Surprised by Motherhood

Motherhood is hard. If you don’t think so then I believe you must be doing something wrong. We pour our hearts, souls and bodies into taking care of these little beings entrusted to us. When the nurses hand our children to us before leaving the hospital, we look at them in disbelief. Can I really do this? The thought swirls in our minds as we take up our precious bundle and head home, scared to death, trying to put on a brave face.

Surprised by Motherhood: Everything I Never Expected About Being a Mom is a book that transports me immediately back to the days when my kids were infants and I was sleep-deprived, overwhelmed and exhausted, afraid I would never get this parenting thing right. The author, Lisa-Jo Baker, gives an honest assessment of her feelings and fears that came with becoming a mother. Having lost her own mom at the tender age of 18, she had no one to prepare her for the journey. And yet, she’s willing to take the things that she’s learned and share them with all of us.

If you’re a first time mother this book is a must- read. If you’re an empty-nester this book is a must-read. Lisa-Jo’s tale of labor, ignorance, fear and guilt allows moms to breathe a sigh of relief. Just because all of the parenting books tell us we’re doing (or did) it wrong doesn’t necessarily make it so. Lisa-Jo’s story is a gift to all of us as mothers.

This book brought so many of my own mothering experiences flooding back. I laughed and cried, relating to every single story she tells, with the exclusion of losing her mom. As I read one of Lisa-Jo’s new mom stories, it tugged at my heart.

                                  And when he started to cry, everyone turned and looked at me. I kept waiting for

                                 someone else to get him when the realization dropped into my world that it would

                                 always be me. I would be the forever one expected to go when he cried… And I  

                                  nearly stopped breathing with the weight of it.     – Surprised by Motherhood

It doesn’t get more honest than that.

Lisa-Jo’s book released today, April 1^st and can be purchased on Amazon  (or Walmart.com, Christian Book Distributors, Barnes and Noble and Dayspring). Go ahead and give yourself the gift of a wonderful read. It will be worth it.

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I was given an advanced electronic copy of the first three chapters of Lisa-Jo’s book in exchange for helping promote it. I have, however, already purchased a copy of my own and look forward to hearing the rest of her story.