9 Must-reads for Moms

As I was flipping through photographs from the year past, I couldn’t help but think of those intense first few months. A phase steeped in exhaustion and uncertainty, diaper duty and nights spent decoding a newborn’s piercing cries.

Eight hours of sleep seemed like a luxury I couldn’t afford for the next 20 years.  And eating an unhurried meal at home, watching a movie in a theater or shopping in my favorite store – simple pleasures that I took for granted earlier, were elements that I could say goodbye to forever. Or so it seemed, at that time, when New Motherhood seemed like a job description from Mars.

It’s been a little over 13 months now and Neel is almost entering the toddler arena. I still don’t get 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, but I do get 8 hours of it per night (touch wood!). We still don’t get to watch movies in a theater, but we dose up on flicks at home. Mealtimes are still about balancing a child in one arm, and using the other to shovel food into my mouth or his. And yes, if I plan it well, I can run into my favorite store to buy a handloom shirt or two.

Motherhood is still a very intense experience, and I suspect, it will be for the rest of my life. But at least now, after 13 months, I get to have a thin sliver of me time, a burgeoning sense of individuality, and the treat of simple pleasures, every now and then.

So today, as I celebrate this – the way #motherhood changes with every month, I’d like to share 9 of my favorite reads on the adventure called New Motherhood. I hang out at this site called Scary Mommy that spills the beans on motherhood and the mamas there say it like it is…without sugar coating the truths or skirting around it. 

Grab a hot beverage, sink into a comfortable chair and relish these stories. Whether you’re a new mom or a not-so-new mother, I suspect that you’ll enjoy them.

Here’s bucket list of what every new mom thinks! So, I wasn’t the only one, eh?

1.       Mama bodies – ah! now that’s something I want to read about because I’m in that place, where I so want my pre-baby shape but also want to accept my post-baby body, with its love handles and extra pounds. Here are 4 truths about the shape of a mother.

2.       From the health of your baby to his safety, the way you bring him up to what you feed him, the kind of parenting style you have to what you teach him, your parents have a MAJOR say in how you parent your child. But of course because they’ve brought up kids of their own, they have the know-how & experience (both of which you don’t). And when this happens, you find yourself nodding your head to a few or more of these on this list.

3.       Neel used to be a very noisy sleeper, grunting, screeching and flailing his arms in his sleep. So the two things that kept me awake through the night were a) Neel not sleeping. B) Neel sleeping noisily. Here are 10 truths about newborn sleep.

4.       This post resonated with me because I waded through the same fog of Postpartum Depression. The difference – I didn’t reach out for help or medication, and I wish I did.

5.       I’m a WAHM and I’m sure this list of Work-at-Home-Mom Must-haves is a must for all those of you eking out a career from home with kids underfoot.

6.       Ah! So this is what I’m in for. 10 problems all moms of boys have. J

7.       Now, haven’t we all indulged in a healthy dollop of ‘new born fantasy’? Of course, all of it during our pre-baby days. Here’s the reality we wake up to!

8.       I bet you found yourself saying yes to each one of the 10 things on this list?!

#motherhood #newmotherhood #newborn #baby