Written for moms or those who take care of moms, this book is a must-have for the peri-natal period. While there are classic pregnancy-and-new-mom books, those books are often overwhelming in terms of detail and sink the mom-to-be or new mom into a morass of anxious worry. "New Mom Essentials" avoid the trap of trying to cover everything that could ever happen, and just covers...the essentials.

This book covers the essentials quite comprehensively, but does so in a succinct and easily digested manner. Divided into pre-natal and post-natal sections, each section covers self-care, crucial conversations, and contains very helpful checklists.

From building your village, to household planning, to sample partner support plans, the most important aspects of pregnancy and preparing for a newborn are covered. Once baby is here, there are sections talking about physical recovery after birth, setting boundaries, and sample sitter instructions.

As a new mom, I found this book to be a quick yet comprehensive guide to the peri-natal experience, educating but avoiding overwhelming with information. I looooove that there is a section on physical recovery after birth, as I feel this is an area that is not given enough attention with the modern culture. Pregnancy and childbirth are significant experiences to go through, and having a book like "New Mom Essentials" to provide a roadmap for the journey truly helps make the experience as smooth as possible. Pragmatic yet warm, the information is provided in an easily digestible manner, and can be read in snippets.

I cannot stress enough how easily this book can be read and how much information it manages to convey in a very low-key way. Pregnancy and new motherhood can be very overwhelming, and this book helps reduce that by providing summaries of what one is likely to experience and how to handle the situations. The addition of all the checklists, sample scripts, and schedules is super-helpful. No need to start from scratch; "New Mom Essentials" has got your back!