What do you think?
Rate this book
The New Parents' Guide to Surviving the First Eight Weeks: From Pregnancy Through Those First Crucial Months With Your Newborn
Having your first child is terrifying. You know people have been having babies forever, so it can't be that hard—but then again, everyone won't stop telling you how impossibly hard it will be. You know your life is about to change drastically, but you don't quite understand what that means. You think you want to be a parent, but... what if you don't like it?
And if that weren't enough stress, the minute the social media algorithm even suspects you might be pregnant, you're bombarded with ads designed to keep you
Buy this or your baby will never sleep.
Buy this or your baby won't be smart.
Buy this or your baby will cry all night with terrible gas.
Buy this or your baby will get sick from all the chemicals.
The list goes on...
Here's the advertisers want to keep you afraid because scared people spend. If you're expecting your first child and feeling totally overwhelmed by the unknown, you're in the right place. This is the brutally honest, shame-free guide for overwhelmed first-time parents who need to tune out the noise and get only the information they actually need to survive those early weeks—while preserving their sanity and wellbeing during an already stressful time.
In this book, you'll
• What you actually need to prepare for having a baby (and what you don't)
• Which registry items are essential and which are just marketing noise
• How to do basic baby care—diaper changes, feeds, burping, and leaving the house with your newborn
• What's truly helpful to prepare for both parents and baby
• How to give yourself grace and space when the baby industry desperately wants to sink its claws into you
Why focus on just the first eight weeks? There's a lot to learn about raising a child, but right now, you're not preparing for your child's sixteenth birthday. All you really need to know are the basics to get through the trenches of the first few months. After that, you'll have your bearings and you'll know more about what you need to know—instead of drowning in worry-planning before you've even met your child.
Above all, this book is a reminder that you don't need to do it all. You just need to keep your baby alive, protect your sanity, and show up with love. This book helps you filter out all the "shoulds" and focus on what's most your family.
And if that weren't enough stress, the minute the social media algorithm even suspects you might be pregnant, you're bombarded with ads designed to keep you
Buy this or your baby will never sleep.
Buy this or your baby won't be smart.
Buy this or your baby will cry all night with terrible gas.
Buy this or your baby will get sick from all the chemicals.
The list goes on...
Here's the advertisers want to keep you afraid because scared people spend. If you're expecting your first child and feeling totally overwhelmed by the unknown, you're in the right place. This is the brutally honest, shame-free guide for overwhelmed first-time parents who need to tune out the noise and get only the information they actually need to survive those early weeks—while preserving their sanity and wellbeing during an already stressful time.
In this book, you'll
• What you actually need to prepare for having a baby (and what you don't)
• Which registry items are essential and which are just marketing noise
• How to do basic baby care—diaper changes, feeds, burping, and leaving the house with your newborn
• What's truly helpful to prepare for both parents and baby
• How to give yourself grace and space when the baby industry desperately wants to sink its claws into you
Why focus on just the first eight weeks? There's a lot to learn about raising a child, but right now, you're not preparing for your child's sixteenth birthday. All you really need to know are the basics to get through the trenches of the first few months. After that, you'll have your bearings and you'll know more about what you need to know—instead of drowning in worry-planning before you've even met your child.
Above all, this book is a reminder that you don't need to do it all. You just need to keep your baby alive, protect your sanity, and show up with love. This book helps you filter out all the "shoulds" and focus on what's most your family.
- GenresParentingNonfiction
258 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 10, 2025
24 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 22, 2026
Li este livro num ápice quando estava para quase com 4 semanas pós-parto e pensei: acho que vou a tempo de aprender qualquer coisa. E sim, confirmou-se.
Um livro super fácil e divertido de se ler, que aborda tanto a parte mais psicológica desta fase como todos os temas com que nos vamos deparar com um recém-nascido: sono, fome, desconforto, fraldas, higiene. Absolutamente tudo de uma forma prática e útil!
“Sendo totalmente honesta, cuidar de um bebé é como um escape room: o desafio é mantê-lo vivo e satisfeito, mas vais encontrar-te constantemente em missões diferentes que tens de descobrir como resolver. Tenta divertir-te com isso. As pessoas pagam dinheiro de verdade para ficar trancadas numa sala e serem obrigadas a encontrar uma forma de sair de uma situação. O teu bebé é uma escape room gratuita.”
