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Any of you who ever had a baby, likely went home clueless with that child. If you didn’t then you had a mother, sister or friend who there to help you out and likely that left you with some hard feelings. No two mothers ever mother the same way. The act of motherhood is an overwhelming task, and dare I say it; it is akin to getting superpowers.
But, Maria Lianos-Carbone wrote a book for new mothers that take the guesswork out of what to do. Grab your burp cloths guys; it’s time for a review of “Oh Baby! A Mom’s Self-Care Survival Guide for the first year” by Maria Lianos-Carbone.
Opinion
Full disclosure guys, I was given an ARC by Maria, and Book Tasters helped me find her. Now, I haven’t had a newborn child of my own in my arms for about five years now, but that’s okay. I do have a lot of memories of what I went through both times I had brought home a bundle of joy, and they were different but also similar.
Having a baby is rough, and once said baby is out, caring for that baby in the first year is also just as harsh. The difference is, they can move, and you are not a protective bubble anymore.
Maria did this amazing thing with the book and wrote the chapters in order of where it comes in. Everything is cared for in time order, not in definition order. There is another book about “Expecting” that I’m sure we all have read, but I found condescending. I like the logic. That book read to me like an overwhelming, good intentioned mother who was trying to tell me what I was doing wrong. Maria doesn’t do that in this book.
Instead, she goes over every topic as it comes up and what your options are. That is so much better. I wish with all my heart I had this book when my daughter was born. Some things were INSANE about my after-care, and I had to get over it.
Here are just a few things that I loved about the book:
• Cabbage is very helpful when your chest is sore. I didn’t know that, but I wish I had.
• The formula that is chilled in the fridge should only be there for 24 hours, don’t make up a ton of bottles for the week. (I learned this, but the book would have saved me some trouble.)
• Every mom is different when it comes to guests after having a baby, and it’s is plenty okay to tell people no you don’t want them there, as much as it is to invite the world in.
• What happens at the first doctor’s appointment? Maria spells it out beautifully. That was a big lesson for me, both times, and Maria could have saved me some frustration.
• Postpartum is a real bitch, and Insomnia is part of it. I wish someone had told me that. I had insomnia like Al Pacino in Alaska. It was bad.
• There is a thing called “Depleted Mom Syndrome,” and I wish someone had told me about that.
Look there are tons in this book. If I list everything, it will get tedious.
What I want to make very clear here is, I am reading this book like an armchair QB. My qualifications I am a veteran mother of 2 lovely children, one who is Autistic and one who is as normal as peach pie, but both who I love. Both of my kids are my heart and I love them for their similarities and differences. If I had this book ahead of time, I think things would have made a lot more sense to me, and I would have had a better time.
Maria deserves kudos for writing this and putting into words what I had in my head accumulated after two kids. Also, Maria wrote her baby a note. It is precious, and I cried. No joke this is such a great read.
Score
For a how-to book, for a book for new mothers, this gets a perfect score. I have no problems AT ALL with this book. It reads like a dream; it’s perfect. If you know a mother, who is about to have a baby, get her this book. If you are a mom who is a logical person and enjoys your facts but doesn’t enjoy being chastised, get this book.
100/100 folks. No joke it’s just that good!
