Midlife Motherhood: A Woman-to-Woman Guide to Pregnancy and Parenting

by Jann Blackstone-Ford

Overview

"The future doesn't frighten me, but sometimes I wish there was help, a type of midlife mom roadside assistance-someone who would show up exactly when you need it and tell you how to handle the problem." -Janice Stewart, mother at thirty-nine to Joshua

What's a woman to do when she's facing menopause, toddlers, and elder care all at the same time? Women who have "been there and done that" provide some insight in Midlife Motherhood. Offering humor, warmth, and frankness, this is a handholding guide for the uninitiated.

What's on their minds:
· Common fears and concerns: from Down's syndrome to being too old
· Fertility challenges and what to physically expect from pregnancy
· How to juggle postpartum demands-parenting, working, caring for aging parents . . . and all at once!
· Getting back into shape
· Hot flashes and warm bottles: coping with hormonal changes while caring for a new baby

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466851566
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/27/2013
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Jann Blackstone-Ford is a certified mediator and the Stepfamily and Divorce Specialist as well as the Midlife Mother expert for Parentsoup.com, an iVillage website. She is the director of Bonus Families, www.bonusfamilies.com, a non-profit organization dedicated to the support and reassurance of stepfamilies around the world. She is also the creator of www.midlifemother.com, a support site for women who choose to become mothers at midlife. Jann lives with her family in Discovery Bay, California.

Editorial Reviews

More women are becoming mothers at midlife. Blackstone-Ford, a certified mediator specializing in family issues, bases much of this book on her own experiences as well as on input from other mothers who participated in her Internet discussion group. She does a creditable job of addressing topics of concern, e.g., fertility, pregnancy, birth, adoption, career and family issues, and postpartum health and emotional issues. Unfortunately, her coverage of some medical issues is incomplete, and readers may be led to underestimate associated risks or complexities. Blackstone-Ford asserts, for example, that it is safe to consume the artificial sweetener aspartame during pregnancy, but she does not mention the extensive research that indicates it may cause or exacerbate headaches, fibromyalgia symptoms, and mood disorders. In discussing episiotomies and ceasareans, she also glosses over current evidence of associated risks. A better purchase would be Doreen Nagle's But I Don't Feel Too Old To Be a Mommy. Nagle, who also founded an online midlife motherhood discussion group, wisely avoids offering advice on medical issues already covered in other books, and she includes extensive discussion on preconceptual healthcare, a topic that is notably lacking in Blackstone-Ford's book.-Noemie Maxwell, King Cty. Lib. Syst., WA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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