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The Fourth Trimester
And You Thought Labor Was Hard . . .
by Amy Einhorn
"The funniest stuff in the world is the true stuff - and this book just proves it! A must for your new-Mom friend - who, by the way, is just
clinging by the merest thread to sanity. Take her this book and a
casserole! She will love you forever!" - Jill Connor Browne,
Author of The Sweet Potato Queen's Book of Love
Whether
you are a seasoned mom or a very new one, you will be inspired by
this entertaining "survival guide" written by Amy Einhorn.
The
Fourth Trimester is a funny and frank look at that period of
time after pregnancy when your life changes in ways that no one
warned you about beforehand. Amy touches on every stage and concern,
from nurses to diaper changes to clueless dads and sanitary pads.
You'll find yourself nodding and chuckling as you turn the pages
and agree with such statements as "Showering (or changing your
underwear) before nightfall is overrated."
Amy
cleverly weaves together helpful reminders, comforting tales and
a very large helping of humor, all of which pull together the reality
of those first six weeks at home with baby. If you thought you were
alone with your concerns or let down, you will be elevated to a
new sense of relief when you read The
Fourth Trimester. The entries are short - perfect for reading
between diaper changes and brief enough not to require more than
three hours of sleep. She strips away guilt about not feeling like
Mother of the Year, conspires to put advice-givers in their place,
and laughs about such things as the changes in our mommy vocabularies
and our quick standup meals.
The
honest truths and uncomfortable topics most moms hold back and don't
discuss are the ones that make the most sense in the book, serve
the biggest helping of guilt-relief, and create a sisterhood of
new moms all over the globe. One such example is the creature we
call the new dad.
Amy
explains, "Father may know best, but he doesn't know a thing
about being a new mother. Your husband may have been your Lamaze
coach, he may have cut the umbilical cord, but come on, you can
admit it. Try as he might to be the sensitive New Age man, the fact
is, he still has a penis. And not to male-bash, but this means he's
clueless. He has no idea what you're going through."
She
continues, "When I had my daughter, I overheard my husband
talking to his friend, trying to explain what being a new dad was
like. He said the one thing that had changed was -- are you ready
for this? -- that he missed reading a novel. Now mind you, as he's
talking, I'm standing there having not showered, not been out of
the house in a week, with bleeding cracked nipples, and dark circles
under my eyes that looked as if I'd swam the English Channel without
remembering to take off my mascara (had I been at the point where
I cared enough to wear any makeup)."
Amy
also discusses sex after the first six weeks, with such comments
as "Think of yourself as a new virgin. If you don't want to,
then don't." You'll be relieved to read her words of advice,
which of course, means you need to buy the book. We can't share
everything! But be assured that our author is enamored with motherhood
and has the deepest of respect for all of us. She says, "You
are doing the Everest of all climbs, the hardest of all jobs. You
are a new mom!"
The
Fourth Trimester makes a perfect gift for Mother's Day, for
new and expectant moms, or for no occasion at all, other than a
little mountain climbing.
Book review by Nancy Eggleston
To Purchase:
• The Fourth Trimester at Amazon.com
• The Fourth Trimester at Amazon UK
• The Fourth Trimester at Amazon Canada
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