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The Psychological Gestation of Motherhood

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Women's Reproductive Mental Health Across the Lifespan

Abstract

Pregnancy and childbirth are a time of heightened emotional sensitivity for most women (Gavin et al., 2005). A number of studies show more psychiatric admissions around the childbearing years than at any other time in the female life cycle (Munk-Olsen, Laursen, Pedersen, Mors, & Mortensen, 2006; O’Hara & Stuart, 1999). Along with the physiological changes that occur during pregnancy, there also comes a period of psychological gestation as women begin to embrace the idea that their lives will be forever changed by the physically and emotionally demanding role requirements of motherhood.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Center for Postpartum Health, 13743 Riverside Drive, Sherman Oaks, CA, 91423, USA

    Diana Lynn Barnes Psy.D.

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  1. Diana Lynn Barnes Psy.D.
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Correspondence to Diana Lynn Barnes Psy.D. .

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  1. The Center for Postpartum Health, Sherman Oaks, California, USA

    Diana Lynn Barnes

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Barnes, D.L. (2014). The Psychological Gestation of Motherhood. In: Barnes, D. (eds) Women's Reproductive Mental Health Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05116-1_4

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