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The Alchemy of Motherhood: Unspoken Truths of Birth Trauma and the Postpartum Journey

$16.95

“A seminal and groundbreaking study that is unique, iconoclastic, and unreservedly recommended.” —Midwest Book Review

“Casey Keen’s raw honesty is refreshing. . . . We need to talk about this distressing topic more.” —★★★★★ Readers’ Favorite

“A must for the bookshelves of childbearing women.” —Cheryl Tatano Beck, DNSc, CNM, FAAN

Childbirth is often framed as magical, transformative, and universally joyful. For many women, the reality is far more complex—and far more damaging.

In The Alchemy of Motherhood, Casey Keen examines the physical and psychological aftermath of pregnancy, labor, and delivery, tracing how birth trauma, postpartum depression, and postpartum anxiety are routinely minimized, misdiagnosed, or ignored altogether. Grounded in her own experience, and informed by her work as a postpartum women’s advocate, Keen situates maternal suffering within a health care system ill equipped to recognize or respond to it.

Part personal reckoning, part cultural and institutional critique, this book confronts the myths surrounding motherhood and exposes the structural failures that leave women unsupported during one of the most vulnerable periods of their lives. The Alchemy of Motherhood is written for mothers seeking language for what they endured, and for anyone invested in maternal health, social justice, and systemic change.

by Casey Keen • 200 pages • Reader’s Guide • Look Inside!

Support indie publishing by buying direct.

“A seminal and groundbreaking study that is unique, iconoclastic, and unreservedly recommended.” —Midwest Book Review

“Casey Keen’s raw honesty is refreshing. . . . We need to talk about this distressing topic more.” —★★★★★ Readers’ Favorite

“A must for the bookshelves of childbearing women.” —Cheryl Tatano Beck, DNSc, CNM, FAAN

Childbirth is often framed as magical, transformative, and universally joyful. For many women, the reality is far more complex—and far more damaging.

In The Alchemy of Motherhood, Casey Keen examines the physical and psychological aftermath of pregnancy, labor, and delivery, tracing how birth trauma, postpartum depression, and postpartum anxiety are routinely minimized, misdiagnosed, or ignored altogether. Grounded in her own experience, and informed by her work as a postpartum women’s advocate, Keen situates maternal suffering within a health care system ill equipped to recognize or respond to it.

Part personal reckoning, part cultural and institutional critique, this book confronts the myths surrounding motherhood and exposes the structural failures that leave women unsupported during one of the most vulnerable periods of their lives. The Alchemy of Motherhood is written for mothers seeking language for what they endured, and for anyone invested in maternal health, social justice, and systemic change.

by Casey Keen • 200 pages • Reader’s Guide • Look Inside!

Support indie publishing by buying direct.

Ebook
Ebook
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The Alchemy Checklist
The Alchemy Checklist
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As an integrative pediatrician, I’ve watched too many families navigate birth trauma alone; this book gives them the validation and road map they deserve.

—Joel "Gator" Warsh, MD, MSc

“The Alchemy of Motherhood is a book every expecting, new, and seasoned mother needs to read. Casey Keen’s shared experiences will help them feel heard, seen, and, most importantly, validated.”

—Francesca L. Zerbo, author of A Journey with Spirit

further praise

“With a blend of research and personal narrative, The Alchemy of Motherhood sheds new light on the difficulties of giving birth in a health care system that has lost sight of what's best for mothers and babies. It doesn't only examine the problems, however: It gives us a better way forward. I wish this book had existed before I had my own babies!”

—Teresa Wong, author of Dear Scarlet: The Story of My Postpartum Depression

from the author

See Casey’s article in Undark, “The Six-Week Postpartum Checkup Comes Too Late.”

In a new essay for the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, Casey Keen examines why maternal-health resources so often fail to reach the mothers they were designed to serve.

See Casey’s article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, “The Postpartum Hospital Discharge Instructions That Failed Me—and Could Fail the Next Mother.”