Showing titles in Motherhood

Every mom wants to be a good parent—but if you’ve found yourself burned out and overwhelmed trying to be “the perfect mom,” you’re not alone. “We get handed a rulebook of motherhood without realizing it,” says Erica Djossa. “That rulebook comes with an invisible load—a world of mental and physical tasks that keeps us pushing toward perfection while barely being able to breathe.” With Releasing the Mother Load, this renowned parenting specialist shares a guide to help you break free from the crushing burden of unrealistic expectations and reclaim the joy of motherhood.

Louise Pentland has been through a lot. From a traumatic birth with her first daughter, to single motherhood, to finding love again and having a second child, Louise's parenting journey has been full of surprises. Discussing the realities most working mums face, plus the impact of maternal mental health, Louise is on a mission to make other mums feel less alone and very much heard. She beautifully reveals her own imperfect but perfect route to motherhood, as well as the loss of her mum so early in her life, how it shaped her and the mother she became.

I'm Jen Brister, stand-up comedian, middle-aged adolescent and, more recently, a mum. But not that mum - I'm the other one. Confused? Let’s back up a bit. Two years ago, my partner (a woman - we're not solicitors) gave birth to twins. Like every new parent, I had absolutely no clue what I was doing. Add ‘gay’ and ‘non-biological’ to the mix and what do you get? Not a weird box of detergent, but a panicked beige lesbian desperately googling, ‘Will my babies love me?’ at 3 a.m. This is a book for any parent who feels they don’t fit the mould of a traditional 2.4 family.

Khadija is packing up her home of fifty years. In her box of special belongings are the last reminders she has of her son Ahmed, missing for more than twenty years. Her belongings take her back to her village childhood, her marriage and move to Marrakesh, and the birth of Ahmed when she was just thirteen.

In a world that is evolving with such unprecedented pace, how can we ensure our children remain happy and healthy? Bestselling author and qualified child therapist Kate Silverton explains that whilst our older children might be more independent and more mature physically, emotionally they need us more than ever. Kate outlines the seven core 'pillars' parents can put in place to provide the strongest foundations for their children's mental health and happiness - sharing easy evidence-based tips and scripts to support anyone in the position of caring for a child.

Creator, mother, lover, and social media phenomenon Tova Leigh explores what the hell you are supposed to do when you find yourself living a life you don't remember signing up for. I was bored, angry, tired, and sad. I felt all alone yet I had nothing to complain about. I had a good job, a husband who wasn't shagging his assistant, three children who apart from being the occasional a**holes were pretty good kids; a house, a dog, and everything else we are told as little girls we should aspire to. But inside, I was growing restless.

For babies, like for all living things, being fed is best. But the current stringent focus on exclusive breastfeeding is putting some babies at risk by depriving parents of a full understanding of how to tell when breastfeeding alone doesn't provide enough—and what to do about it. Fed Is Best provides a clear-eyed look at the current messaging and latest scientific research around breastfeeding and formula feeding, to help parents make informed choices about how to best feed their baby based on their individual circumstances.

For women, a glass ceiling at work is not the only barrier to success - it's also the emotional labour at home. Women have become accustomed to delegating, advocating and negotiating for themselves at the office, but when it comes to managing households, they still bear the brunt on their own shoulders. A simple solution is staring them in the face: negotiate with the men in their personal lives.

On a quiet Melbourne afternoon in the eerie early days of the pandemic, young parents Jordan and Gary Ablett finally learned why their beautiful baby boy, Levi, had not been hitting the milestones that most new parents celebrate and are reassured by. After months of concern and worry, the specialists' diagnosis gave them clarity, but with it came an overwhelming sorrow at the loss of the life they had imagined for their son, and for themselves as a family.

Inspired by her viral BuzzFeed piece ‘37 Difficult Questions from My Mixed-Raced Son’, Mira Jacob responds to: her six-year-old, Zakir, who asks if the new president hates brown boys like him; uncomfortable relationship advice from her parents, who came to the United States from India one month into their arranged marriage; and increasingly fraught exchanges with her Trump-supporting in-laws. Jacob also investigates her own past, including how it felt to be a brown-skinned New Yorker on 9/11.

