What makes a good mother? Are some women just born naturally maternal, or do mothers discover that part of themselves once they have a child? Now a renowned expert on the subject–and herself a mother of three–addresses the unspoken worries and fears that accompany motherhood and shares the reassuring message that every mother learns “on the job.” Dr. Valerie Davis Raskin has worked with more than four hundred mothers in twenty years of clinical practice and has discovered that mothering is just as developmental as childhood. Dr. Raskin identifies the nine challenges facing mothers from their child’s infancy to young adulthood, pivotal moments that put mothers to the test time and again–and yet from which they can emerge truly rewarded. • IDENTITY: How to gain confidence during those overwhelming first months after you’ve given birth or adopted, but don’t yet “feel” like a mother. • UNLOVING MOMENTS: Every mother’s secret guilt–learn to accept those not-so-precious moments when you don’t like the child you love so dearly. • HONORING THE FATHER: Tips for helping Dad stop feeling like a third wheel and bond with his child (and receive attention from you!). • SEPARATION: How to maintain a positive outlook on your child’s milestones, from the first day of preschool to packing him off to sleepaway camp. • SETTING LIMITS: How to put your foot down, even when your child kicks, screams, or cries. • IMPERFECT INSTITUTIONS: How to cope when your child does not have the best teacher or the most inspiring coach, or faces a less than fair grading system. • REVISED DREAMS: Your cute five-year-old in a pink tutu has no rhythm. Your nine-year-old cannot catch a ball. Learn to modify your dreams for your child–and follow your child’s dreams instead. • ADVERSITY: You can’t keep your child in a plastic bubble, but you can take a deep breath, relax, and be there for her when life gets tough. • SAYING GOODBYE: Discover the joys of loving your adult child while not living under the same roof. This wonderfully anecdotal, engaging, and accessible book is nothing less than an essential training manual for mothers of all ages. The bottom line: Just because motherhood is sometimes difficult, confusing, intense, sleepless, and frustrating, doesn’t mean mothers aren’t doing it right!

The Making of a Mother: Overcoming the Nine Key Challenges--from Crib to Empty Nest

Raskin, Valerie

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Ballantine Books

One in four women will experience clinical depression, anxiety, or premenstrual depression in her lifetime. The good news is that popular new prescription drugs like Prozac and Xanax bring much needed relief. The bad news is that many physicians and therapists are unaware of common issues for women. As medical treatment for depression and anxiety has become simpler, more and more general practitioners are prescribing antidepressants, often with little background in the nonmedical alternatives or complex mind-body interactions. Emphasizing women's family roles as well as their unique biological/hormonal sensitivities, Dr. Raskin explains contemporary integrated treatment options. Raskin pays special attention to how birth control, menstrual cycles, childbearing, and menopause impact treatment choices. Raskin empowers women to take an active approach in dealing with common side effects, including weight gain and diminished sexual responsiveness. Using revealing case studies, Raskin offers a wealth of hands-on advice. At a time when trends in health care have led to less personalized contact between doctor and patient, When Words Are Not Enough provides the facts and reassurance women need to be in control of their own health.

When Words Are Not Enough

Mental Health

Harmony

Offering compassionate advice for the approximately 400,000 women who suffer each year from postpartum depression, two doctors provide information on overcoming self-defeating thoughts, medical and therapy treatment options, self-esteem, and depression. Original.

This Isn't What I Expected: Overcoming Postpartum Depression

Kleiman, Karen

Women's Health

Bantam]

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Books by Raskin, Valerie