Hot Flashes Warm Bottles : First-Time Mothers Over Forty [Paperback]

Nancy London (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 19, 2001

As an older first-time mother of a young daughter, Nancy London combed the bookshelves in search of support and guidance for some of the emotional and physical challenges she faced. To her dismay, she found that most parenting books were written for much younger women, while books on midlife assumed the female reader had grown children. The next day, Nancy ran an ad in the local newspaper to start a support group for first-time moms over forty, and her phone hasn't stopped ringing since. Hot Flashes, Warm Bottles is the first prescriptive and anecdotal guidebook for the multitudes of older moms, and distills the wisdom, insight, and practical advice gathered during her years as a therapist and support group leader. With tips for renewing physical and sexual energy, parenting after infertility and adoption, balancing career and family, and caring for elderly parents, the personal stories from these older moms are often humorous, sometimes surprising, but always reassuring. Without exception, the reader will be left with the comforting knowledge that she is not alone on her journey. Hot Flashes fills a much-needed place in the parenting field, at a time when more and more women are embracing motherhood later in life.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nancy London, M.S.W., is a licensed therapist specializing in women's issues who creates and leads support groups for first-time mothers over forty. She was one of the authors of the original version of the groundbreaking book, Our Bodies, Ourselves. Ms. London lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with her husband and daughter .

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Celestial Arts; 1 edition (April 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0890879710
• ISBN-13: 978-0890879719
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #202,411 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #87 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Aging Parents

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful take on a complicated subject, March 3, 2002

By 

KATHLEEN E KAIN (Columbia, SC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hot Flashes Warm Bottles : First-Time Mothers Over Forty (Paperback)

"Hot Flashes Warm Bottles" tackles the complicated and emotional subject of
older mothers with a delightful warm-hearted approach. The book shows older
mothers that they are not alone, that their ambivalent feelings are normal,
and that motherhood at an older age can be both tiresome and invigorating.
The book is loaded with examples that will bring a smile to the reader.
Advice is provided on dealing with yourself, your child and others in the
family who may not understand the emotional and physical changes in an older
mother. A nice touch is the "Journey Book" suggestions included at the end
of each chapter. These are active steps that the older mother can take to
capture and understand their feelings while creating memories for the
future. "Hot Flashes Warm Bottles" is highly recommended for those who have
become mothers in their 40s or those who are contemplating older motherhood.
-Dr. Kathleen Kain, scientist, educator and (older) mother of 3

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hot Flashes, Warm Bottles: First-time Mothers Over Forty, May 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Hot Flashes Warm Bottles : First-Time Mothers Over Forty (Paperback)

This timely and much-needed book is extremely well-written, filled with substance, information, humor and heart. The women's stories shared in its pages bring alive, in a very personal way, themes and emotions with which any first-time "older" mom - straight or gay - will be able to identify. These stories, coupled with the suggested exercises at the end of each chapter, are good tools for helping the reader better able to understand, articulate and clarify her own experience and feel connected and less alone. The resource guides at the end are filled with good leads. I like that the book speaks to very real difficulties as well as more obvious joys - especially what happens as hormones begin to diminish as we approach menopause with young children in tow. Even though motherhood is as old as the human species, we don't have older generations of women to turn to for guidance in this department. We are breaking new ground here socially and personally. This book offers words of advice, comfort, laughter, beauty and sisterhood, both for women who are already parenting and for those who are thinking about diving into the experience. I think it also might help the friends and/or male partners of hormone-flagging moms gain some compassionate insight. I am enthusiastically suggesting this book to friends, family and my counseling clients. I am grateful that finally there is such a nurturing, down-to-earth and readable book to recommend.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Total comfort for any mother who feels alone - you're not!, May 20, 2001

By 

Kimberly Carter (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hot Flashes Warm Bottles : First-Time Mothers Over Forty (Paperback)

Hot Flashes Warm Bottles is such a refreshing book. I have struggled to balance work and kids for years, all as the energy of youth falls out from under me. I realize now that I have spent too long feeling isolated and inadequate in my conflict. At last, a book of true stories from other moms who are going through exactly what I experience, all framed in a context that unites and clarifies what I thought I was alone in experiencing. Ms. London has done us all a favor by naming the hardships AND celebrating the rewards of motherhood over forty. I recommend this book to any woman thinking baout when to start her family. It's filled with insight, humor and truth.