Um livro super fácil e divertido de se ler, que aborda tanto a parte mais psicológica desta fase como todos os temas com que nos vamos deparar com um recém-nascido: sono, fome, desconforto, fraldas, higiene. Absolutamente tudo de uma forma prática e útil!
“Sendo totalmente honesta, cuidar de um bebé é como um escape room: o desafio é mantê-lo vivo e satisfeito, mas vais encontrar-te constantemente em missões diferentes que tens de descobrir como resolver. Tenta divertir-te com isso. As pessoas pagam dinheiro de verdade para ficar trancadas numa sala e serem obrigadas a encontrar uma forma de sair de uma situação. O teu bebé é uma escape room gratuita.”
November 10, 2025
I received an ARC copy for an objective review and as a mom (with one on the way) and mental health provider for moms, I wish I had this book the first time around (although am glad to have it for my baby #2!)
The moment you find out you're pregnant, the pressure starts: what to do, what to buy, what to feel—plus a constant undercurrent of worry you can’t shut off. 'Wait, I have to keep this human alive? How the heck do I do that?' 'This book is the antidote. Written with wit, clarity, and the grounded wisdom of someone who’s lived it, it’s the guide I wish every overwhelmed parent-to-be had for the first 8 weeks. As a maternal mental health provider for moms and a mom myself, I see firsthand how powerful it can be to just know what matters most. This book delivers that—and does so in a way that feels like sitting down with a wise, hilarious aunt who’s handing you the exact notes you’ll need to get through it. It's exactly what you need to know and nothing more. A must-read for any new parent trying to quiet the noise and trust themselves instead.
The moment you find out you're pregnant, the pressure starts: what to do, what to buy, what to feel—plus a constant undercurrent of worry you can’t shut off. 'Wait, I have to keep this human alive? How the heck do I do that?' 'This book is the antidote. Written with wit, clarity, and the grounded wisdom of someone who’s lived it, it’s the guide I wish every overwhelmed parent-to-be had for the first 8 weeks. As a maternal mental health provider for moms and a mom myself, I see firsthand how powerful it can be to just know what matters most. This book delivers that—and does so in a way that feels like sitting down with a wise, hilarious aunt who’s handing you the exact notes you’ll need to get through it. It's exactly what you need to know and nothing more. A must-read for any new parent trying to quiet the noise and trust themselves instead.
November 11, 2025
I received an advance copy of this book and voluntarily provided a review:
Molly Morgan’s “New Parent’s Guide” is a keeper. There are a lot of “new parent guides” on the market; most of them over-promise and under-deliver. As a clinical psychologist working with new parents, as well as a mother of two myself, I was struck by Molly’s willingness to directly acknowledge and embrace the ultimate reality of new parenthood: uncertainty. Molly doesn’t offer foolproof plans for sleep, overnight diaper change hacks, or a guaranteed blueprint for creating a blissful first few weeks. Instead, she acknowledges and embraces the contradictions inherent to becoming a parent, allowing for the fact that joy, fear, uncertainty, wonder, and anguish all come together. Further, she offers this wisdom: if you can let go of the temptation to anticipate and plan for every eventuality, you may gain the stability available in the present moment. In this way, Molly helps readers cut through the noise of modern parenting advice and tap into their own knowledge, insight, and capacities as emerging parents.
Molly Morgan’s “New Parent’s Guide” is a keeper. There are a lot of “new parent guides” on the market; most of them over-promise and under-deliver. As a clinical psychologist working with new parents, as well as a mother of two myself, I was struck by Molly’s willingness to directly acknowledge and embrace the ultimate reality of new parenthood: uncertainty. Molly doesn’t offer foolproof plans for sleep, overnight diaper change hacks, or a guaranteed blueprint for creating a blissful first few weeks. Instead, she acknowledges and embraces the contradictions inherent to becoming a parent, allowing for the fact that joy, fear, uncertainty, wonder, and anguish all come together. Further, she offers this wisdom: if you can let go of the temptation to anticipate and plan for every eventuality, you may gain the stability available in the present moment. In this way, Molly helps readers cut through the noise of modern parenting advice and tap into their own knowledge, insight, and capacities as emerging parents.
