http://www.amazon.com/Guilt-Free-Motherhood-Reclaiming-Well-Being-ebook/dp/B00WY9MZJ4
"A great read for all mums irrespective of working status – especially for anyone experiencing ‘mummy guilt’. I really liked the way the author drew on her own personal experiences to reach theories and conclusions on guilt-free living. All in all, a fantastic book with realistic goals, principles and lifestyle advice for the mother of today who feels she has to strive for perfection, when it comes to motherhood." N. Bukhari
Mummy guilt can start as early as when the pink stripes show up on your pregnancy test. I used to feel guilty about anything when I was expecting my first child. The first trimester was very tough. I could hardly keep food down, felt nauseous and weak, and worried constantly how it would affect the growth of my baby. Guilt sowed its seeds in me at the very start of my motherhood journey.
For many mums, the driving force in their lives is guilt. Somewhere along the way, it becomes a matter of doing it all. You feel as though you have to live up to unrealistic expectations, and if you do not, then you are obviously not worthy of calling yourself a mother at all – at least that’s what you come to believe. If you fail at even the slightest thing, you start to blame yourself for not being good
enough. Then you feel guilty for being somehow ‘lesser than’ all those parents who seem to be doing it right. The guilt builds and builds until it becomes not a consequence, but rather, that driving force that keeps you moving forward even as a little piece of you is screaming to slow down, take a deep breath, take it easy, and don’t let life sweep you away with the tidal wave.
You aren’t just keeping up with the Joneses. You are the Joneses.
‘Feel no guilt. Getting married and giving birth does not mean that you have sold your life away to perfectly healthy people who can get their own damn socks.’
Jennifer Crusie