Best 10 Postpartum Anxiety Books

1. The Pregnancy and Postpartum Anxiety Workbook

By Pamela S. Wiegartz, Kevin L. Gyoerkoe

 If you’re one of many women suffering from this treatable condition, The Pregnancy and Postpartum Anxiety Workbook offers powerful strategies grounded in evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you control your worry, panic, and anxiety.

2. The Art of Holding in Therapy

By Karen Kleiman

First conceptualized by D.W. Winnicott, holding in this book refers to a therapist’s capacity to respond to postpartum distress in a way that facilitates an immediate and successful therapeutic alliance. Readers will learn how to contain high levels of agitation, fear, and panic in a way that cultivates trust and the early stages of connectedness. Also addressed through vignettes are personality types that make holding difficult, styles of ineffective holding, and how to modify holding techniques to accommodate the individual woman.

A must-read for postpartum professionals, the techniques learned in this book will help clients achieve meaningful and enduring recovery.

3. Peace: Hope and Healing for the Anxious Momma’s Heart

By Becky Thompson

Becky Thompson, a best-selling author with a degree in biblical studies, knows firsthand what it is like to suffer from the crippling effects of anxiety–a condition she has struggled to overcome for most of her life. For her and many others, the fear she faces is not a faith issue. It’s a physical one that affects over 40 million adults in the US.

4. Mom Brain

By Ilyse Dobrow DiMarco

Psychologist and mom Ilyse Dobrow DiMarco specializes in the myriad issues that women with young children struggle with. In this compassionate guide, she shares science-based strategies to help you cope with common challenges and make peace with your transformed identity. Dr. Dobrow DiMarco uses frank, funny, and moving stories to illustrate ways to tame self-critical thoughts and navigate the “new normal” of work, marriage, and friendships.

5. The Pregnancy Workbook

By Dr. Katayune Kaeni

• An evidence-based approach—Learn healthy coping skills drawn from cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness, and more.
• For any expectant parent—This inclusive workbook supports families of any kind, incorporating advice for your partner along with plenty of guidance for those without a partner.
• For any experience level—Whether you have a history of anxiety or are experiencing it for the first time during pregnancy, you’ll begin to identify and understand your unique feelings and worries.

6. Beyond the Blues

By Shoshana S. Bennett PhD, Pec Indman PA,EdD

Direct and compassionate, it is required reading for those suffering before or after the baby is born and for all professionals working with them.

7. Awake at 3 a.m.

By Suzannah Neufeld MFT

Awake at 3 a.m. contains short, digestible chapters that are perfect for when you are feeling exhausted or overwhelmed. Neufeld skillfully dismantles the myths and internal beliefs that contribute to the suffering of new mothers and tells her own story with honesty and humor. From breathing techniques to mindfulness exercises, the yoga practices here are designed to fit into your life as it is now—no flexibility, mat, special clothes, or 90-minute yoga class required.

8. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety and Depression During Pregnancy and Beyond

By Sheryl M. Green, Benicio N. Frey, Eleanor Donegan, Randi E. McCabe

This book is a hands-on guide for facilitating treatment of anxiety and depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Readers will learn about why anxiety and related difficulties can increase during pregnancy and the postpartum period, the critical roles that thoughts and behaviors play in maintaining symptoms, and how to apply practical cognitive and behavioral strategies to reduce distress and increase coping skills. 

9. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Perinatal Distress

By Amy Wenzel, Karen Kleiman

 In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Perinatal Distress, Wenzeland Kleiman discuss the benefits of CBT for pregnant and postpartum women who suffer from emotional distress. The myths of CBT as rigid and intrusive are shattered as the authors describe its flexible application for perinatal women.

This text teaches practitioners how to successfully integrate CBT structure and strategy into a supportive approach in working with this population. 

10. Break Free from Maternal Anxiety

By Fiona Challacombe, Catherine Green, Victoria Bream

Step-by-step, the book teaches you to apply cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) techniques in the particular context of pregnancy and becoming a new parent in order to overcome maternal anxiety in all its forms. Working through the book you will gain understanding of your anxiety and how factors from the past and present may be playing a role in how you feel. Together with practical exercises and worksheets to move through at your own pace, you will gain the tools you need to help you move forward and enjoy parenthood.