The Girlfriends' Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood: Wise and Witty Advice on Everything from Coping with Postpartum Mood Swings to Salvaging Your Sex Life to Fitting into That Favorite Pair of Jeans

FROM OUR EDITORS

"The sleepless nights, the crying jags, the dripping nipples--she remembers it all. Those memories are delivered with enough humor, honesty and sisterly advice to make Iovine's new book, The Girlfriends' Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood, a first-time mom's must-have guide." --USA Today "The first year of motherhood brings chaos, uncertainty and great happiness. Vicki Iovine (of Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy fame) and her gang of galpals have just completed The Girlfriends' Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood, a book this mother of a 1 year old wishes had been available when her daughter was a newborn. I laughed out loud several times while reading this irreverent paean to parenting. Iovine covers the issues that we all worry about (Am I fit to be a mother? I can't even remember where I put the car keys!), probes the unspoken fears (Will I ever have sex again? Will I ever have a navel again?) and guides the reader through the dramatic emotions we experience as we transform from pregnant woman to mother. This is not a book about baby care; it's about caring for the new mom and the new family. Chapters on what it's really like to give birth (and Iovine tells it like it is!), postpartum elation/depression, sleep deprivation, going back to work (or not) and a very frank one on sex make this book invaluable. Single moms might feel a little left out, since lovine is happily married and writes about her husband frequently, but don't let that stand in the way of enjoying this funny, honest new volume. We all need the sympathetic, real-life voices of other mothers to help us through this amazing time, and we can't have too many." -- L. A. Parent

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The author of the enormously successful Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy brings a mother's wisdom and a girlfriend's candor to the first book in a fresh new series of guides to motherhood. Readers will learn about baby euphoria, postpartum mood swings, salvaging one's sex life, and fitting into that favorite pair of jeans.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Following the formula that made The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy a funny, honest and reassuring resource, Iovine has provided a sequel for new mothers. Women who do not have a close circle of experienced female friends to turn to for advice will find this a happy substitute, filled as it is with forthright woman talk on everything from why one's best nightie isn't right for the hospital to hiring the first nanny and going back to work. While this guide offers some pertinent child-care tips, the focus here is not on the new baby but on the new motherher body, her moods, fears and worries, her relationships. Iovine and her candid, chatty friends share their wisdom about postpartum depression, surviving on very little sleep, getting one's old body back, and resuming a sex life. Especially valuable are the discussions of breastfeeding, for Iovine takes no sides but carefully and clearly helps women sort out the pros and cons of this emotion-packed issue, and the no-nonsense advice on getting the most out of one's pediatrician. Even experienced mothers can benefit from this candid, supportive guide. (Sept.)

Library Journal