by Karen Kleiman · 2019
Validating book about intrusive thoughts in new motherhood.
Best for: New mothers experiencing intrusive thoughts and the shame that goes with them.
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Intrusive thoughts in new motherhood — sudden, unwanted images of harm coming to your baby — are remarkably common and remarkably under-discussed. Many mothers experiencing them believe they are uniquely broken, and the shame keeps them silent.
Karen Kleiman has specialised in perinatal mental health for decades. This book de-shames the experience clearly: intrusive thoughts are a known feature of postnatal anxiety, they don't predict harmful behaviour, and they often improve quickly with the right support.
Sushama works often with women in the postnatal period, and this is the book she most often hands to new mothers who are too frightened by their own thoughts to say them out loud.
A note. This is reading material, not clinical treatment. If you’re working through something difficult, books complement therapy — they don’t replace it. Book a session with our team for personalised support.
More books in postnatal mental health.
Our team sees adults, adolescents, and children in person at Bella Vista and via telehealth across NSW. Medicare rebates with a GP Mental Health Care Plan; NDIS self- and plan-managed; private health depending on fund.
