The early days postpartum can be incredible, eye-opening, but also frequently quite isolating. There is so much to do to adjust to the new normal of a baby in the home, and often those long days and nights involve being alone with your thoughts and a sleeping (or crying) infant.
This is why I think many women get more from postpartum books than just helpful advice and useful anecdotes. They get a feeling of camaraderie, realizing that the work before them as moms is substantial but that other moms have successfully adjusted their identities in the past, including “mom” among their titles now.
What’s great is that many postpartum books aren’t just care-and-keeping-of-baby manuals— many of them focus on all that mom is going through as well. These books may just help us find the humor in the hard stuff, or they may give us a clearer path to finding the kind of mom identity that fits us perfectly.
Here are some of the books that have been comforting, healing, or hilarious to members of my community.
What to look for in postpartum books:
You can look for very different things in postpartum books depending on what you really need, but here are the three reasons I think that a book should make it into the audiobook queue or onto your nightstand’s to-be-read stack.
- The author’s credentials: Look for books written by authors who are healthcare professionals, psychologists, therapists, or experienced mothers. Authors with medical or psychological backgrounds can provide reliable information.
- Real-life experiences: Whether it’s handling challenges with breastfeeding, feeling isolated, or taking care of multiple youngsters at once, someone who has been there may be the right author for you. Hearing about the experiences of others can make new mothers feel less isolated and more understood.
- Comprehensive information: The book should cover a wide range of topics related to postpartum experiences, including physical recovery, emotional well-being, hormonal changes, relationship dynamics, and practical advice for new moms.
The Best 8 Postpartum Books:
- Cribsheet by Emily Oster
- The Fourth Trimester by Kimberly Ann Johnson
- Enough About the Baby by Becky Vieira
- The Sh!t No One Tells You by Dawn Dais
- To Have and to Hold by Dr. Molly Millwood
- I’ll Show Myself Out By Jessi Klein
- Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff
- Keep Moving by Maggie Smith
Cribsheet by Emily Oster
Emily Oster is an economist by day and a parent by… well, all the time. She became famous for her data-driven approach to pregnancy in Expecting Better, and her highly popular newsletter and Instagram Q&As address timely topics. Cribsheet continues the journey by looking at how moms make choices: to breastfeed or not, to potty train early or not, how and why to sleep train.
Throughout, she focuses on offering context for each study to help you know how reliable the data is across a wide spectrum of families. She affirms that each person uses the data as a way to live their own family values, not as a one-size-fits-all approach to motherhood.
What we love:
- The help with not sweating the small stuff.
- Her chapter on whether to stay at home, work outside the home, or a hybrid model is very affirming of all parenthood choices.
- Her recognition that every parent’s intuition as valuable.
What we would change:
- Reducing choices to data and numbers isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Quick Facts:
- About the Author: Dr. Emily Oster is a professor of economics at Brown University.
- Other Books By the Author: She also has the pregnancy guide Expecting Better, and a third book, The Family Firm, that addresses the elementary school years and beyond.
Buy now on Amazon; $17.80
The Fourth Trimester by Kimberly Ann Johnson
This book has proven invaluable in helping mothers recognize that the first 12 weeks of a new baby’s life, and beyond, are times of huge change, healing, and identity shift for mothers. It acknowledges that without a plan, many women don’t have their physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual needs met during this season, and the book shares practical tips for making a mother’s journey after pregnancy as healthy, safe, and supported as possible.
What we love:
- The focus on mom’s energy and emotional needs.
- Practical tips for planning and organizing yourself for a season of change.
- New moms feel less alone when they read that this season is very hard for others too!
What we would change:
- Some moms don’t love the hippy-ish, abstract elements of this book.
Quick Facts:
- About the Author: Kimberly Ann Johnson is a doula, postpartum consultant, and women’s healthcare advocate.
- Other Books By the Author: She’s written a book on healing from trauma called Call of the Wild, as well as a journal to accompany The Fourth Trimester.
