THE MOMMY GROUP is a witty, wise, and relatable memoir about the incredible bond among a group of new mothers and the power of female friendship during the pivotal first two years of parenthood.
In 2010, seven women met in Brooklyn, New York, to form a Mommy Group. Over coffee, croissants, wine, and the occasional baby carrot, they commiserated over typical new mother issues: difficult births, babies who slept in ten-minute increments, and breast pumps that talked back in the middle of the night. And then things got complicated. Elizabeth and Melissa suffered from postpartum depression and anxiety. Jane’s daughter was diagnosed with developmental delays. Anna’s husband left her when their baby was two weeks old. Through it all, the Mommy Group laughed, supported, and learned lessons from each other that the myriad “experts” hadn’t delivered.
Inspired by her experience, Gold reached out to other Mommy Groups around the country and found that similar bonds were forming way beyond brownstone Brooklyn. In fact, mothers across all class, geographic, and racial boundaries appear to be searching for the same thing: “a way to raise our children while retaining—or remaking—our Selves.”
Once upon a time, a young woman could turn to her mother, sisters, or aunts, who lived only minutes away, for comfort and counsel through pregnancy and early parenthood. Today, women are having their first children later in life, extended family lives farther away, and new motherhood can become an isolating experience. As Gold’s husband Danny put it, new mothers in the United States don’t “even get a brochure.” Her Mommy Group not only gave her the support she needed but also an awareness of what public policy wasn’t. “And what better way to understand all the issues facing parents today than to organize, and, frankly, to politicize, through Mommy Groups?”
A heartfelt, entertaining memoir, as well as a revealing look at the state of parenthood today, The Mommy Group is a companion that will help any mom feel understood, empowered, and laughing all the way.