The Fourth Trimester Companion

A well-cared-for baby is a baby whose mother is taking care of herself. With this truth at its core, The Fourth Trimester Companion supports your transition to motherhood. You have probably already read multiple books on pregnancy, childbirth, and infant care as you prepare to become a mother, but have you considered how you are going to care for yourself after your baby is born? With so much focus on the birthing process and the new baby, your own birth as a mother is often overlooked. Doctors, nurses, midwives, and others involved in providing baby care agree that your own transition deserves equal attention, because taking good care of yourself in the first three months of your new baby’s life—the fourth trimester—brings crucial benefits for you, for your baby, and for your partner and family. With this important book, you (as well as your partner and other caregivers, whether lay or professional) now have the resources to have an ideal fourth trimester experience. Cynthia Gabriel, a doula and the author of the best-selling book Natural Hospital Birth, delivers all the information, guidance, and encouragement you need as a new mother to take care of your body, mind, and spirit during the vital months of the fourth trimester—so that you feel your best and so your baby has the best possible chance to thrive. Find tips, strategies, and advice for: Coping with the physical and emotional challenges in the first days and weeks post-partum Sleep challenges and solutions for both you and baby Self-care, infant care, and infant feeding, including breastfeeding and going back to work Navigating your changing relationships with your immediate family, partner, children, parents, in-laws, and pets Finding your new, postpartum sex life Emotional well-being, including postpartum depression and PTSD Appreciate the wondrous moments as a new mother and feel less alone with the challenging ones with The Fourth Trimester Companion.

A guide to help support women through post-partum healing on the physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual levels. This holistic guide offers practical advice to support women through postpartum healing on the physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual levels—and provides women with a roadmap to this very important transition that can last from a few months to a few years. Kimberly Ann Johnson draws from her vast professional experience as a doula, postpartum consultant, yoga teacher, body worker, and women’s health care advocate, and from the healing traditions of Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, and herbalism—as well as her own personal experience—to cover • how you can prepare your body for birth; • how you can organize yourself and your household for the best possible transition to motherhood; • simple practices and home remedies to facilitate healing and restore energy; • how to strengthen relationships and aid the return to sex; • learning to exercise safely postpartum; • carrying your baby with comfort; • exploring the complex and often conflicting emotions that arise postpartum; • and much more.

A well-cared-for baby is a baby whose mother is taking care of herself. Put simply: good mother care Is good baby care. That's the core of the Fourth Trimester concept. In recent years doctors, nurses, midwives, and others involved in providing baby care have adopted this vital concept enthusiastically. The Fourth Trimester emphasizes that how a mother takes care of herself in the first three months of a new baby’s life brings crucial benefits for her, for her baby, and for her partner and family. With this important new book, moms (as well as their partners and other caregivers, whether lay or professional) now have the resources to have an ideal Fourth Trimester experience. Cynthia Gabriel, a doula and the author of the best-selling book Natural Hospital Birth, delivers all the information, guidance, and encouragement new mothers need to take care of their bodies, minds, and spirits during the vital months of the Fourth Trimester—so that they feel their best and so their babies have the best possible chance to thrive. “The Fourth Trimester Companion is the ultimate guide for any new family. Cynthia Gabriel provides accurate and up-to-date information that will prepare you for what happens after you give birth and will leave you feeling inspired and empowered to start your family in health and joy. This book truly is a masterpiece for new families today.” --Ana Paula Markel, president-elect, DONA International (formerly Doulas of North America), and founder of Bini Birth, Los Angeles “This book is born from Cynthia Gabriel's incredible expertise. As a medical anthropologist, an educator, a doula, and a mother of three, Cynthia guides us through the early months of infancy and early parenting not only from a place of knowledge and experience, but also with exquisite sensitivity, compassion, and practicality.” --Lesley Everest, doula and doula trainer, MotherWit, Montreal “How can such a delicate and tiny being as a newborn take so much space in the house and in your heart? This book will gently take you by the hand and walk beside you. Like a good friend it will not judge, but it will offer support with the questions you have and some you might not even know were coming. It is both practical and deep. It will help you feel and say, ‘I can do this.’” --Kim John Payne, M.Ed., author of Simplicity Parenting and The Soul of Discipline

This brand new and lovingly illustrated edition of the Pregnancy Companion is a beautiful and informative keepsake for every woman who wants to know more about the physical and emotional changes of pregnancy and early motherhood.A detailed week-by-week breakdown of the changes experienced by you and your baby, as well as health and lifestyle tips, will help you with planning and organising for the birth and beyond. At the end of each chapter you have ample room for your own notes and thoughts.

