In her new book, Maternity Service, so named because those postnatal months are anything but “leave”, BBC presenter Emma Barnett makes some suggestions. Do not, she implores, tell new mothers to “make the most of every second”. This is, Barnett writes, “the most maddening and unhelpful piece of advice” because it is not true: it isn’t possible to enjoy every second of anything, let alone while also experiencing sleep deprivation, a loss of selfhood, overwhelming responsibility and the most intense love you’ve ever felt.

Instead, Maternity Service seeks to acknowledge maternity leave as it really is: “A period of leave from all you know: taking leave of one’s mind, body, job and relationships.” This short book, written during Barnett’s second round of maternity service, reassures mothers that it’s OK to feel shit sometimes. To be bored. To feel angry. These are normal. And, above all, it doesn’t mean you don’t love your child more than you ever thought possible.

New Statesman