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Strong As a Mother: How to Stay Healthy, Happy, and (Most Importantly) Sane from Pregnancy to Parenthood: The Only Guide to Taking Care of YOU! Kindle Edition

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 338 ratings

Expert, practical advice for complete mental and physical maternal health

Kate Rope's
Strong as a Mother is a practical and compassionate guide to preparing for a smooth start to motherhood. Everyone knows the secret to having “the Happiest Baby on the Block.” This is your guide to being the Sanest Mommy on the Block. It will prepare you with humor and grace for what lies ahead, give you the tools you need to take care of yourself, permission to struggle at times, and professional advice on how to move through it when you do. This book will become a dog-eared resource on your nightstand, offering you the same care and support that you are working so hard to provide to your child. It will help you prioritize your emotional health, set boundaries and ask for help, make choices about feeding and childcare that feel good to you, get good sleep, create a strong relationship with your partner, make self care an everyday priority, trust your instincts, and actually enjoy the hardest job you will ever love.

This book is here to take care of you.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Informative, empowering, and inspiring. I can't think of a single mother who wouldn't benefit from reading this. It's the book equivalent of a long chat with your most honest and experienced mom friend – something we all need more of!" ―Jill Smokler, New York Times bestselling author and founder of Scary Mommy

"Writing in the tone of a friendly, nonjudgmental peer...Rope mixes in solid advice from experts and her personal experiences...[and] offers women commonsense guidance and vigorous reassurances on coping with the tumultuous changes of pregnancy and parenthood." ―
Publishers Weekly

"Divided into three parts―pregnancy, surviving the first year, and motherhood beyond―this book recognizes that, as a mother, maintaining mental health should be a top priority. The topics covered are vast (from feeling anxiety in early pregnancy, to being a mom to a fussy baby, to handling doubtful thoughts once the baby has been born), and the book can be read from start to finish or consulted by section for mothers’ most pressing need." ―
Booklist

About the Author

Kate Rope is an award-winning freelance journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, TIME, LIFE, Real Simple, Parade, and CNN.com. She is author of Strong as a Mother: How to Stay Healthy, Happy and (Most Importantly) Sane from Pregnancy to Parenting, coauthor of The Complete Guide to Medications During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding and lives in Atlanta with her husband and two daughters.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B076B22FQR
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Griffin (May 1, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 1, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4532 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 338 ratings

About the author

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Kate Rope
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KATE ROPE is an award-winning freelance journalist and author whose work has appeared in many publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, and CNN. She is author of Strong as a Mother: How to Be Happy, Healthy and (Most Importantly) Sane From Pregnancy to Parenthood and coauthor of The Complete Guide to Medications During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding. Kate’s newest project is “Soldiers of Science: The Vietnam-era Veterans Who Saved Millions of Lives,” an Audible Original documentary that she produced and co-wrote with Alan Alda. It will be released in December 2020.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
338 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book practical and helpful for new or expecting mothers. They describe it as compassionate and informative, helping them plan for the future as parents. The book soothes their fears and reassures them that they are not alone during this challenging time.

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19 customers mention "Information content"19 positive0 negative

Customers find the book helpful for new and expecting mothers. It provides practical advice on self-care and planning for the future as parents. They find it informative and a quick, easy read.

"...; here -- just really accessible and humanely written and researched advice that continually brings the focus back to your happiness and mental..." Read more

"...And this book is an excellent post partum emotional and mental first aid. It's also hilarious...." Read more

"...Mental health and support systems are so important for new parents, and this book helps to think those things through before you’re in the thick of..." Read more

"Quick, easy and helpful read...." Read more

8 customers mention "Compassion"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book compassionate and informative. They say it soothes fears and helps them overcome inner demons during postpartum.

"...that continually brings the focus back to your happiness and mental health...." Read more

"...But it shouldn't be. And this book is an excellent post partum emotional and mental first aid. It's also hilarious...." Read more

"...Mental health and support systems are so important for new parents, and this book helps to think those things through before you’re in the thick of..." Read more

"Strong as a Mother is the most compassionate, nonjudgmental and comprehensive new mom book I’ve ever read...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2018
    I picked up "Strong as a Mother" ten months after my first child was born, and this is the first book I've read that focuses on YOU, the mom. I am so grateful this book came out at the same time I'm experiencing motherhood for the first time! I started at the beginning, Part I (of Parts I, II, and III) with Kate's guidance for the newly pregnant, and although I'd already been through that, I found her approach to self-care relevant to my experience as a new mom, particularly how to deal with anxiety. Mostly, any kind of to-do list for the new mom, even the most well-meaning, makes me feel more exhausted, but not here, and I think it has to do with Kate's tone. She is an enormous cheerleader for YOU making decisions that work for YOU, weaving her personal narrative of having two kids throughout -- but not to shame other moms into taking her path but using herself as a relatable example (I'm recommending this, but I didn't do it! I did this thing that works for a lot of people, and it didn't work for me! I did this, and it worked incredibly well!). She uses short and relatable quotes from other moms (including the hilarious "Jen from Portland, Oregon"). She is clear from the beginning that this book is for *all moms* and acknowledges the different challenges and realities faced by moms from different backgrounds and in different situations. There are no "shoulds" here -- just really accessible and humanely written and researched advice that continually brings the focus back to your happiness and mental health. I'm going to be referring back to this guide again and again and definitely recommending to my new mom friends.

