9 Books Worth Reading for New Mamas
By: Roxane Jurkovskaja
Tags: Motherhood, Education, Parenting, Family, Baby

Becoming a mom changed my world and shook me to my core. I felt isolated and confused. I felt that something was wrong with me because society had taught me to think one thing, while motherhood made me feel another. I felt angry. I felt lonely.

Through reading, I realized that I am not alone — that there is a whole tribe of wise women out there that understand me, hear me, and share my feelings with me.

This is a list of some of the books that I found really helpful so far. It is not written in any particular order, however I have divided the books into those books that are more general about “motherhood”, and those about “raising little humans”.

Did you stumble on any books that helped you on your motherhood journey? Please do share them with me! I will update the list continuously.

Happy reading!

About Motherhood

1.Motherwhelmed: Challenging Norms, Untangling Truths, and Restoring Our Worth to the World by Beth Berry

This book describes it all… the great, the bad, and the ugly. It gives voice to my feelings of inadequacy by helping me to see that so many women, regardless of whether they are stay-at-home mothers, working moms, mothers of little ones, or mothers of grown kids are all processing the same types of emotions. There is so much comfort in knowing that. Having read the book I feel more empowered than I ever have to create a future for my child that I could only have dreamed of.

This is a great book for moms of all ages and experiences. I can also recommend following the author on Instagram!

2. Belonging: Remembering Ourselves Home by Toko-pa Turner

This is not your typical self-help book, focused on improvement or banishment of personal flaws, but is, rather, a book for one’s soul, a book that provides encouragement and sustenance for all of us navigating the hero’s/heroine’s journey. I recognized myself and my struggles on every page. I realized why I have felt angry and irritable. Why I strive so hard to accomplish, to achieve, all the time. I felt recognized and heard.

I love the book’s dedication which begins, “For the rebels and the misfits, the black sheep, and the outsiders. For the refugees, the orphans, the scapegoats, and the weirdos. For the uprooted, the abandoned, the shunned, and invisible ones.”

This is not a book specifically about “motherhood”, but something more essential than that — our need to belong. When I became a mother this urge became much stronger and heartfelt than ever before. This book helped to ground me in this and understand it better.

3. The Magic of Motherhood: The Good Stuff, the Hard Stuff, and Everything In Between by Ashlee Gad

This book is exactly what my new mama’s heart needed. It contains some of the best essays from the blog as well as new stories, each of which offers wisdom, encouragement, comfort, and understanding. The writers are genuine, authentic, vulnerable, and likeable — I felt like I was sitting around the coffee table with a group of friends, sharing stories, as I read this book. It left me a sobbing mess most of the time, but it’s always the warmest of tears. It reveals all the beauty and joy of walking through motherhood.

4. Untamed by Glennon Doyle

“Being human is not hard because you’re doing it wrong, it’s hard because you’re doing it right. You will never change the fact that being human is hard, so you must change your idea that it was ever supposed to be easy.”

This book made me feel more seen than anything that I have ever heard or read. It grounded me, brought me back to myself, and made me feel a little calmer. It is beautifully written, with some great life tips and skills that can be applied to goals as well as everyday life. If you’re a fan of Elizabeth Gilbert, Cheryl Strayed, and Brene Brown, I think this one will resonate with you.

5. Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Even though this book is not specifically about motherhood, this book is for all women, who struggled through life because of the pressures and pre-tailored expectations of their families, societies, religious leaders, husbands, children, etc. It contains fairy tales and folklore stories which we were told as children but never thought about as a tool for empowering women or entering their psyche. It is a very empowering book, used as a source of inspiration and wisdom by many authors I have stumbled across.