topics they need to know about to advocate for themselves and understand what is going on with their bodies. I truly feel that all pregnant mamas who are plus size would benefit greatly from reading this guide!" - Jasmine Schrader, Doula & Founder, Earth Mama Empowered Birthing"I think it's really important to talk about the realities of being plus size and pregnant. The options for nursing bras, maternity, belly bands & books are so minuscule that it's insulting. I knew it was frustrating but had no idea until I found myself pregnant and searching for things and answers that didn't exist until I connected with Plus Size Birth. Jen's resources and support helped me throughout my pregnancy." - Tess Holliday, Plus Size Model

A practical handbook for pregnancy and the first three months after birth that helps moms-to-be optimize for whole health (mental, emotional, physical, nutritional) throughout the pre- and postnatal time, based on insights from 400+ interviews with health care providers, parents, and subject matter experts. Topics, checklists, and exercises are presented in bite-sized chapters for easy reference.At a time when more women than ever live far away from their closest family and friends, new moms-to-be are left wondering what to do to ensure they get and stay healthy during this special season of their lives.Author Dianna He Murray, MBA, PCC is an executive coach and healthcare industry veteran who helps leaders define and pursue what matters most. She is also certified in plant-based nutrition and a registered pre- and postnatal yoga teacher who empowers new moms to become advocates for their own health during pregnancy and beyond.New parents-to-be will learn:* What questions to ask and key decisions to make* Which conversations are critical to have, with who, and how to navigate through challenging situations* Tips, strategies, and action steps for self-care, maximizing the resources available to them, and staying focused while minimizing stress on their journey to parenthood

Being Zen(ish) is what we call it - and it's the ish that we endorse! Teresa Palmer and Sarah Wright Olsen, two moms from opposite sides of the world, are doing their best to raise happy, empathetic children while working, traveling, and maintaining their sanity. With seven kids between them, the founders of the much-loved Your Zen Mama blog know as well as anyone that motherhood doesn't exist in the highlight reel of life, and that finding even a fleeting semblance of calm among the epic ebbs and flows of parenting is usually all you can hope for. Forget perfection and prepare to get real, vulnerable, and dirty (mostly from guacamole) with Sarah and Teresa as they share knowledge they've collected over the years, from the Your Zen Mama community and expert mentors, as well as being in the trenches of parenthood themselves. In The Zen Mama Guide to Finding Your Rhythm in Pregnancy, Birth, and Beyond, you'll find: Important questions to ask and decisions to make before and during pregnancy Essential guidance from a woman's point of view for conception, pregnancy, and childbirth Nutritional and dietary advice to support the complete health of both mother and baby Practical education about the mother's body before, after, and during pregnancy Science-based methods to promote a mother's healthy body and mind Expert advice from medical professionals, chiropractors, and pediatricians Engaging, accessible advice for every step of the newborn's journey Suggestions and tips for creating a birthing plan Comforting language to address fertility challenges, pregnancy loss, and complicated labor Access to the Your Zen Mama resource guide Whether it's dealing with fertility challenges or pregnancy loss, riding out a long and complicated labor, or juggling multiple kids (and work), these mamas have been through it - and have written this book to help you find your own glimpses of Zen along the way.