    the books sections are succinct, accessible, incredibly well-researched and well-organized
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2018
    Having a baby is so, so hard. And we all talk about it, don't we? We talk about the sleeplessness, the crying (theirs, mostly), the diaper changes, the breastfeeding or bottle feeding woes, all that normal stuff. And of course we talk about the love. But what about the mental health aspect of having a baby? It's so overlooked for "well mine was worse" or "try having two" or even "yeah it sucks, but you'll be okay" reasons. But it shouldn't be. And this book is an excellent post partum emotional and mental first aid. It's also hilarious. It is respectful that not all birthing parents are women.

    Let me end with this: if I had read this book before I had my baby, things may have been very different for me. Thankfully, I have a lovely and supportive husband who gently nudged me to get some help. But had I had this book on hand I may not have gotten so bad that I needed a nudge.

    We aren't supposed to suffer so deeply. Let this book help you. And as we say in Australia: it does what it says on the box. It makes you strong as a mother.
    13 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2023
    I’ve been recommending this as one of my top 3 books for expecting parents! We read and hear so much about what baby needs, but this is a reality check about what parents need before, during, and after pregnancy. Mental health and support systems are so important for new parents, and this book helps to think those things through before you’re in the thick of it.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2020
    Quick, easy and helpful read. Talks about all the things that aren’t taught in classes or we aren’t comfortable talking about as a culture.

    It is a guide vs a deep dive on any one topic. I’d be curious to see this author write another book on the difficult topics like finding yourself, horomones, sex after pregnancy and PMAD/PTSD/PPD.
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2018
    Strong as a Mother is the most compassionate, nonjudgmental and comprehensive new mom book I’ve ever read. Kate Rope covers every topic you could imagine, from managing pregnancy to how to ask for help, genetic testing, co-parenting, sex, childcare, competitive parenting and setting boundaries. A mix of quotes from experts, real-life moms and her own personal perspective, this book truly has everything. The bite-sized structure of the chapters and sections makes it easy to dip in and out if you don’t want to read it all in one sitting. This book will be especially helpful to any moms who have a history of anxiety, depression, other mood disorders or trauma, but it contains useful information for anyone. It’s like sitting down with a supportive big sister or older friend who walks you through the process and soothes your fears.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2018
    I am only about 80 pages into this book, but I am loving it so far. I am 7 weeks pregnant with my first and I have been a pretty anxious mess. I was looking for pregnancy books and I found this. I was immediately drawn to it because I struggle with depression and anxiety already and I have been very worried about how pregnancy will affect my mental health. So far, I can tell that this book was written with the concern of mothers in mind. It is full of excellent ways you can take care of yourself and not worry about what others think while also doing what you feel is right for your baby. I am so glad I found it early in my pregnancy. I can’t wait to keep reading it!
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2019
    First off I didn't care for the way it was written. It seemed chuncky and I could never get lost in it.
    More importantly, this book was so non-judgemental that it didn't seem to say much and I didn't find it useful at all. Anything you do is good, anything you feel is fine, anything you think is natural, don't worry and seek real help if needed (because this book doesn't actually offer any help). It's more like talking to someone who just wants you to feel good, and so avoids saying anything that might offend. Not bad, but I don't need a book for that, in fact I'm looking for the exact opposite. I want to know what's good, what's bad, what doesn't matter, what is normal and what I ought to be worried about.
    The part I liked was the only part not written by the author. Many chapters had a Q&A with mothers sharing their experiences on different topics.
    Would not recommend.
    14 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Lacy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read for new moms
    Reviewed in Canada on April 11, 2019
    I reccomend that every expecting and new mom read this book. Such a wonderful message behind it.
  • Manasi Deshpande
    5.0 out of 5 stars A guide for new mothers
    Reviewed in India on September 3, 2019
    Very helpful for new mothers.
  • Lilli
    3.0 out of 5 stars If this is not your first pregnancy book, you'll know most of it
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 14, 2019
    The difference mainly is that this is about moms emotional well-being. This was not the first book I bought, so when I came to it, I knew that stuff already and couldn't be bothered to spend time to go over it. If this is the first book about self-care while pregnant, it's probably right on target.
  • Allison Stewart
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good book!
    Reviewed in Canada on June 18, 2019
    Part way through the book and I've found it tremendously helpful and easy to comprehend.
  • Bianca
    3.0 out of 5 stars If you are stressed about motherhood
    Reviewed in Canada on December 8, 2019
    It’s the type of book a really anxious and stressed mother should read. I am pretty chill about pregnancy and motherhood. Had I known this before, I would not a bought it for myself. It covers a lot of the stress factors related to becoming a mom, especially if you have not been around babies before. It’s not my case.

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