Melanie Bowden

Postpartum Doula Melanie Bowden shares a collection of new mother interviews in her new book “Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me?” Aimed at debunking several motherhood myths, her book shows that life after pregnancy isn’t all smiling babies and easy times. New moms from all walks of life share their experiences from being single and married, young and old, delivery at a hospital and at home, as well as both uncomplicated and surgical births. Further, each account has its own unique set of problems – mild to severe postpartum depression, breastfeeding issues, sleep deprivation, annoying visitors, post-delivery health problems, and more.

Bowden does well in bringing many problems to light, many of them embarrassing for the new mom to discuss. In each, the mother had never been made aware of the problems that could arise until she was actually experiencing them. Much of the disappointment in the book comes from an unrealistic expectation of delivery or babies and a lack of knowledge obtained during the pregnancy. Bowden notes that new moms can feel so much stress to be a ‘supermom’ – being able to do it all – that they ignore the signs that they need help. Feeling like a bad mother, incompetent, or not worthy can keep problems locked inside and weigh heavily on the mom’s mental state and relationships with her husband or family.

Although sometimes feeling like a 143-page commercial for doulas, “Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me?” is an informative book on the harsh realities of motherhood. Bowden includes further reading recommendations and urges those mothers that are experiencing similar problems to seek help. Motherhood is much more difficult than most imagine and moms-to-be and new mothers cannot overeducate themselves on the only certainty in child rearing – anything can happen.

--Vicki Landes, author of “Europe for the Senses – A Photographic Journal”… (meer)