It Gets Easier! . . . And Other Lies We Tell New Mothers: A Fun, Practical Guide to Becoming a Mom

by Claudine Wolk

Overview

Featuring interviews with hundreds of moms and candid stories from author Claudine Wolk’s own experiences as a mother, It Gets Easier! . . . and Other Lies We Tell New Mothers employs a healthy mix of humor, honesty, and insider strategies to give new and expecting moms a “leg up” on the challenging task of first-time motherhood. This fun, frank, and prescriptive guide strives to make motherhood easier by addressing issues such as: “The Talk” you need to have with your husband before you give birth; what you really need to know about labor and delivery; the importance of a baby schedule (no matter what anyone else says); the 6 Baby Commandments that can foster good eating and sleeping habits; 5 new mom mantras that will help keep you sane; body image after giving birth; and how to keep housework to a minimum. Complete with resources for further exploration and a helpful glossary, this funny, irreverent book will help ease every new mothers’ frustrations by reminding them that they are not alone and providing tangible, easy-to-follow tips for parenting success.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814415023
Publisher:	AMACOM
Publication date:	06/03/2009
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Claudine Wolk (Bucks County, PA) is a columnist, blogger, speaker, and mother of three. She writes humorously and speaks on all subjects regarding motherhood in the 21st Century.

Read an Excerpt

Preface

When I started this project, I was going to write what I

called the comprehensive guide for the new mother. The

book was going to cover all topics relating to motherhood:

pregnancy, labor and delivery, recovery, and surviving being

at home. I began writing this book when my firstborn son was a

baby. That was fourteen years ago. At that time I had looked for a

manual to help prepare me for motherhood and all that it entails. I

couldn’t find it. Of course, these days there are thousands of books

available on the subject.

As I wrote mine, I tended to spend more time on some topics

than on others. It turned out that I wasn’t interested in writing the

comprehensive guide after all. I felt that I had some great tips for

being in the hospital and tips for labor and delivery, but I seemed

to spend more time on what happens after you have a baby. As I

wrote more, I tended to write about the “motherhood experience,”

and specifically as it relates to women of my generation.

I do not presume to speak for all women. We each have different

thoughts and feelings regarding this experience we call motherhood.

The fact remains, though, that much about caring for babies

has not changed. Taking care of a baby these days is not very different

from taking care of one years ago. Taking care of school-aged

children is another matter; that is very different. The women of my

generation needed solutions — and I realized that I wanted at least

some of those solutions to come from the women who’ve successfully

done this before us.

The “baby” topics I’ve covered are the ones that seem most

essential to me: scheduling, getting the baby to sleep through the

night, and dealing with the negative feelings about mothering that

so few people talk about. The other baby-related discussion topics

are all the nitty-gritty practical tips for the hospital and making it

through those first few months. These are all the tips I

wished I’d been fully equipped with before I ever made my first

trip to a delivery room.

This experience of motherhood can be a lonely one. Women

are afraid to broach many of the subjects on their minds for fear

of being labeled a “bad” mother. Feeding on demand. Negative

feelings about the new baby. Lack of sleep. Naptimes. Housework.

To work or not to work? It can all prove overwhelming.

What women today want the most, I believe, is answers.

This generation of mothers is so busy that they want to know

what works and they are not afraid to try new things. New

mothers want to flourish in their lives. Many may want to continue

in their careers. All certainly want to continue to look and

feel good, and they all want to continue to have good relationships

with their spouses. I felt women needed a few tried and

true tips and some direction to do more than survive this life

stage called motherhood.

In order to uncover these tips, I interviewed hundreds of

women and (some) men from the East Coast to the West Coast.

I asked questions of anyone who would talk to me — friends

and friends of friends, neighbors, family members, my mother,

my mother-in-law, my mother’s friends, women on playgrounds,

and strangers on planes. Their insights as well as my

personal experiences and research are in this book, along with

a dash of humor — because we all know that humor can be that

spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down, even if it

is not easy.

'

Excerpted from IT GETS EASIER!... And Other Lies We Tell New Mothers by Claudine Wolk. Copyright © 2008, 2009 by Claudine Wolk. Published by AMACOM Books, a division of American Management Association, New York, NY. Used with permission. All rights reserved. http://www.amacombooks.org.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter One: Insider Secrets!

Chapter Two: Getting Ready, Getting Real!

Chapter Three: Uncensored Tips for Labor and Beyond

Chapter Four: Breast Is Best

Chapter Five: You Won’t See It on TV

Chapter Six: Body Image ? The New Normal

Chapter Seven: The Baby Commandments

Chapter Eight: The Schedule

Chapter Nine: Heading Back to Work

Chapter Ten: How Did I Get into This Mess?!

Chapter Eleven: What Is a Housewife and How Did I Become One?

Chapter Twelve: The Most Frustrating Job on the Planet

Chapter Thirteen: You Complete Me?

Chapter Fourteen: The Best Mother

New Mom Glossary

Resources

Notes

Index

Editorial Reviews

..".each chapter is packed with invaluable, uncensored advice on absolutely everything..a must for baby shower and new mom gifts." -- Bookpage

..".offers down-to-earth guidance on everything new mothers need to know...a ton of tips...to help ease the transition into parenthood." -- Atlanta Parent

..".written by the mother of three, this book is full of humor and practical tips for surviving motherhood." -- Foreword magazine

..".written for all mothers. Whether pregnant...or a seasoned mom interested in hearing motherhood talked about REALISTICALLY, this book is great!" -- An Island Life

"Any mom--new or experienced--will enjoy Wolk's take on everything from managing sleep issues to making work 'work'...laugh-out-loud funny and thought-provoking." -- Cincinnati Parent

"It Gets Easier...and Other Lies We Tell New Mothers, is a breath of fresh air compared to many of the standard new mom/parenting books on the market." --parentplace.com

"Let me tell you, this book is a such a fun read! It is full of hilarious information, that can only be the truth." -- My Organized Chaos

"With humor and compassion, Wolk is straightforward about how baby alters, but doesn't have to completely transform, your life." -- She Knows Pregnancy and Baby

"With its sass, blunt honesty and wit, "It Gets Easier!" reads more like a girlfriend's insider secrets to adapting to life after becoming a new mom." -- The Intelligencer

From the Publisher