Favorite Motherhood Reads
When I found out I was pregnant, I immediately began reading everything I could get my hands on to make sure I was taking care of myself and the baby. Pregnancy books, health articles, news reports, pregnancy apps—you name it, I read it. And getting ready for labor and delivery? Check and check. Funny enough, it never occurred to me to read something about what happens when the baby is actually here. I mean, duh, there was going to be a tiny human that I would be responsible for, but did I think to read a few books or even chapters on what life with a newborn is like? Nope. I assumed it would come naturally. Well, it did and it didn’t. In retrospect, I probably should have cracked open some of those books on nurturing babies before the baby was actually here.
Thankfully, I was armed with a few really great books (thanks to a wonderful nurse friend of my mom’s and my own Amazon Prime purchases) so when I had questions, I knew just where to go. If I could recommend any books to friends becoming mamas themselves, these are the ones that would be on my list:
Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: This book, from the American Academy of Pediatrics, became my BIBLE when it came to random questions about baby M. How much should she be eating? When should she nap? What are the behavioral milestones I should be looking for? Basically, this book saved me from the rabbit hole that is Google during those 2 AM feedings, and it helped me answer questions in between our regularly scheduled doctors visits.
The Happiest Baby on the Block: Any book that gives helpful, sympathetic directions to sleep-deprived parents within the introduction such as, “Note: If your baby is very fussy, feel free to skip ahead and dive right into the discussion about exactly how to do the 5 S’s, starting with chapter 8,” is a parent’s best friend. Those 5 S’s, including the proper way to swaddle a baby, were lifesavers. (That chapter helped us get our first night of uninterrupted five-hour sleep, which felt like a godsend after weeks of three-hour sleep cycles.)
Touchpoints; Birth to Three: I reference this book the same way I did “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”—I read each chapter during the stage we’re currently in. There have been so many times I’ve said, “M is doing this weird thing while she sleeps, eats, etc.,” and the book will reassure me with notes like, “during this time, your baby may protest eating, may cry out while sleeping, etc.” It’s great for walking parents through major developmental stages.
Bringing up Bébé: I am obsessed with this book. I’m sure that comes as a surprise to no one, but my love for France aside, this book is great. American journalist Pamela Druckerman shares her observations on raising children in Paris (her own included)—from watching in awe of well-behaved kids in restaurants who eat everything they’re served, to discovering how French families get their babies to sleep through the night by three months old (!!!), her stories are charming and inspiring. She’s self deprecating and informative, but she never makes the reader feel like her way is the only way. And because the Chicago Tribune can say it better than I can, I’ll leave you with their review: “French women don’t have little bags of emergency Cheerios spilling all over their Louis Vuitton handbags. They also, Druckerman notes, wear skinny jeans instead of sweatpants. The world arguably needs more kids who don’t throw food.”—Chicago Tribune. LOVE!
To all the mamas (and dads!) reading this post, I’d love to know—what books and resources did you use to get through those early months?
x
p.s. So many mothers recommended Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, but I just could not get through it! My bleary eyes and sleep-deprived brain shut down every time I tried to read it. It’s so dense and the author (doctor) is obsessed with trying to prove his methods with scientific data points throughout the book. My recurring thought was, “Ok, I believe you, just tell me how to get this kid to fall asleep!” I did read select chapters but I cannot in good conscience recommend this book to other sleep-seeking parents. Instead, do what I did and read the crib notes :) Or plan ahead and read it before pregnancy brain kicks in!