February 2, 2026
This book was really helpful for giving me the basic information I had been trying to find about what I have to know when I bring home my baby. I love the “need to know parent” concept from this book. So many parenting books are overwhelming with their amount of information, but I wanted a survival guide that gave me a starting point to feel like I know enough about what a newborn needs to manage the first weeks. It’s a really great book for walking parents-to-be through anxiety and overwhelm. There are definitely some points I want to find out more about, but this provided a very helpful baseline. The main criticism I have is that the editing was poor - there were typos (once it said “in all honestly” instead of “honesty”) and mistakes like “babies” instead of “baby’s” which was needed grammatically. I hope they fix those things in a future edition because it can make a book seem less credible if there are so many language errors!
November 15, 2025
This book is an answered prayer.
I am RELIEVED to know that I have this book in my toolkit for when I have my first child. I used to dream that a book like this would exist for someone like me who always has questions, can’t tell which of those questions are really worth asking, and will ruminate until I don’t know which way is up. As a young woman, I now have my go to “pregnancy announcement gift” for all the people in my life who are starting that new chapter. I was lucky enough to have access to an early ARC, and immediately bought a physical copy so that I knew I would always have it. Thank you, Molly, for having the courage to write something so real and vulnerable!
I am RELIEVED to know that I have this book in my toolkit for when I have my first child. I used to dream that a book like this would exist for someone like me who always has questions, can’t tell which of those questions are really worth asking, and will ruminate until I don’t know which way is up. As a young woman, I now have my go to “pregnancy announcement gift” for all the people in my life who are starting that new chapter. I was lucky enough to have access to an early ARC, and immediately bought a physical copy so that I knew I would always have it. Thank you, Molly, for having the courage to write something so real and vulnerable!
November 10, 2025
I received an ARC of this book and was delighted to know someone has taken the time to guide new parents in a way I wish I had when my children were young. There are so many "how to" books on the market that never seemed to hit the mark and ease my worries about the newborn stage. "The New Parents' Guide" feels as though you have a good friend by your side, honestly and succinctly holding your hand through the midnight feedings and anxieties as only another mom could. This will be my new go-to baby shower gift!
November 11, 2025
Molly Morgan's book is a must-have for new parents or parents-to-be. With so much noise on social media about all the 'right' ways to be a parent, Morgan's book is refreshingly straightforward, honest, and helpful. It gives detailed advice, specific and helpful lists, and comic relief throughout... something that new parents most definitely need. Obviously, this book is helpful for moms, but dads and other caregivers can learn a lot by reading it. This would make a wonderful baby shower gift. I received an ARC for an objective review.
November 13, 2025
If you are pregnant/expecting, buy this book now. I really wish I had this book for my first pregnancy. For my second I was even more busy and tired and forgot everything I knew. This book was really helpful as a refresher surviving the first 8 weeks. Molly really breaks down what you need to worry about. I hope to buy for all my pregnant friends so they will feel less overwhelmed and more prepared for newborn life!!!
Disclosure: I received an advanced copy of this book via BookFunnel and I'm reviewing it voluntarily.
Disclosure: I received an advanced copy of this book via BookFunnel and I'm reviewing it voluntarily.
November 13, 2025
I love this book! It’s exactly what I was looking for during pregnancy to prepare for the unknown newborn world. I love how easy it is to read! I read so many books about birthing and labor which is just one day of your life but the fourth trimester is what I was unprepared for. Then I tried to read so many books about becoming a parent, but I really just needed this one! Don’t hesitate, get a copy!
November 16, 2025
The New Parents Guide to the First Eight Weeks is a treasure for new parents. I so love that it is for both parents because it is a life changing time for them. The book is an encouraging and honest account of what it means to become a parent. With humor, Molly helps new parents through the mountain of information, products and the anxiety that being a first time parent can bring. A must read …a perfect gift…..
December 21, 2025
This book struck just the right tone. For what it’s worth, the author says at the beginning that it’s a book for new parents, but I have a few kids (granted it has been awhile since I had a newborn), and I found it helpful!
January 30, 2026
Very practical! I think all the lists in this book will help greatly in the first weeks. We'll see.
February 1, 2026
Very practical straight to the point. Would be useful if you knew nothing at all about parenting a newborn.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews