Motherhood Disenchanted

About the bookAlexa began the poems that eventually became this book after the birth of her first son inJanuary 2019. Living in a beautiful but isolating mountainside and having received traumaticunnecessary medical interventions during her homebirth, she began experiencing depressiveanxiety and used poetry as a cathartic avenue. While it was helpful to work through challengingemotions on paper, she felt confused at the lack of discussion around the transition tomotherhood, the loss of...
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About the bookAlexa began the poems that eventually became this book after the birth of her first son inJanuary 2019. Living in a beautiful but isolating mountainside and having received traumaticunnecessary medical interventions during her homebirth, she began experiencing depressiveanxiety and used poetry as a cathartic avenue. While it was helpful to work through challengingemotions on paper, she felt confused at the lack of discussion around the transition tomotherhood, the loss of self through caretaking, and how nearly all medicalized births lead totrauma which then has to be managed/compartmentalized/worked through during the immediatepostpartum.The few times Alexa shared sentiments of her poetry on social media, she was met withtouching personal messages from women in similar situations who felt appreciative of herhonesty around the dark thoughts that seem to pop up in those sleep-deprived, chaotic,physically and emotionally challenging times of parenthood. It was then that she realized shewas writing the book she wished she had during her time as a new mother. Alexa experiencedthe most peaceful and healing Freebirth of her second son in February 2020 and continued touse poetry as a way to navigate motherhood. She delves into her marriage adapting due toparenthood, changes in her body, appreciation towards breastfeeding multiple babies formultiple years, anxiety and depression, exhaustion (it's a torture technique for a reason), loss ofself, and more.