Oh, Baby!: 7 Ways a Baby Will Change Your Life the First Year

Bettie B. Youngs, Susan Heim, and Jennifer Leigh Youngs
Hampton Roads Publishing Company (2006)
ISBN 1571745033
Reviewed by Regan Windsor for Reader Views (1/07)

Few parenting books tackle the emotional and relationship impacts of becoming a parent.  “Oh, Baby!” does an amazing job describing the entirely new level of love you experience with your baby, the enormous sense of responsibility, and the many challenges you will face in various aspect of your new role as parent.

Focusing on “7 Ways a Baby Will Change YOUR Life in the First Year,” the book is separated into seven aspects of your life that will be impacted with the birth of a baby.  However, each section is further broken down into four to six subsections giving the reader sixty-seven ways a baby will potentially change your life!  Each subsection includes questions to help stimulate thoughts and invoke discussion to help the reader assess the emotional and logistical challenges they have encountered and/or overcome.  Suggestions are provided to encourage the new parent to become creative in overcoming straining relationships, internal and external conflicts, and spirituality.

The seven sections covered throughout the book include:

A Baby Will Open Your Heart Like No Other Can or Ever Will
A Child Helps You Develop a Durable, Reliable –and Authentic- Sense of Self
Love, Marriage, and a Baby Carriage: Surviving and Thriving as a Couple
Making a Living and Raising a Child, A Baby Will Change your Views –and Goals- on Both
A Baby Creates Family Ties –and Bonds That Bind
A Baby Will Cause You to Examine Your Beliefs – and Question Your Faith
Friends and Your Baby: You’ll Make Many Friends and Lose a Few!

While it is easy to plan for and adjust to the logistical implications of being a parent, the emotional impact can be a shocking new discovery to parents.  “Oh, Baby!” is not only a tool to help prepare the new parent for the challenges to come, it is an excellence source to revisit as you face each situation and are looking for guidance and understanding, or even just the reassurance that you are not alone in it.  An excellent resource for new and pending parents and especially useful for parenting groups!

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