A Mother's Circle : How Your Baby Changes How Your Baby Changes You [Paperback]

Jean Kunhardt (Author), Lisa Spiegel (Author), Sandra Kunhardt Basile (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1996

A Mother's Circle: How Your Baby Changes, How Your Baby Changes You provides valuable advice and information to the new parent. Topics include: sleep, feeding, work and motherhood, attachment and separation and changes in relationships.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"There are plenty of books that tell you how to warm a bottle or change a diaper, but this is the best one I know to face squarely how you feel about yourself...An excellent guide on how to navigate in the world as a parent. I'm going to recommend it to all my mothers as the first book they should read." -- Budd N. Shenkin, M.D. Chief of Pediatrics, Summit Hospital, Oakland, CA

Back in the days when people knew their neighbors, extended families lived within blocks if not miles of each other and close friends didn't move away, books like this one weren't as needed. But Kunhardt and company fill the gap for the lonely new mother who wishes her child came with a manual and she ahd her own mother ready at hand to provide advice, solace and a hug.

Kunhardt and Spiegel, who work with the Soho Parenting Center in Manhattan, explain how discussion groups with new mothers can help women become comfortable in their new role and gain confidence in their caretaking.

For example, they attack the frequently heard criticism about "spoiling the baby." "When a baby's cries frequently elicit no response, a vicious cycle of unmet needs and escalating demands can be created," they write. "When an adult soothes a baby, he or she helps that baby to associate human contact with comfort, well-being and bodily pleasure." -- Carolyn Colwell, New York Newsday, April 21, 1996

From the Inside Flap

Praise for A Mother's Circle

"This is the only book I've read that helped me both care for my baby and understand myself as a new mother."
- Sarah Jessica Parker

"I love it! I think it is the most realistic and helpful book available for new moms."
- Diane Debrovner, Parents Magazine --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Soho Parenting Center (December 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966689003
• ISBN-13: 978-0966689006
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,239,545 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you Jean and Lisa !, December 31, 1999

By 

M Franklin (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Mother's Circle : How Your Baby Changes How Your Baby Changes You (Paperback)

This is the only book I've read that helps with the changes in relationships that follow the birth of child...deals non-judgementally with those of us who choose to bottle feed or return to work...to explain why our partners' response is not what we bargained for and MOST IMPORTANTLY how to help our kids sleep through the night and nap properly - so that they are HAPPY when awake.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT read for new moms..., May 14, 2004

By 

S. Meunier "mythreebythesea" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Mother's Circle : How Your Baby Changes How Your Baby Changes You (Paperback)

My physician recommended this book after the birth of my son...his wife is actually one of the contributing authors. He gave it rave reviews...(as any good husband would do for his wife, I thought.) Luckily for me, I actually followed his recommendation,searched down a copy and read it.

This book is the first one I've read as a new mother that made me feel like I wasn't completely alone in some of my experiences as a new mom. If that had been the only thing I had gotten out of it, I would have been thrilled. However, this book offers so much more.

You can read it and put it down...there are no scientific terms and techniques (had enough of those?). It gave me the confidence to be the mother that I always knew I could be...and to be able to forgive myself for not having ALL the answers (hint: you can never have all the answers).

I felt good every time I put it down...even if I could only read for a couple of minutes. Do yourself a favor - buy a copy. Actually, buy TWO. One for yourself...and one for someone else that's had a new baby. She will be a friend indeed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book I read as a new mother, February 18, 2004

By 

Jill S. "author" (Larchmont, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Mother's Circle : How Your Baby Changes How Your Baby Changes You (Paperback)

This book--and the Soho Parenting Group it led me to--saved my life as an overwhelmed new mother. Intead of preaching to you, as so many other parenting books do, it explores the wide range of emotions new parents feel about their baby, their identities, and their relationship as they take on the life-changing process of parenting. Speigel and Kunhardt also give very helpful, very specific guidelines for caring for your baby, helping him or her sleep through the night, feeding, and other essential topics. All in a caring and supportive way. I give this book as a gift to all new parents now.