Strong As a Mother: How to Stay Healthy, Happy, and (Most Importantly) Sane from Pregnancy to Parenthood: The Only Guide to Taking Care of YOU!

I picked up "Strong as a Mother" ten months after my first child was born, and this is the first book I've read that focuses on YOU, the mom. I am so grateful this book came out at the same time I'm experiencing motherhood for the first time! I started at the beginning, Part I (of Parts I, II, and III) with Kate's guidance for the newly pregnant, and although I'd already been through that, I found her approach to self-care relevant to my experience as a new mom, particularly how to deal with anxiety. Mostly, any kind of to-do list for the new mom, even the most well-meaning, makes me feel more exhausted, but not here, and I think it has to do with Kate's tone. She is an enormous cheerleader for YOU making decisions that work for YOU, weaving her personal narrative of having two kids throughout -- but not to shame other moms into taking her path but using herself as a relatable example (I'm recommending this, but I didn't do it! I did this thing that works for a lot of people, and it didn't work for me! I did this, and it worked incredibly well!). She uses short and relatable quotes from other moms (including the hilarious "Jen from Portland, Oregon"). She is clear from the beginning that this book is for *all moms* and acknowledges the different challenges and realities faced by moms from different backgrounds and in different situations. There are no "shoulds" here -- just really accessible and humanely written and researched advice that continually brings the focus back to your happiness and mental health. I'm going to be referring back to this guide again and again and definitely recommending to my new mom friends.the books sections are succinct, accessible, incredibly well-researched and well-organized

Having a baby is so, so hard. And we all talk about it, don't we? We talk about the sleeplessness, the crying (theirs, mostly), the diaper changes, the breastfeeding or bottle feeding woes, all that normal stuff. And of course we talk about the love. But what about the mental health aspect of having a baby? It's so overlooked for "well mine was worse" or "try having two" or even "yeah it sucks, but you'll be okay" reasons. But it shouldn't be. And this book is an excellent post partum emotional and mental first aid. It's also hilarious. It is respectful that not all birthing parents are women.Let me end with this: if I had read this book before I had my baby, things may have been very different for me. Thankfully, I have a lovely and supportive husband who gently nudged me to get some help. But had I had this book on hand I may not have gotten so bad that I needed a nudge.We aren't supposed to suffer so deeply. Let this book help you. And as we say in Australia: it does what it says on the box. It makes you strong as a mother.

I’ve been recommending this as one of my top 3 books for expecting parents! We read and hear so much about what baby needs, but this is a reality check about what parents need before, during, and after pregnancy. Mental health and support systems are so important for new parents, and this book helps to think those things through before you’re in the thick of it.

Quick, easy and helpful read. Talks about all the things that aren’t taught in classes or we aren’t comfortable talking about as a culture.It is a guide vs a deep dive on any one topic. I’d be curious to see this author write another book on the difficult topics like finding yourself, horomones, sex after pregnancy and PMAD/PTSD/PPD.

Strong as a Mother is the most compassionate, nonjudgmental and comprehensive new mom book I’ve ever read. Kate Rope covers every topic you could imagine, from managing pregnancy to how to ask for help, genetic testing, co-parenting, sex, childcare, competitive parenting and setting boundaries. A mix of quotes from experts, real-life moms and her own personal perspective, this book truly has everything. The bite-sized structure of the chapters and sections makes it easy to dip in and out if you don’t want to read it all in one sitting. This book will be especially helpful to any moms who have a history of anxiety, depression, other mood disorders or trauma, but it contains useful information for anyone. It’s like sitting down with a supportive big sister or older friend who walks you through the process and soothes your fears.

I am only about 80 pages into this book, but I am loving it so far. I am 7 weeks pregnant with my first and I have been a pretty anxious mess. I was looking for pregnancy books and I found this. I was immediately drawn to it because I struggle with depression and anxiety already and I have been very worried about how pregnancy will affect my mental health. So far, I can tell that this book was written with the concern of mothers in mind. It is full of excellent ways you can take care of yourself and not worry about what others think while also doing what you feel is right for your baby. I am so glad I found it early in my pregnancy. I can’t wait to keep reading it!

First off I didn't care for the way it was written. It seemed chuncky and I could never get lost in it.More importantly, this book was so non-judgemental that it didn't seem to say much and I didn't find it useful at all. Anything you do is good, anything you feel is fine, anything you think is natural, don't worry and seek real help if needed (because this book doesn't actually offer any help). It's more like talking to someone who just wants you to feel good, and so avoids saying anything that might offend. Not bad, but I don't need a book for that, in fact I'm looking for the exact opposite. I want to know what's good, what's bad, what doesn't matter, what is normal and what I ought to be worried about.The part I liked was the only part not written by the author. Many chapters had a Q&A with mothers sharing their experiences on different topics.Would not recommend.

I reccomend that every expecting and new mom read this book. Such a wonderful message behind it.

Very helpful for new mothers.

The difference mainly is that this is about moms emotional well-being. This was not the first book I bought, so when I came to it, I knew that stuff already and couldn't be bothered to spend time to go over it. If this is the first book about self-care while pregnant, it's probably right on target.

Part way through the book and I've found it tremendously helpful and easy to comprehend.

It’s the type of book a really anxious and stressed mother should read. I am pretty chill about pregnancy and motherhood. Had I known this before, I would not a bought it for myself. It covers a lot of the stress factors related to becoming a mom, especially if you have not been around babies before. It’s not my case.