Buy now on Amazon; $13.99
Lactivate! By Jill Krause and Chrisie Rosenthal
While the idea of breastfeeding as a positive journey is out in the world, many moms don’t get the nitty-gritty of how to make it positive for them and their baby as early as they need it. This quick and clear read offers no-nonsense guidance on establishing breastfeeding and knowing when to get experts involved, all while helping you know that breastfeeding struggles or complications are common to a lot of mothers. Krause and Rosenthal’s take on this journey makes moms feel less alone and more prepared to handle the next phase of nursing.
What we love:
- Comprehensive – moms say that it covers all the questions they were trying to figure out.
- Balanced between offering specific advice and telling moms when they need to seek an expert for their circumstance.
- Multiple lactation consultants review this book positively as a great resource.
What we would change:
- Some moms wish there were more illustrations and diagrams.
Quick Facts:
- About the Author: Chrisie Rosenthal is an author and lactation consultant, and Jill Krause is an author and journalist.
- Other Books by The Author: Chrisie Rosenthal has written an additional handbook about breastfeeding, The First-Time Mom’s Breastfeeding Handbook, and Jill Krause has written a guide to pregnancy called 50 Things to do Before You Deliver and a book to prepare new dads, https://amzn.to/3AmuEhS.
Buy now on Amazon; $16.21
Enough About the Baby by Becky Vieira
When all moms hear in early motherhood about how the baby is doing, it’s not surprising that many of us struggle with mental health and martyrdom, eroding our own sense of self and health in pursuit of constant thoughts about the baby.
Becky Vieira’s book pushes back on this narrative with relatable, funny, and poignant anecdotes from her own life as well as interviews with other moms, acknowledging that new moms need paths for putting their needs on the front burner because they are humans who deserve care and support.
What we love:
- Funny while being full of tips for uplifting mom.
- Specific and somewhat-taboo subjects addressed rather than left in the shadows.
- Super honest in a way that moms appreciate
What we would change:
- Some readers see honesty as being overly negative.
Quick Facts:
- About the Author: Becky Vieira is a former publicist, a mother, and a writer.
Buy now on Amazon; $15.29
To Have and to Hold by Dr. Molly Millwood
One place that many new moms find a gap in the bookshelf is how the many changes of new motherhood also have an impact on their ongoing relationship with a romantic partner who is also their co-parent. Millwood’s book tries to pinpoint some of the transitions that both moms and marriages go through after a new baby comes home, bringing her clinical psychology understanding to the table and working to understand why tension and conflict can emerge at this season of life and how to continue to evolve your relationship after a challenging time like the early months postpartum.
What we love:
- Acknowledgement of many unspoken feelings during early motherhood.
- Not aiming for funny, this book comes across like it’s just telling life like it is.
- The truth that naming emotions can help you move through this time of transition.
What we would change:
- Some readers find the book overly negative about marital relationships; as with any personal narratives, your marriage experience after a baby will vary!
Quick Facts:
- About the Author: Dr. Molly Millwood is a clinical psychologist who has specialized training in marital therapy and intimate relationships.
Buy now on Amazon; $20.99
The Sh!t No One Tells You by Dawn Dais
This book is all about the difference between how motherhood is talked about in the abstract, especially during pregnancy, versus what the unvarnished reality can be after the baby is born and you’re living your postpartum life.
The intense reality of life with a baby gets lampooned in Dais’ book, from the insane amount of hard-to-handle buttons on baby clothes to the day-to-day gross of vomit and diapers. At the same time, she brings hopefulness and humor to the experience of going from shiny daydreams to stark reality.
An aside—if you are having a great first year of parenthood, this book won’t ring very true, and it’s definitely full of exaggerations for humorous effect. Personally, I think this book is more comforting/fun if you’re already a mom, not expecting, because there’s a chance it can add unnecessary anxiety if you’re looking forward to motherhood.
Also, be warned that she voices opinions on things like breastfeeding and vaccination— personally, I saw them as one person’s opinion, but if you feel strongly about parenthood issues like these, this book’s humor may not really land.
What we love:
- An easy, refreshing read!
- Appeals to the complain-y, sarcastic, and not exactly “serene” parent
- Great for when parenting is frustrating.
What we would change:
- Just a couple more positives alongside the challenges wouldn’t hurt!
Quick Facts:
- About the Author: Dawn Dais is an author and humorist.
