Becoming a Calm Mom: How to Manage Stress and Enjoy the First Year of Motherhood

Deborah Roth Ledley, PhD

Jul 2023 · Highbridge Audio · Narrated by Lisa Larsen

About this audiobook

Having a new baby is a life-changing event that brings both delight and doubt in its wake. All new moms have thoughts such as Why can't I soothe my baby? Are other new moms handling motherhood better than I am? Is it selfish to want time for myself now that I have a baby who needs me? Will my partner and I ever stop squabbling now that baby makes three? These kinds of thoughts can lead even the most confident women to feel stressed out and anxious. Author Deborah Roth Ledley is a mother of two and a clinical psychologist who specializes in anxiety disorders and works with new mothers. In this book she introduces six simple strategies to handle the inevitable stress we all experience during the first year of motherhood. The Calm Mom Toolbox includes strategies for healthy thinking, behavior, communication, and decision-making, as well as relaxation skills and approaches to nurturing existing and new relationships. Rather than simply giving advice, Becoming a Calm Mom teaches skills to help new moms function better, and gain more enjoyment from this exciting stage of life.

About the author

Deborah Roth Ledley, PhD, is a psychologist in private practice in suburban Philadelphia. Her books include Making Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Work, Third Edition; Improving Outcomes and Preventing Relapse in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy; Becoming a Calm Mom; and The Worry Workbook for Kids.

After earning a degree in musical theater and spending several years hustling on the business side of the film industry, Lisa Larsen has found her way back to her first love: performing. When she's not narrating, she's devoting time to her daughters, baking healthy treats, or enjoying a DIY project with her husband.