Alice D. Domar, Ph.D is the author of the new book Finding Calm for the Expectant Mom (Tarcher, 2016). She is an associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology, part-time, Harvard Medical School, the director of integrative care at Boston IVF, and the executive director of the Domar Centers for Mind/Body Health.
Alice Domar, a psychologist specializing in reproductive medicine counseling, took time to answer your most pressing questions on navigating family problems surrounding pregnancy and impending parenthood. Did you miss part one? When your family needs to grow up Question: My parents and in-laws don’t get along at all. There were uncomfortable...
Sound advice for sailing through crisis during pregnancy Women don’t generally expect to battle an emotional crisis during pregnancy. Every pregnant woman anticipates at least some moments of bliss during her nine months. Women fantasize about it. They dream of the loving partner giving nightly back rubs, the beaming little...
Pregnancy can feel so all-encompassing. You are experiencing daily changes in your body, your mood may well fluctuate minute to minute, and people are likely to be treating you differently. It is no wonder that many pregnant women spend so much time thinking and talking about their pregnancy and impending...
When a woman has a miscarriage, one of two things tend to happen. If she hasn’t told anyone that she was pregnant, she often decides to tell no one about her loss. If she tells no one, she suffers in isolation, and wonders if her sadness and overwhelming loneliness are normal....
What’s in a name? Choosing a name for your baby can be fun, challenging, entertaining, argumentative, or all of the above. I have come to realize that people have incredibly strong feelings about names. I have conducted many therapy sessions for couples where the entire focus is “discussing” a name...
Alice Domar, a psychologist specializing in reproductive medicine counseling, took time to answer your most pressing questions on navigating family problems surrounding pregnancy and impending parenthood. Family and mismatched finances Question: My in-laws are very wealthy and my family is most definitely not. I am pregnant with our first child. Our...
Becoming a mother involves a whole lot of changes: pregnancy can have an impact on your body, your appetite, your sleep patterns, your sex life, your relationships, and your job. Most pregnant women recognize this and talk about all these changes with their friends. But what many women don’t talk...
When I was pregnant with my first child, I think I drove my obstetrician crazy. Since my psychology practice focuses on women’s health, I see pregnant women frequently. And I don’t tend to see women who have effortless calm pregnancies. I see women who experienced infertility, or had a miscarriage,...
In other words, when should you have another baby? The spacing of children is a frequently debated topic and my patients ask me all the time what is best. One year? Two? Three? Four or more? My answer is always the same—there is no right answer. There is no formula for deciding when...
If I had to make a list of the complaints that my pregnant patients report, mother-in-law issues would most definitely be in the top ten. If you are one of the blessed lucky souls who likes her mother-in-law, feel free to go read something else. But if you have a...