A much-needed companion for mother and child as they venture through the postpartum period.
Brewer discusses what mothers and babies should anticipate during the postpartum hospital stay and beyond in this guide.
As a nurse with over 20 years of experience caring for mothers and newborns during the postpartum period, the author outlines what a new mother should expect to experience at the hospital from delivery to discharge (the book also covers situations likely to arise during the early days at home). First, Brewer presents a detailed look at a mother’s hospital care during delivery and after birth. Second, she outlines the postpartum hospital journey for the baby. Finally, the author addresses feeding issues and other challenges that might emerge, such as how to manage hospital visitors and what emergency signs to watch out for beyond the hospital stay. Serving as a reference that parents can refer to before, after, and beyond delivery, this resource is invaluable, both educational and practical. The text balances expert knowledge with humor and a conversational tone. It also offers advocacy for appropriate pain relief, a useful Q&A section for each topic, and excellent examples of how to find quick remedies for various vexing situations (for example, the “5 S’s” a parent might apply when responding to incessant crying—Swaddling, Shushing, Swinging, Side or Stomach Positioning, and Sucking). Brewer offers a kind and open-minded perspective to parents who opt against breastfeeding or circumcision while gently educating about the necessity of vaccines with real-world, relatable examples. Although the occasional attempts at levity can lead to the euphemistic treatment of body parts (“to lend a little humor to our teaching, I will utilize ‘hoo-hah’ or ‘nether region’ a few times during this lesson”), and the different sections could be more clearly delineated, this guide expertly anticipates the concerns parents will have and deftly addresses them. The author has assembled an authoritative yet humble primer to this essential topic.
A much-needed companion for mother and child as they venture through the postpartum period.Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2023
ISBN: 9781961473003
Page Count: 377
Publisher: Fostering Healthcare Communications
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The heartbreaking story of an emotionally battered child delivered with captivating candor and grace.
The former iCarly star reflects on her difficult childhood.
In her debut memoir, titled after her 2020 one-woman show, singer and actor McCurdy (b. 1992) reveals the raw details of what she describes as years of emotional abuse at the hands of her demanding, emotionally unstable stage mom, Debra. Born in Los Angeles, the author, along with three older brothers, grew up in a home controlled by her mother. When McCurdy was 3, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Though she initially survived, the disease’s recurrence would ultimately take her life when the author was 21. McCurdy candidly reconstructs those in-between years, showing how “my mom emotionally, mentally, and physically abused me in ways that will forever impact me.” Insistent on molding her only daughter into “Mommy’s little actress,” Debra shuffled her to auditions beginning at age 6. As she matured and starting booking acting gigs, McCurdy remained “desperate to impress Mom,” while Debra became increasingly obsessive about her daughter’s physical appearance. She tinted her daughter’s eyelashes, whitened her teeth, enforced a tightly monitored regimen of “calorie restriction,” and performed regular genital exams on her as a teenager. Eventually, the author grew understandably resentful and tried to distance herself from her mother. As a young celebrity, however, McCurdy became vulnerable to eating disorders, alcohol addiction, self-loathing, and unstable relationships. Throughout the book, she honestly portrays Debra’s cruel perfectionist personality and abusive behavior patterns, showing a woman who could get enraged by everything from crooked eyeliner to spilled milk. At the same time, McCurdy exhibits compassion for her deeply flawed mother. Late in the book, she shares a crushing secret her father revealed to her as an adult. While McCurdy didn’t emerge from her childhood unscathed, she’s managed to spin her harrowing experience into a sold-out stage act and achieve a form of catharsis that puts her mind, body, and acting career at peace.
The heartbreaking story of an emotionally battered child delivered with captivating candor and grace.Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-982185-82-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
The lessons to draw are obvious: Smoke more dope, eat less meat. Like-minded readers will dig it.
The chef, rapper, and TV host serves up a blustery memoir with lashings of self-help.
“I’ve always had a sick confidence,” writes Bronson, ne Ariyan Arslani. The confidence, he adds, comes from numerous sources: being a New Yorker, and more specifically a New Yorker from Queens; being “short and fucking husky” and still game for a standoff on the basketball court; having strength, stamina, and seemingly no fear. All these things serve him well in the rough-and-tumble youth he describes, all stickball and steroids. Yet another confidence-builder: In the big city, you’ve got to sink or swim. “No one is just accepted—you have to fucking show that you’re able to roll,” he writes. In a narrative steeped in language that would make Lenny Bruce blush, Bronson recounts his sentimental education, schooled by immigrant Italian and Albanian family members and the mean streets, building habits good and bad. The virtue of those habits will depend on your take on modern mores. Bronson writes, for example, of “getting my dick pierced” down in the West Village, then grabbing a pizza and smoking weed. “I always smoke weed freely, always have and always will,” he writes. “I’ll just light a blunt anywhere.” Though he’s gone through the classic experiences of the latter-day stoner, flunking out and getting arrested numerous times, Bronson is a hard charger who’s not afraid to face nearly any challenge—especially, given his physique and genes, the necessity of losing weight: “If you’re husky, you’re always dieting in your mind,” he writes. Though vulgar and boastful, Bronson serves up a model that has plenty of good points, including his growing interest in nature, creativity, and the desire to “leave a legacy for everybody.”
The lessons to draw are obvious: Smoke more dope, eat less meat. Like-minded readers will dig it.Pub Date: April 20, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4478-5
Page Count: 184
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 5, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
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