What you get when you google ‘best books for new moms’
Moms are finally getting the main character energy they deserve | 8 min read
Introduction
I was overjoyed when I discovered this.
A blog I wrote in 2024 is now a top search result for ‘best books for new moms’ (!!) https://lnkd.in/gkduesUE
WHY THIS MATTERS:
When expecting moms (or their people) go looking for guidance, they won’t get swaddling or tummy time tips.
They’ll get books that make MOM feel whole again during one of life’s biggest, most vulnerable shifts.
Here are the 7 books I’d gift to every new mom:
🌟 Expecting Better by Emily Oster
🌟 Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts by Karen Kleiman, MSW, LCSW
🌟 Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy
🌟 How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis
🌟 Real Self Care by Pooja Lakshmin, MD
🌟 Fair Play by Eve Rodsky
🌟 Pay Up by Reshma Saujani
The transition to motherhood is hard.
And these books were game-changers. They helped me turn my anxiety into empowerment, rebuild systems that stuck and brought back joy, and show up more fully.
More importantly, it fired me up to fight for a better experience for the next mom.
Over the next week, I’ll share how each shaped my journey.
So grateful to Motherly® for featuring this piece—and connecting moms with resources they actually need: https://lnkd.in/dBf3qqJa
📣 Finally, new moms are getting the main character energy they deserve.
Book 1: Expecting Better
Pregnancy comes with it all–joy, exhaustion, and a lot of don’ts.
Don’t eat deli meat.
Don’t drink coffee.
Don’t sleep on your stomach.
Don’t do a sit up.
At every OB visit, I got another one. I wanted a healthy pregnancy, but I also felt like I was losing parts of myself.
Here’s book #1 for new moms: Expecting Better by Emily Oster
This book became my pregnancy bible. It:
🌟 Saved me from panic-googling questions like: “I accidentally ate a hot dog, is that bad?”
🌟 Broke down the data behind common advice, so I could weigh real risks (vs. outdated myth).
🌟 Helped me cut through the noise and trust myself.
🌟 Honored my preferences and what brought me joy.
Instead of spiraling after every appointment (wait, I can’t do that either??), this book gave me confidence to make decisions that felt right–for my baby AND for me.
Learn more:
📣 Expecting parents: Read the book or subscribe to ParentData
📣 Employers: Offer ParentData as a benefit (yes, self-care can be an FSA/HSA expense)
Pregnant moms deserve more than rules–they deserve real support.
Book #2: Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts
Over 90% of new moms have scary, intrusive thoughts:
What if I drop my baby?
What if I snap and hurt him?
This is hard. I don’t know if I can do this anymore.
Most moms keep these thoughts inside. But silence feeds shame.
Here’s book #2 for new moms: Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts by Karen Kleiman, MSW, LCSW
This book says what moms are afraid to admit, then makes it safe to say out loud. It gives:
🌟 Conversation starters for things no one tells you to share
🌟 Scripts for awkward moments (‘I need a break before I lose it’)
🌟 Cartoons that make dark thoughts feel lighter
🌟 Examples that help you ask for what you need–from a partner, family, or OB
🌟 Quick, grounding exercises for when the spiral hits
The first months with baby can catch moms off guard.
This book shifts control back to mom. It’s a grab-and-go guide–ready when you need it most to reset.
Most importantly, it’s a reminder: Intrusive thoughts don’t make you crazy. They don’t mean you’ll act on them. Or that you’re broken. They’re proof you care.
They’re signals to slow down and ask for help. Because adjusting to the hardest job on earth takes support.
Learn more:
📣 New moms and loved ones: Get (or gift) the book
📣 Health systems: Add it to your postpartum discharge packets
📣 Families + providers: Visit the The Postpartum Stress Center, LLC for care + tools https://lnkd.in/gUHf_Xfy
Book #3: Good Inside
Toddlers: Proof tiny humans can break you with one word — ‘no.’
Before my daughter even turned 1, toddler triggers set me off faster than I'd like to admit:
- Not listening
- Tantrums
- Bedtime + dinnertime battles
Growing up Asian-American, respect and obedience weren’t optional. So when my toddler looked me in the eye and said ‘no’, let's just say my nervous system hit its limit.
Here’s book #3 for new moms: Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy
This became my playbook for parenting and becoming the mom I wanted to be:
🌟 Connection over rewards and punishment, with a focus on building emotion regulation skills
🌟 Tools + scripts for meltdowns and triggers.
🌟 Replacing guilt and resentment with empathy + self-compassion.
🌟 Getting good at repair–by validating feelings, managing (and tolerating) guilt, and modeling resilience.
I’m still a work in progress. But this book helped me see that sturdy leadership meant calm kids (and a calmer me).
Bonus: It’s not just a parenting book. It’s a masterclass for anyone wanting to lead with sturdiness and empathy–at home, work, and in the community.
Learn more:
📣 Expecting parents: Read the book, listen to the parenting podcast, or join the Good Inside membership
📣 Loved ones: Gift sturdy leadership to an expecting mom.
📣 Employers: Offer Good Inside as a benefit (yes, self-care can be an FSA/HSA expense)
It’s possible to be present for our kids AND care for ourselves. Both things can be true.
Book 4: How to Keep House While Drowning
Babies: The end of clean houses and the birth of ‘good enough.’
I used to thrive on clean and organized. It didn’t take long for a baby to undo all of my hard work. Staying on top of the mess was physically (and mentally) impossible.
Here’s book #4 for new moms: How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis
This book reframed so much for me:
🌟 Care tasks are morally neutral. A messy room didn’t make me a ‘bad’ mom (it meant I had fun with my kids).