- Other Books By the Author: She has written additional books: The Sh!t No One Tells You About Divorce, The Sh!t No One Tells You About Pregnancy, and The Sh!t No One Tells You About Toddlers.
Buy now on Amazon; $14.54
I’ll Show Myself Out By Jessi Klein
Despite being a career humor writer for TV, Jessi Klein’s humor was rarely laugh-out-loud for me—and more just skillful working of her subject to keep her memoir interesting and compelling. For a subject like postpartum books that has been done over and over, Klein finds new avenues in, from getting to know her postpartum body with curiosity and confusion, to understanding her relationship with her husband as it evolves to include her kid, she invites readers in to see a new view of what parenthood can feel like.
What we love:
- Focus on early parenthood in your 30s and 40s.
- Klein’s balanced identity between her work and her motherhood.
- Portrays the good and the hard of motherhood.
What we would change:
- Like any humor book, the exaggerations may not ring true to your experience of motherhood or identity shift..
Quick Facts:
- About the Author: Jessi Klein is a writer, producer, and actress as well as the author of two books.
- Other books By the Author: Her first memoir, You’ll Grow Out of It, is likely to make you laugh too!
Buy now on Amazon; $11.99
Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff
This book focuses on a mom and her three year old, who embark on an incredible journey: the mom is a reporter and she opts to visit places on Earth where people are still parenting in ways that their communities have used for 10,000 years or more. She shadows families and communal living situations where she sees that the conventional parenting wisdom of 21st century United States families isn’t necessarily based on many generations of refined practice.
While the book has a few practical takeaway sections, I read this when my kid was under six months old, so the fact that it stuck with me says more about how the book told a valuable story than how it changed any one aspect of my parenting. It’s a charming journey of a mom looking for ancient answers to making her family life more at ease and more creative.
What we love:
- A widened view of what good parenting looks like.
- Demonstrates the importance of building your village
- The story of this mom’s journey! What an adventure..
What we would change:
- If you like the results you’re getting with conventional American parenting that you do already, this book may feel like an unnecessary journey for you.
Quick Facts:
- About the Author: Dr. Michaeleen Doucleff is a global health correspondent for NPR and an author.
Buy now on Amazon; $11.89
Keep Moving by Maggie Smith
This book’s subhead is “Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change,” and Smith wrote these meditations when she herself was going through a divorce (she has kids, but wasn’t recently postpartum).
What I think this book’s lyrical meditations do well is 1: Let you read something intense and deep in small doses, which can be an incredible kind of postpartum book given the fractured nature of the early days, and 2: Juxtaposes the need to dwell on a huge change in identity while also continuing with the business of daily life – i.e. the need to keep moving. Smith’s poetry has dazzled and comforted many people, including new moms, for ages, but this book stuck with me during the challenging first few weeks.
What we love:
- The commonalities between other big identity shift moments and postpartum life.
- Finding language for how hard things are while still feeling optimistic.
- The line “Give yourself credit for living. Keep moving.”
What we would change:
- This resonated for me, but because it’s not explicitly about postpartum, may not perfectly translate to the experience.
Quick Facts:
- About the Author: Maggie Smith is a poet and essayist who teaches at the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing as part of their MFA program.
- Other Books By the Author: She has many books of poetry and recently wrote the memoir You Could Make This Place Beautiful.
Buy now on Amazon; $12.76
One Last Thing: FAQ on Postpartum Books
What is the best format for postpartum books?
For new moms, audiobooks can save money while getting moms something to listen to while they change diapers, prep formula, pump, or do laundry. Some moms will always prefer a physical copy or an eBook on their eReader, so pick the best format based on the mom in question.
How to find good deals on postpartum books?
If you look at your library or on the Libby app, you can often find postpartum books for free. Amazon also runs deals on these books periodically, bringing the prices down.
What postpartum books to give a new mom?
I think it’s best to look for books that fit your friend or family member’s personality—of course, sharing the books that spoke to you as a new mom can be great, but everyone has different experiences during the postpartum period, and if you have an irreverent and sarcastic mom friend versus a very sincere and serious mom friend, they are going to prefer different books.