HAND IN HAND, TOGETHER WE CAN First-time moms strive to carry babies to term and experience easy labor. Few are prepared for the immediate challenges after delivery, the "fourth trimester." Thus, this unique and holistic collection of alternative tips and practical advice for Moms by Moms was born. Deepen your breath with essential oils and clean air. Warm your tummy with nourishing foods. Feel your center and strengthen your core with intuition. Share and rediscover with your baby the joy of nature and language. Learn to ask questions, settle anxieties, and employ strategies when you suspect developmental delays. Equip yourself with a postpartum depression-busting wellness plan as well as a process to become sensational in the face of being a single mom. Plan ahead with finances and luck cycles. Most importantly, awaken refreshed from great “mountain” feng shui. Let these amazing mama entrepreneurs and professionals from diverse fields of expertise hold your hand, save you time, change your life and give you more sleep! FOR MOMS BY MOMS ABOUT MOMS For the first time, new mothers can expect to find a book that is entirely devoted to smoothing out the rapid transition after delivery when creating a new family. This book, unlike many others, is focused on helping the new mom navigate all areas of care that a new arrival necessitates. The chapters in this book emerge as five sections: ~ Mama Care, especially for the first six weeks after delivery (with yummy postpartum recipes from Traditional Chinese Medicine traditions) ~ Self Care, to give new moms permission to care for themselves (including essential oils and cultivating one's Mother Intuition) ~ Baby Care, to make motherhood easier for mama (e.g., cloth diapering made easy) ~ Home Care, for peaceful havens (indoors and out) ~ Family Care, for easing into parenthood with a significant other (including financial planning and adventures in multilingualism) You asked for it. You have it. The sequel to the New Moms, New Families book is now out! BIRTH FORMATIONS: What Multiple Home Births Teach About Living, Laboring, and Mothering in the Now When asked by mamas of one and mamas of two how she does it, Ng delivers her nuts-and-bolts approach on how to actualize the New Age concept of living in the present moment before conception, during pregnancy, throughout delivery and in the midst of postpartum motherhood for the busy woman who desires to do and have it all.

Becoming a mother is radical, powerful, shocking, redemptive, and ripe for insights. This journal is a tangible place to collect thoughts and images during the postpartum period, to help explore, work with, and record the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of each new mother's personal journey. This beautiful keepsake journal is a perfect place to be honest about the highs and lows of becoming a mother. As new mothers navigate the challenges, changes, emotional intensity, and personal growth possibilities of the postpartum period, The Fourth Trimester Journal is an invitation to anchor into the present moment and to spark inspiration and insight. It offers a structured way to record thoughts, feelings, and impressions, while also offering encouragement, grounding exercises, and warm, relatable advice to help support postpartum healing. With powerful artwork by Joanna Johnson and insights, prompts, and grounding meditations from Kimberly Ann Johnson, a certified Sexological Bodyworker, Somatic Experiencing practitioner, and bestselling author of the Fourth Trimester, this journal is a trustworthy companion as new mothers forge and walk the path of the mundane to the sacred all at the same time.

The comfort of knowing what is going on during pregnancy combined with advice that changes each week with an expectant mother’s body will warm the heart and well as calm the nerves. This fully illustrated pregnancy guide gives an expectant mothers week-by-week information on their body and the child’s physical development; and then explains what they should do at each week of pregnancy for an optimally healthy pregnancy, delivery, and baby. A chapter is devoted to each week of pregnancy and covers everything readers need to know including, baby’s size, mother’s size, what’s normal in terms of physical symptoms and development, and what could indicate a potentially serious problem. Nutritional, exercise, and lifestyle advice, tips on treating common pregnancy discomforts like morning sickness and sciatica, and pregnancy do’s and don’ts, ensure a happy and healthy mother and baby.