First time mom no panic guide

by Helen Stone

Do you feel anxious thinking about the chaos that will come for your first motherhood? Are you scared because you don't know anything about pregnancy and newborns? Then you need to keep reading... All mothers can reckon that the first pregnancy is by far the biggest challenge. Your body starts changing and you have symptoms that you don't even know how to interpret. Which ones are normal? How to understand if there's a complication? How should you avoid a miscarriage? What do you need to change in your lifestyle? How should you prepare for childbirth and babycare? How to remember all your must-dos?
In this book, you'll
And much, much more...
Even if you feel nervous and have absolutely no idea how to take care of your baby, this guide will teach you everything you need to know to manage the obstacles of each trimester and most even more importantly, how to have a healthy pregnancy and a well-nurtured newborn baby. With the extensive research behind this guide, you'll learn how to start this journey from the first to the last step - from the first trimester to birth, babyhood, and more.
If you want to access this advanced information and start the beautiful journey of motherhood with the insights that change lives, then you should start this book today!

Genres: Nonfiction

Audiobook

Reviews

[Meredith Moga Dooley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This sucked?? I'm shocked this was written in 2020. Firstly, no inclusive language at all.
Second, I think the writer spent more time on how to prevent and treat stretch marks than on SIDs??
3rd, the author cited one source. One time!!! Bish just be making shit up and laying guilt and blame left and right. MESS.
4th - I listened to the audio book, and the woman performing it can't read?? She mispronounced SO many things and fumbled over many words and phrases without going back and fixing them??
Was this written/published by a 13 year old? What's happening.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok.. picked up a few tips without being overwhelmed but definitely wouldn’t use this as my only source of reference.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like this book’s concept. It had potential. I do think it contains a lot of useful overview information, but should definitely not be used as your primary source of information. It has the feeling of a mother you met in a park trying to explain what you need to know. -Advice you know you will either take with a pinch of salt or need to find out if what she said was actually true. That being said this book has one BIG problem: it needs a lot of fact checking and more citations.

Some facts she mentions is “almost true” or she mentions something as off limits when it is still okay. For instance, doctors recommend sleeping on your left side while pregnant. But she doesn’t mention that it is perfectly okay to sleep on the right side. She fails to mention it is even okay to lay on your back as long as it’s not for extended periods or is uncomfortable. She mentions to avoid eating citrus while breastfeeding but only mentions later on in a different chapter that some foods are okay to eat but are better to limit due to it making baby fussy. I had to look up if citrus was really off limits and found out it “may” cause fussiness. She was almost right with the alcohol consumption during breastfeeding. The NHS advises to wait 2-3 hours after having a drink before breastfeeding again. (There is more information on this on the NHS site so please read that instead of blindly following my sh*tty review)

She often gives impractical advice:
“Lay down when you’re feeling tired,” sure, Helen, I guess I’ll go lay down on the carpeted office floor then, my coworkers would love that. “Get a pregnancy massage,” in this economy?
I giggled when she gave the advice to “sleep when baby sleeps” since it has become such a meme by now. It’s simply not practical advice.

I didn’t find it fear mongeringish as I read other reviewers do. Pregnancy is scary, but it’s important not to lose your mind worrying about the details. I think the way she phrased some things was definitely due to her own misconception. And as mentioned before a lot of what she mentions is “almost true”. Or she simply didn’t know better. (Which, I know, she should probably not write a book about it then). I think a lot of what she wrote was her regurgitating what she can remember and it shows.

The audiobook does contain a lot of mispronunciations, such as with what I assume must have been episiotomy.

The book feels incomplete, like it was a first draft. I think it needed a better review, more citations, a better audiobook reader and more focus on the bare essentials instead of trying to convince me to get a doula or pregnancy massage. I agree a doula can definitely be mentioned to allow someone to decide if they want one, but I found that she spent a disproportionate amount of time on a nice to have instead of focusing on the bare essentials.

She also doesn’t mention more birthing practices outside of a c-section and an epidural/ non medicated vaginal birth. There are other medications available and water birthing was also not mentioned. She also seems to assume that everyone will be traveling by car and birthing in a hospital (American issue I guess).

[Helena Champion · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone early in pregnancy as it has a lot of TW!!! (Miscarriage) chat and not in a reassuring way. I didn’t like the use of word ‘treat the infected area’ when talking about stretch marks as they are very normal. Not a very positive or uplifting book for new mums wouldn’t recommend. Also very biased and shows one opinion on everything…

[Sarah Begine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook. the information shared was pretty basic, maybe a bit rigid in some chapters.
The narrator had a pleasant voice but It bothered me endlessly that she would mispronounce certain medical terms. It happened a few times and just made it hard to actually listen to the information that was being shared.

[Ashton Stuart · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think I’ve received more research backed information without fear mongering language from social media than I did from this book. Something to fill the time since I listened to the audiobook and it was free. I wouldn’t spend money on this book and wouldn’t listen again.

[Alexis Rowe · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m not sure this book would help anyone at all that had anxiety about pregnancy and birth. It was very much just a list of do this and don’t do this. Some of the advice was just way to blunt and not helpful. Would not recommend.

[eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and to the point. No nonsense and very informative.

[Marissa Cianciolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and to the point. Gave me what I needed to know without all the extra filler. Need more books like this.