In “The Bare-Naked Truths,” Julie Mundy delivers an unfiltered, take on the absurdities of motherhood and marriage. Imagine going to a Mother’s Day celebration and your prize is a drawing from your 6-year-old of an oversized cock and balls — that’s the level of no-shame humor you’re in for. This book is a laugh-out-loud, empowering rollercoaster, from nappy disasters to sex after babies gone hilariously awry.

There were many things that Hollie McNish didn't know before she was pregnant. How her family and friends would react; that Mr Whippy would be off the menu; how quickly ice can melt on a stomach. These were on top of the many other things she didn't know about babies: how to stand while holding one; how to do a poetry gig with your baby as a member of the audience; how drum'n'bass can make a great lullaby. But Hollie learned. And she's still learning, slowly.

Embark on a wackadoo parenting journey drawn from the heartwarming adventures of the Heeler Family! Inspired by the lovable show Bluey, this delightful book brings to life 10 invaluable parenting lessons drawn from the adventures of Bluey, Bingo, and their parents, Bandit and Chilli. Backed by proven data and research, this parenting guide not only unveils the positive impact of each lesson on your child's development but also real-life tips on how to infuse the Bluey magic into your own family story.

We hear it all the time on the news. The divorce rates are rising. More children are being raised in split homes. But you didn’t think it would happen to you. Luckily, you’re not alone. Popular divorce coach Michelle Dempsey-Multack not only survived her own divorce but figured out how to move on with her life, just like you will, too. Now happily remarried with a blended family, she’s living proof that no matter which “firsts” you might be experiencing as you end your marriage, your best days are ahead.

As a farm girl in eastern Oregon, feeding bottles to bummer lambs and babysitting her little sister, Jackie Shannon Hollis expected to become a mother someday. After a series of failed relationships, she met Bill, the man she wanted to spend her life with. But he was a man who never wanted children. Saying I do meant saying I don't to a rite of passage her body had prepared her for since puberty.

We can not raise a happy child if we are constantly screaming threats at them. No parent sets out to hurt their child, but this type of parenting does just that. To raise a happy child that wants to behave, you need to retrain yourself first. You need to change the way you think and react to their behavior. You need to understand your triggers and heal yourself. Only then you can begin to heal your relationship with your children.

It’s midsummer in Wyoming and Alexandra Fuller is barely hanging on. Grieving her father and pining for her home country of Zimbabwe, reeling from a midlife breakup, freshly sober and piecing her way uncertainly through a volatile new relationship with a younger woman, Alexandra vows to get herself back on even keel. And then – suddenly and incomprehensibly – her son Fi, at twenty-one years old, dies in his sleep. No stranger to loss – young siblings, a parent, a home country – Alexandra is nonetheless levelled.

Your personality is a gift, not a liability. This book helps you uncover and embrace the hope, laughter, and joy of using your unique gifts to parent your children. Life as a mom is loud, but you long for quiet. When the volume of family life clashes with your personality, frustration, guilt, and overwhelm naturally result. In Introverted Mom, author Jamie C. Martin lifts these burdens from your shoulders, reminding you that your steady strength is exactly what your family needs in this chaotic world.

When Nicola Nuttall was told that her 18-year-old daughter Laura had only 12 months to live, following a diagnosis of the most aggressive form of brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme, she couldn’t begin to process her emotions. It was her greatest fear come true. But while her mother struggled to adjust and searched for new treatments, Laura made a decision: she would live her life to the full and embark on an extraordinary bucket list.

Get your baby sleeping through the night, with the help of a leading baby and child sleep expert. Lucy Wolfe, a baby and child sleep expert, introduces the stay-and-support method for parents who want to help their babies sleep through the night. With sleep-shaping supports for newborns, top tips for toddlers, and advice for older children up to the age of six, Lucy's approach provides a gentle and emotionally considerate way to get your little one to sleep - without leaving them alone to cry, ensuring they feel loved, safe and secure at all times.