The concept
Although pregnancy allows you a certain amount of time to concentrate on looking after yourself, as soon as your baby is born, the emphasis is on him or her. The challenges of being a New Parent can be very hard to deal with. At this time, getting yourself Back in Shape isn't just about the vanity of losing a wobbly tummy, it's about doing mild exercise that gets your energy levels back up, it's about allowing yourself me-time so you are stronger inside to cope with the new demands, it's about eating the right food so you feel great and your baby is getting the best milk possible.
In truth, it's about so much more, which is why this 250-page book, subtitled 'How to get your Health, Shape and Sanity back after childbirth', is so welcome.
Organisation
Taking you through various subjects - from being as mentally prepared as possible while you are still pregnant, to diet, exercise, lifestyle and new motherhood itself - the book breaks down information into chapters, sidebars, tips boxes, day by day suggestions for what you should be doing and eating, and how all the different elements of your self-care come together.
The only downside here, is that the headings can seem a bit patronising - 'The nutrition bit', 'The lifestyle bit' etc. However, if this simplifies the message for more readers then perhaps it's no bad thing.
An encouraging voice
From the checklists of tasks, to the ways in which is reassures you about the things you are likely to find hard, the activities you might enjoy and the ways in which you can improve yourself without too much extra effort, it has the tone of an encouraging older sister who's already been through the mum experience.
Unfortunately, if you're not already a bit of a super-healthy person, seeing a suggested breakfast list of rolled oats and berries, or rye bread and nut butter might all seem a bit worthy. But in there you'll also find reasonably easy meals to prepare that you might be more tempted to try, and who knows, soon enough you could well be chomping down on a fruit smoothie with 'barley greens'!
The exercise element is really useful, taking into account that a) you are recovering from a major physical experience and shouldn't overdo it, and b) you will hardly have the time to get stuck into a major fitness regime at this point.
And lastly, the way the book deals with the trials of motherhood is very supportive, going through the various things which are most likely to be tricky (like missing your old lifestyle, sleepless nights, having to think about your baby all the time and be one step ahead) and then offering advice and guidance on how you might manage these things. Here, it's great to know that someone else has been through these things before you and is on hand to advise you on how to cope!
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The
ThinkBaby verdict
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If you enjoy reading this is a great book to read in the last two months of pregnancy and then to keep to hand through the early months of motherhood, but if you're not a big fan of detail, you might find this too text heavy for you to stick with and get the most out of.
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Usefulness: | 4/5
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Readability: | 3/5 | 
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Value: | 5/5 | 
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