Dr. Margo Lowy is a psychotherapist with a specialty in mothering.

In 2017, she completed her doctorate at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, investigating the field of maternal ambivalence. Dr. Lowy is the author of Maternal Ambivalence: The Loving Moments & Bitter Truths of Motherhood, as well as a previous academic book on the topic of maternal ambivalence, The Maternal Experience: Encounters with Ambivalence and Love, and has spoken on the subject at universities and media outlets in the United States, Australia, and Israel.

She is a contributor to Psychology Today, a member of PEN America, and a former advisor to the founder of the Australian Jewish Fertility Network (AJFN). She is mother to three children and is based with her husband in New York City.

margo lowy profile

As featured in...

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My Books

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“…Lowy explores what it means to embrace the full spectrum of feelings that come with raising children—from the deep love and pride to the exhaustion, frustration, and moments of doubt. Through her own personal journey and extensive research, she challenges the societal pressures that demand mothers to be selfless, constantly joyful, and always in control.”

Danielle Ramos

New York Family

“In her book, [Dr. Margo Lowy] distills maternal ambivalence as a positive, calling it “the essence of mothering”…[Maternal Ambivalence] is one of several recent titles on motherhood by Jewish women that name and claim different ways of being a mom….In her exploration of the various emotions around that ambivalence, Lowy differentiates between feelings of guilt and shame, using case studies from her own practice as well as her experience as a parent of three children.”

Judy Bolton-Fasman

Hadassah

“Motherhood’s Dirty Secret? Sometimes It Feels Like Hate… Maternal Ambivalence explores the unspoken truths of motherhood—and how embracing even the darkest emotions can lead to deeper love and connection.”

Ms. Magazine

“In a world where curated versions of motherhood persist and undermine, this book from psychotherapist Margo Lowy is a helpful counterpoint that normalizes and unpacks messier emotions that can make so many people feel like not-good-enough parents.”

Kara Baskin

The Boston Globe

In The Press

Latest Mentions

Dr. Margo Lowy is a leading voice on maternal ambivalence and the complexities of motherhood. Explore her media appearances, interviews, and articles featured in prominent publications across the United States, Australia, and Israel.

Articles and News

All things motherhood

If someone asks you about your role as a mother, you may be quick to say it is the most rewarding experience of your life right? But is it? Do you always feel that way? Motherhood brings us to the depth of all our emotions.

Let's collaborate!

Mothers have many varying and contradictory feelings that are not talked about publicly. As well as experiencing love, most experience disturbing feelings. These difficult feelings actually strengthen and fuel a mother's love for their child. Let's explore the idea of maternal ambivalence together.