A Happy Healthy Mom
A Happy, Healthy Mom is a gentle, practical guide for mothers who feel exhausted, overwhelmed, or stretched too thin during the early years of raising a child. Written by trusted experts in women’s health, nutrition, and psychology, this book helps moms reconnect with their own needs, restore their energy, reduce stress, and feel more supported—physically and emotionally. With real stories and compassionate advice, it offers simple ways to care for yourself, strengthen your partnership, and truly thrive through infancy to kindergarten.
About The Book
The demands of motherhood can quietly deplete your body and mind — this reassuring guide will help you restore your energy, balance, and well-being, so you can be the Mom you want to be.
As a mother today, you are carrying more than ever: work, home, constant demands, chronic sleep loss, and the invisible mental load of keeping everything running. Taking care of your needs often feels impossible.
From Rick Hanson, PhD, clinical psychologist; Jan Hanson, LAc, nutrition specialist; and Ricki Pollycove, MD, gynecologist-obstetrician, A Happy, Healthy Mom offers a science-based, compassionate roadmap to help moms get the rest, nutrition, help, and comfort they need. This comprehensive guide addresses the full range of physical, psychological, and relationship challenges that can peak in the demanding early years from infancy through elementary school.
Inside, you’ll learn how to,
- Tune into your own body and needs with zero judgement or self-blame
- Solve common hormonal, mood, or gastrointestinal problems
- Protect yourself from stress and stop irritability before it starts
- Restore important minerals drained by pregnancy and breastfeeding
- Increase teamwork and emotional intimacy with your partner
- Return to a normal sleep cycle after your child is sleeping through the night
- Eat healthy meals that take only minutes to prepare
- Request the right medical tests at the right time
Far too many mothers are physically, mentally, and emotionally depleted, which can overshadow the deeply rewarding experience of motherhood.
Featuring stories from real mothers, this book will ensure that you thrive—not just survive—while taking care of your little one.
About The Authors
Rick Hanson
Rick Hanson, PhD, is a psychologist, senior fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, and New York Times bestselling author. Altogether, his seven books have been published in 33 languages. He’s the founder of the Global Compassion Coalition and the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, as well as the cohost of the Being Well podcast, which has been downloaded over 25 million times. He’s lectured at NASA, Google, Oxford, and Harvard. An expert on positive neuroplasticity, his work has been featured on CBS, NPR, the BBC, and other major media.
Jan Hanson
Jan Hanson, MS, LAc, is a licensed acupuncturist and integrative health practitioner with more than four decades of experience in nutritional medicine, functional testing, and holistic wellbeing. Building on early training in biochemistry, she helped pioneer evidence-informed nutritional medicine in complementary care. Jan has taught widely on digestive health, allergies, and women’s wellness, offering guidance that has helped individuals and families improve their health through practical methods. She lives in northern California with her husband, psychologist and author Rick Hanson.
Ricki Pollycove
Ricki Pollycove, MD, MS, is a nationally recognized OB-GYN and expert in women’s health, caring for women through every stage of life. In clinical practice for more than 40 years, she is passionate about optimizing health, hormones, and healthy aging. She is the author of The Pocket Guide to Bioidentical Hormones and has appeared on national media discussing fertility, nutrition, menopause, breast cancer, and mood. Dr. Pollycove has authored scientific papers on hormones, osteoporosis, and female sexual health, and continues to educate clinicians worldwide through lectures.
Renee Brna
Renee Brna is a clinical therapist-in-training in the marriage and family therapy program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her work focuses on parental wellbeing, burnout, and mindfulness-informed approaches to supporting families. She brings experience in crisis counseling, community programming, early childhood education, and psychological research. A mother of two, she first turned to A Happy, Healthy Mom during her parenting years and later contributed new writing and research to this edition. Before entering clinical training, Renee worked as a Broadway and television performer.