SWADDLED

Cassidy presents a deeply personal account of first-time motherhood with advice for others.

In this emotional guidebook for new mothers, the author details the experiences and anxieties she faced after the birth of her son, Ryan. In addition, she recounts the experiences of other mothers in her support group, providing a bricolage of perspectives on parenthood. Despite many close personal relationships, Cassidy often felt alone as she dealt with the practice of everyday life as a new mom. She also struggled with postpartum depression and frequent chaos as she tried to manage her son’s upbringing. The author calls for community building among mothers as a potential source of support for other young parents and recommends seeking help from counselors and therapists if necessary. One of Cassidy’s friends describes new moms as needing a “Fab Four” of support: a supportive partner, a skilled obstetrician, therapeutic support, and a community of other new mothers. There’s a great deal of familiar wisdom in this book, but it presents that material in an unusual way. By delving into the experiences of a diverse group of mothers, it eschews a one-size-fits-all approach to motherhood and instead draws on a range of lived experiences to offer insights for mothers with very different journeys in the early years of parenthood. Chapters focus on a wide range of issues, including returning to work, how not to be overwhelmed by baby’s first Christmas, and how the health and happiness of a baby is strongly correlated with that of the mother. It stands out from a crowded self-help market with its accounts from salient lived experience.

An empathetic manual with tangible guidance and empathy from experienced moms.