The Pregnant Woman's Companion

Press Release

Family / Human Interest

The Bedraggled Truth Behind That Pregnant Glow

What you need to know about the ups and downs of pregnancy

Minneapolis, Minnesota — With all of the resources available to pregnant women these days, what could possibly be left to catch them by surprise? Ironically it is not all of the complex medical procedures or the equally expansive array of baby products to choose from, but instead the surprise is coming from their own emotional ups and downs and the common challenges found in the life-transitions that pregnancies often bring. Christine D'Amico, MA, a life-transition coach, and Margaret A. Taylor, MS, CNM, a certified nurse midwife, have teamed up to bring pregnant women and their partners a new book addressing just this issue, The Pregnant Woman's Companion: Nine Strategies that Work to Keep Your Peace of Mind Through Pregnancy and into Parenthood (ISBN 0-9716631-0-6, LCCN 2002090310, paperback, $14.95, August 2, 2002 publication date.)

For the 4 million women who get pregnant every year, our society presents pregnancy as this dreamy time of beginning a new family, and while the whole experience is miraculous, the day to day life of a pregnant woman and new parent is far from dreamy. In a July 7, 2002 New York Times article, a collection of books was reviewed which reveal another version of motherhood as "the drudgery of child care, the isolation of the playground, and the loss of [the mother’s] identity". All of these feelings are also a part of the experience and this collection of books, along with The Pregnant Woman’s Companion, has an important role to reassure parents that negative feelings around pregnancy and parenthood are a normal part of the process and people are not "bad" parents for feeling them.

At the same time, The Pregnant Woman’s Companion takes this process of truth telling one step further. After reassuring the reader that these kinds of feelings are normal, it goes on to shake them awake to the fact that pregnancy and parenthood can be designed in limitless ways, and if it is feeling bad, it is time to take control and make some changes so it is a fulfilling time for all involved. Children grow too fast and life is too short for it to be anything less.

D'Amico and Taylor have spent the past four years researching the transitions of pregnancy and have identified nine specific areas where change and ultimately stress seem to occur for pregnant women and often her partner. These are areas such as her:

• Relationships with a partner, family, and friends
• Perception of her own body
• Overall sense of control
• Feelings of loss
• Changing priorities
• Transition into parenthood
• Ability to get the support and help she needs throughout her ever changing pregnancy.

The Pregnant Woman's Companion addresses each of these nine areas directly and provides an array of easy to apply tools and resources for each.

"As we see it," says Taylor, "a pregnant woman needs to be able to pick up the book and within minutes feel like she has a better handle on a current challenge. That has been our goal — and what pregnant women are saying makes this resource one of their favorites."

The Pregnant Woman's Companion is published by Attitude Press, Inc. and is currently distributed by Baker & Taylor, Koen Book Distributors, Partners Book Distributing, Quality Books, and Bookpeople. It is available through most bookstores across the country and Amazon.com.

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Note: Life transition and pregnancy experts D'Amico and Taylor are provocative, informative resources. Contact Christine at cjohnson@attitudepress.com for more information. Review copies and book/author photos available on request.