🌟 Your home works for you. Not the other way around.
🌟 Standards can flex. Laundry doesn’t need to be folded or (gasp) at all.
🌟 Glass vs. plastic balls: Protect the glass ones (mental health, feeding myself, caring for kids). The rest can wait.
It helped me drop the guilt and shame. It saved my energy for what matters most–my health, my family, and more joy at the end of the day.
I learned to accept that good enough is perfect.
📣 Read the book here
Book #5: Real Self Care
Please don’t give new moms another ‘to-do’ on their list.
- Take a bubble bath.
- Get a massage.
- Buy a scented candle.
- Go on a yoga retreat.
Will it boost their mood? Sure. But they’re band-aids for a bigger problem: Burnout.
Being a mom still feels like everyone else comes first. When they finally take a break, they’re judged—then they judge themselves.
Here’s book #5 for new moms: Real Self-Care by Pooja Lakshmin, MD
This book felt like talking to a therapist and life coach. It helped me:
🌟 Redefine self-care as an internal process, not a product.
🌟 Set boundaries–and learn how to tolerate the guilt that comes after.
🌟 Get good at self-compassion (talk to myself like I would a friend).
🌟 Clarify my values, then let them drive decisions.
🌟 Reclaim my power from systems that don’t serve me.
This process takes work and may get uncomfortable–but it sticks. It’s designing a life that serves you.
Real self-care isn’t selfish.
It’s a system that prevents burnout and, for moms, it’s the foundation for long-term wellbeing.
Bonus: These principles don’t stop at motherhood. They work at home, at work, and through grief.
📣 Read the book or subscribe to Pooja Lakshmin’s newsletter
Book #6: Fair Play
Anyone else lose it when they see dishes in the sink? 🙋🏻♀️
That’s what pushed me over the edge after my first baby. The chores piled up fast–and so did my resentment towards my partner.
I felt like I was doing everything. Chores became a major pain point (seriously, I lost it over the dishes). I didn’t love how controlling I was becoming either.
And I’m not alone: 2 out of 3 couples report a drop in marital satisfaction after having a baby.
Here’s book #6 for new moms: Fair Play by Eve Rodsky
This book helped me name the problem and partner with my husband to build a better system. It:
🌟 Highlighted that ‘invisible work’ typically falls on moms.
🌟 Introduced CPE–conception, planning, execution (because starting the dishwasher does NOT equal doing the dishes).
🌟 Gave us language to divide labor more fairly.
🌟 Helped me talk to my husband like a teammate, not a manager.
We’re not 50/50 and it’s a work in progress. But we’re way more intentional when things bubble up because of chores.
Fair Play helped us build a system–to take stock of everything it took to run our household, time required for each task, and roles/responsibilities.
It not only helped our communication, but deepened our understanding and respect for each other’s needs and values.
And by letting go of control, I made space to rest and reclaim time for myself.
To learn more:
📣 Read the book
📣 Watch the documentary
📣 Work with a The Fair Play Policy Institute facilitator
Book #7: Pay Up
This book changed everything when I became a new mom.
5 months after I had my first baby, I went back to work. Trying to ‘do it all’, but really heading straight for burnout.
Here’s what we're up against:
- The U.S. ranks 40th out of 41 countries on family-friendly policies
- 1 in 4 women are back at work within 2 weeks of giving birth
- Over 40% of women leave the workforce after kids
That’s why so many of us feel like we’re failing.
Here’s my final book rec for new moms: Pay Up by Reshma Saujani
This book felt like therapy–and lit a fire in me. It:
🌟 Showed it’s not possible to be the perfect mom and ideal worker without sacrificing mental health.
🌟 Made me feel less alone (even powerhouses like Reshma struggled).
🌟 Exposed how U.S. laws, workplaces, and culture fail moms.
🌟 Gave a roadmap for real change: paid leave, childcare, flexible work.
Most importantly, it turned me into a maternal health advocate.
So, for any moms wondering why it feels impossible–it’s not you. It’s the SYSTEM.
And we have the power to turn our mom rage into action. As Reshma says, “there’s nothing more powerful than a pissed off mom.”
Learn more:
📣 New moms: Read the book
📣 Employers: See the ROI for childcare benefits
📣 Anyone who believes moms deserve real support: Join Moms First or Chamber of Mothers
Every mom’s mental health matters
Healthy babies start with healthy moms. But moms can’t thrive without confidence, care, and systems.
As a 2X survivor of postpartum anxiety, these 7 books helped me feel whole again–then build habits and systems to make it stick:
🌟 Expecting Better – for pregnant moms feeling anxious and overwhelmed.
🌟 Good Inside – for moms wanting to lead with sturdiness and empathy
🌟 Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts – for moms with intrusive thoughts about their babies or themselves
🌟 How to Keep House While Drowning – for moms drowning in mess and to-do’s.
🌟 Fair Play – for moms resenting their partner over chores
🌟 Real Self-Care – for moms looking for self-care that actually sicks
🌟 Pay Up – for moms, especially working moms, feeling burnt out
So grateful for Emily Oster, Dr. Becky Kennedy, Karen Kleiman, MSW, LCSW, KC Davis, Eve Rodsky, Pooja Lakshmin, MD, and Reshma Saujani for being the support team I didn’t know I needed. You helped me heal, build resilience, and find joy again.
When moms search ‘best books for new moms’, this list is a top result. That tells me moms aren’t after baby gear–they’re looking for REAL support.
So…let’s keep this new mom main-character energy going.
Every mom’s mental health matters–and it takes all of us to protect it.
Read my original book recs on Motherly here.
Want to read more? Here are more books I recommend to feel whole again.
