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• Mothers of today shape the adults of tomorrow
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Mothers of today shape the adults of tomorrow 

As a midwife, educator and counsellor I was immediately drawn to this powerful premise that frames this book. Supporting Postnatal Women into Motherhood is well structured, comprehensive and highly practical. Essentially it is a book about setting up, managing and facilitating a discussion group for new mothers. This book is definitely not another ‘every-neighbourhood-should-have one, mother's morning tea/play group meeting’: the author offers much more. Lynn Bertram brings together 14 years of professional experience in counselling, teaching and group work with mothers and although the title includes the sub-title of “therapeutic group work” the intended readership is broader than this may imply. All health practitioners working directly with women at this transition stage of their lives would gain from reading this book including midwives, student midwives, community workers, social workers, counsellors, mental health teams, alternative therapists – and inclusively – women who wish to reflect on their early experiences of motherhood. This inclusion of mothers by the author, acknowledges that all women go through a period of transition and change following childbirth, change that however exciting and positive it may be, also involves loss.

Supporting Postnatal Women into Motherhood is not about advice giving, information giving or support in the vague sense that the word ‘support’ is often used. Instead this book focuses on how women actually feel supported. That is achieved by listening to women's stories, respecting their views and honouring their feelings. Within a supportive group context, the focus is on the individual woman—her thoughts, her feelings on her journey into her new role. Lynn Bertram's book fills a much needed gap: ‘normalising’ difficult feelings makes them less frightening and easier to cope with, empowering women to confidently carry out the all-important task of raising the next generation (p. 3).

The structure of the book makes it easy to selectively choose individual chapters of interest: Part A contains background and preparations for a postnatal group (4 chapters). Part B contains the six-week program, one session per chapter. Next there are testimonials from women who have attended previous groups; this gives further insight into the value of building supportive networks. The appendices contain prompt questions for facilitators and exercises for the group designed to extend self-reflection or for initiating discussions with others, including partners. They can also be sent to absentees to keep them updated on the group's progress.

The first two chapters clearly set forth the theoretical framework underlying the planned group work and include useful reference lists: The world of motherhood provides a brief overview of the works of Bowlby, Winnicott, Stern and Gerhardt and the importance of the mother–baby relationship; Maternal health offers recent research relating to the rise of postnatal depression and missed diagnosis, obstacles to seeking help and the increased likelihood of disclosure in a trusting relationship. As a midwifery lecturer this last point strongly resonates with Midwifery's acknowledgement of the importance of the midwife–woman relationship, a clinical focus on continuity of care and follow through experiences as part of student midwives education. In fact so much of this book seems aligned with a woman centred partnership model of midwifery care, where the relationship is paramount to the provision of care. It adds depth and insight into working with women and would be a valuable addition to any midwifery library—whether actively setting up a post natal group or furthering our understanding of the importance of motherhood and the future health of our children.

If you are keen to set up a “psycho-educational group” which Lynn Bertram describes as a mixture of therapy, education and social support, then you cannot go past this as an excellent guide. I have run therapeutic groups for women over 7 years in my previous counselling role in community women's health and I can attest that, for me, Part B leaves no question unanswered.

Part B details the six-week program with each session as a self-contained chapter: 1. Expectations and reality, 2. Roles of motherhood, 3. Changes in relationships, 4. Parenting style, 5. Focus on feelings and 6. Building self-esteem.

Each of the six chapters is laid out in the same way and includes:

Each chapter is approximately thirty pages in length which gives an idea of the depth and detail supplied for each session. The examples of group process with corresponding facilitator comments and reflections and the supporting notes will be particularly helpful for new facilitators. These notes include many of the (often unspoken) issues and myths of motherhood.

I welcome this book and commend it to midwives and women who are mothers. I believe that, in order to truly support women in their journeys toward motherhood, we must allow them to explore their own experience. Further, as health professionals we must learn to listen well and honour women's feelings. This is a book that will guide the group facilitator and enrich the vital process of supporting postnatal women into motherhood.