In a society where two-thirds of divorces occur within six years of having a child, the first few months can be a crucial time for establishing healthy parental roles and routines. In Vortex of Feelings: The Early Months, Book II of the groundbreaking series The Psychological Survival Guide for Parents, Dr. Paul Peebles returns with a frank and fresh discussion about tricky and taboo topics rarely discussed in other pregnancy/child/family literature. Picking up where he left off in Book I, OMG! We're Pregnant, Dr. Peebles examines the first months of infancy, a time that can be wrought with anxiety and exhaustion for parents, and, if navigated thoughtfully, moments of pure bliss.
Vortex of Feelings: The Early Months wades into common concerns like bonding and breast-feeding, and its feelings, and thornier topics like the pros and cons of “Attachment Parenting,” the disruption of sexual relationships, and the danger of father’s feeling “odd man out.” Dr. Peebles anticipates problems and provides parents with the tools to raise a healthy, happy baby without sacrificing their own intimacy. Dr. Peebles reminds new parents that what’s most important is not the process but the result. In a book that is ultimately about family and how to keep it together, Dr. Peebles offers solutions to issues that can help save your sanity and your Relationships.
Vortex of Feelings tackles issues like the Pros and Cons of “Attachment Parenting,” Bonding, Breast “Feelings,” Fears and Losses, Odd Man Out Theory, Setting Boundaries with Grandparents, Guilt and Magic, the Intruder Complex, Loss of Libido, Postpartum Depression, Rituals and Rites, Sleep, the self-defeating Success Neurosis, Infant Temperament, “Wish versus Reality,” and “Rescue versus Empathy,” Spoiling a Baby?, Ghosts in the Nursery, and (of course) Working Outside the Home. Interspersed throughout the book also are many important practical recommendations for caring for a new baby, and yourself.
It is about relationships, and intrusions into those relationships. And, while it is about the early months, there is no “expiration date” for this book.
