Rattled: Surviving Your Baby's First Year Without Losing Your Cool

by Trish Berg

Welcome to the Adventure of Motherhood

Clutter? Chaos? Exhaustion got you down? You must be a mom. And you’re not alone. Perhaps you thought you had it all together…then your baby was born and your world was turned upside down. If new motherhood has you filled with doubt, guilt, and confusion, Trish Berg wants to offer companionship, hope, and help–plus a lot of humor along the way.

With practical advice and scriptural reminders, Berg presents two pillars of Keep it simple and keep it biblical. Relax as you learn that every mom shares your stresses, challenges, and “Aagghh!” moments. In the midst of sleep deprivation and Cheerio dust, you’ll learn to savor the simple joy and privilege of mothering.

Genres: Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2008

About the author

Trish is married to her college sweetheart, Mike, who is a high school math teacher, former assistant varsity football coach, and current head baseball coach in their rural, farming town of Dalton, just north of Amish country in the heart of Ohio. They have been married almost fifteen years, and are blessed to be raising four amazing kids, from eleven to three. (from the author's website)"

Reviews

[Kathleen Garber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rattled is a Christian Parenting book for soon-to-be-moms and new-moms. I’m not Christian but I can’t say no to a parenting book so I wanted to take a look at this. Have survived two baby’s first years I feel I am qualified to determine if this book would be helpful to a new mom. Certainly, as a mom of 4, Trish Berg is qualified to write a book about parenting.

Although in general, I think non-fiction books would be better non-religious so as to appeal to a wider audience, I think Trish did an excellent job of making it Christian without sounding preachy. The Christian aspects are as follows: Bible verses at the beginning of each chapter, a closing prayer at the end of every chapter and a mom-sized devotional at the end of every chapter. I actually enjoyed reading some of the devotionals called SOS (Spiritual Opportunity to Savor) as they contained stories with great lessons.

I think what I like most about this book is that it’s not the same material as every other new mom book. Most books like this are full of information on what your child will be like at every month and specific ways to parent. Rattled focuses not only on your new child but also your marriage and yourself.

Let me give a list of Chapters to give you a better idea of what is covered in this book: The First Three Trimesters, The Fourth Trimester, Life With a Baby in the House, Getting to Know Your Husband All Over Again, The Unique Gift of Your Baby, Organizing Life Around Your Baby, Meeting Your Family’s Needs, Making Room for the In-Laws, Finding Humour in the Chaos, Becoming the Mom You Want to Be, Finding Fun in the Everyday, The Spiritual Life of a Mom, The Physical Life of a Mom, The Emotional Life of a Mom and three extras, Hope in the Nursery (miscarriage) and a Month-By-Month Guide (to development) and Resources for Surviving the First Year.

See what I mean? How many parenting books do you know that cover the in-laws, organizing your life and keeping your marriage intact? Most of the ones I have read don’t.

There were a few parts where upon first reading I started getting defensive and angry but upon re-reading the section I realized the information was helpful. For example:

“Make sex a priority in your marriage. If you haven’t quite worked up the enthusiasm to enjoy sex yet, close your eyes and enjoy it for your husband’s sake.” – pg. 68

My first thought upon reading this sentence was, “What!!!??? Have sex when you don’t feel like it just for your husband? No way!” However upon re-reading the section and thinking a bit more, I realized I already do that. At times when I haven’t felt in the mood in weeks, I do it anyway, just to please my husband. Why? It makes our relationship so much better. He’s less frustrated and feels more secure in our relationship and on the plus side for me, he stops bugging me! Men really do feel unloved when we don’t want sex.

So also as I’m sure you’ve figured out, while this is a Christian Parenting Book, Trish Berg isn’t afraid to talk about intimacy like some Christian books I’ve seen.

My only real complaint about the book is the first appendix, which has the common developmental milestones for each month. A lot of the time it says “Will be able to” instead of “May be able to” which I think is more correct because all babies are different. Those lists should always be used as a general guideline of what to expect, now of when to worry. For example under 5 Month Old it says is beginning to crawl. Well my kids started crawling at 7 and 8 months and some don’t ever crawl and some don’t start till 10 months or so. Very few start at 5 months.

Overall I do recommend the book to Christian pregnant and new moms.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bringing home a new baby is a seismic lifestyle shift. Rattled, Surviving Your Baby's First Year Without Losing Your Cool,is a book that is easy to read and full of wisdom from author Trish Berg, a mom of four who knows of what she writes.

Rattled is split into five parts that cover pregnancy (when the seismic life-shift really begins)birth, adjusting to the newest member, re-connecting with your spouse and how to do it without losing yourself in the process.

Each part is further split into chapters, which are themselves subdivided into sections, making it easy to find your place if you're (most likely) interrupted. Each chapter starts with a short bible verse. Small sidebars (small bits of information printed off to the side of the text)called "Food for Thought" relay bits of information. Other subtitles are: "Faith on Fire" is a short prayer, "S.O.S--Spiritual Opportunity to Savor" is a short devotional for busy moms, "Shelter from the Storm" brief testimonials from experienced moms, and "First Aid Kit" bullet point list of helpful information. Trish follows the sections with a true-life example from her own life, good and bad. Study questions end the chapters.

Appendix A at the end of the book lists milestones and what to expect during your baby's first year. Appendix B lists helpful websites covering a variety of issues related to this new lifestyle.

Rattled is written by a woman passionate to help other moms raise their kids in a Christian home. Her honesty comes through in this book; she's not afraid to list her mistakes as well as her on target actions.

A mom of four, Trish knows of what she writes and it comes through in this book. For more help with family and meals, check out her first book, "The Great American Supper Swap."

[Karen Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rattled is just the inspiration and encouragement a new mommy needs to feel that she is not alone in the new career upon which she has embarked. Trish Berg uses wit and humor and her own tales of motherhood to give new moms the confidence they need to tackle the challenges presented by their new little bundle of joy. A fun and informative read!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good advice from a Christian mom, with devotions and reflection questions at the end of each baby/self-care chapter. However, I had a hard time with the chapter about working moms--not everyone can stay home. And give some credit to dads who take on child care please.

[Jessica Lange · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was given to me as a gift from my MIL and it was ok. I read it here and there during the first four months after bringing my firstborn home from the hospital. It is basicaly a Christain mother of 4 giving her advice for making it through the first year of motherhood.

[Erica Steinnagel · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far I love this book! I'm about half way through and I'm looking forward to the rest of it. It's an awesome combination of humor, advice, and Christian teaching through the Scriptures. Trish Berg did a great job with this book!