9 Books Worth Reading for New Mamas
Becoming a mom changed my world and shook me to my core. I felt isolated and confused. I felt that something was wrong with me because society had taught me to think one thing, while motherhood made me feel another. I felt angry. I felt lonely.
Through reading, I realized that I am not alone — that there is a whole tribe of wise women out there that understand me, hear me, and share my feelings with me.
This is a list of some of the books that I found really helpful so far. It is not written in any particular order, however I have divided the books into those books that are more general about “motherhood”, and those about “raising little humans”.
Did you stumble on any books that helped you on your motherhood journey? Please do share them with me! I will update the list continuously.
Happy reading!
About Motherhood
This book describes it all… the great, the bad, and the ugly. It gives voice to my feelings of inadequacy by helping me to see that so many women, regardless of whether they are stay-at-home mothers, working moms, mothers of little ones, or mothers of grown kids are all processing the same types of emotions. There is so much comfort in knowing that. Having read the book I feel more empowered than I ever have to create a future for my child that I could only have dreamed of.
This is a great book for moms of all ages and experiences. I can also recommend following the author on Instagram!
2. Belonging: Remembering Ourselves Home by Toko-pa Turner
This is not your typical self-help book, focused on improvement or banishment of personal flaws, but is, rather, a book for one’s soul, a book that provides encouragement and sustenance for all of us navigating the hero’s/heroine’s journey. I recognized myself and my struggles on every page. I realized why I have felt angry and irritable. Why I strive so hard to accomplish, to achieve, all the time. I felt recognized and heard.
I love the book’s dedication which begins, “For the rebels and the misfits, the black sheep, and the outsiders. For the refugees, the orphans, the scapegoats, and the weirdos. For the uprooted, the abandoned, the shunned, and invisible ones.”
This is not a book specifically about “motherhood”, but something more essential than that — our need to belong. When I became a mother this urge became much stronger and heartfelt than ever before. This book helped to ground me in this and understand it better.
3. The Magic of Motherhood: The Good Stuff, the Hard Stuff, and Everything In Between by Ashlee Gad
This book is exactly what my new mama’s heart needed. It contains some of the best essays from the blog as well as new stories, each of which offers wisdom, encouragement, comfort, and understanding. The writers are genuine, authentic, vulnerable, and likeable — I felt like I was sitting around the coffee table with a group of friends, sharing stories, as I read this book. It left me a sobbing mess most of the time, but it’s always the warmest of tears. It reveals all the beauty and joy of walking through motherhood.
“Being human is not hard because you’re doing it wrong, it’s hard because you’re doing it right. You will never change the fact that being human is hard, so you must change your idea that it was ever supposed to be easy.”
This book made me feel more seen than anything that I have ever heard or read. It grounded me, brought me back to myself, and made me feel a little calmer. It is beautifully written, with some great life tips and skills that can be applied to goals as well as everyday life. If you’re a fan of Elizabeth Gilbert, Cheryl Strayed, and Brene Brown, I think this one will resonate with you.
Even though this book is not specifically about motherhood, this book is for all women, who struggled through life because of the pressures and pre-tailored expectations of their families, societies, religious leaders, husbands, children, etc. It contains fairy tales and folklore stories which we were told as children but never thought about as a tool for empowering women or entering their psyche. It is a very empowering book, used as a source of inspiration and wisdom by many authors I have stumbled across.
About Raising Little Humans
6. Being There: Why Prioritizing Motherhood in the First Three Years Matters by Erica Komisar
“…I dream of a society where women are aware of and honest with themselves about their fears and were, if they do have children, they are able to structure their lives to be with their children when they need them the most and find fulfillment in work, or whatever is important to them, when those children’s needs change..” (page 191, emphasis mine).
Contrary to what many people seem to think, this book does not urge mothers to drop out of the workforce while their children are young but to find a way to prioritize parenting during these years. Her focus is on presence, and she argues that an at-home parent who is emotionally or intellectually distracted is not much different from a parent who is physically gone.
This has been the most helpful book in helping me understand what is going on with my baby girl, and how I can help her grow. It has some easy check-lists, and suggestions for games as well — it was really helpful to understand there’s a reason behind their crying & to see things from their point of view. Also, when we went through certain stages it made me feel more confident about what was going on. I would heartily recommend getting the app — I had both, the book has some more details in it, but I found the app to be enough.
8. The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children by Shefali Tsabary
The overall message of the book is to be present with your child and understand that they are their own person, separate from you — to parent consciously, with purpose, and recognizing that it’s the here and now that makes the biggest difference. Dr. Tsabary reminds us many times to put aside our ego and expectations and help our children learn that living authentically is the healthiest and most rewarding life, not raising a “mini-me” if you will.
It was very insightful, helping me see ways that I am doing well and ways that I can improve as a parent.
9. Kindergarten Is Too Late! by Masaru ibuka
This is a short little book written by the founder of Sony (40 years ago!), who was a passionate advocate of early child development. Its pretty straight forward common sense, simple to understand for all. I received this as a present from my mother in Russian — it seems difficult to find in English print (for a reasonable price), but if you do, give it a read!
