Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan

This was such a difficult book to read. It is compelling and emotional and hit all the sensitive nerves in me. The book hit home with me and I could relate to so much here.

Motherhood is hard. It is unquestionably one of the hardest things you can ever do but it is also rewarding (ignore the teenage years please. It is supposed to get better lol).

Jess, Liz, Charlotte, and Mel became friends after connecting through prenatal class. Liz is surprised when Jess shows up in the emergency room with her baby who has a severe head injury. The explanation Jess gives doesn't make sense so Liz reluctantly agrees with her supervisor to call in the police and social service to open an investigation to find out what really did happen.

As I said, this really hit home. My first baby was "easy" considering I had never been the sole caregiver of a baby before. I was impressed by Sarah Vaughan's description of all the fears of new motherhood. I never developed a fear of harming my baby but did imagine all the possible things that could potentially hurt her but not to the point depicted in the book. It was more baby gates and covering outlets aside from making my landlord make a higher barrier at the top side of the stairs. She was a newborn and I was already picturing her upstairs and tumbling over the side. My son was another matter. He was colicky and I remember how helpless I felt. I always felt so terrible for him and blamed myself for being unable to calm him down and help him. I think it made a difference realizing that he was just trying to communicate and I was unable to understand (the solution was letting him watch candy crush). It is definitely overwhelming when you have more than one young child to look after.

The difference in the book is it deals with being too overwhelmed, being afraid to ask for help, and putting pressure on yourself to be the perfect mother. An added problem is PPD and PPP.

The book is very emotional and realistic. There are so many twists and turns and side plots to keep you interested to the very end. It is obvious that the author did a lot of research for this book. There could be personal experience as well but the degree of detail on physical injuries and psychological issues not to mention hospital protocol to appreciate the effort Sarah Vaughn put in.

3/5 Stars