Contenu
'In one important sense maternity leave is a misnomer, as it involves no actual leave. You are constantly on. Even when your offspring is having a nap, you are gearing up for their next appearance, or on alert for their first whimper before the big cry. There is nothing restful about it. In another sense maternity leave is aptly named, although not in the way it was originally intended. It's a period of leave from all you know: taking leave of one's mind, body, job, and relationships'When award-winning broadcaster Emma Barnett began her second maternity leave, she realised that despite having been there before, as soon as her first leave had finished, the rose-tinted lenses descended and she had immediately forgotten what the experience was actually like when you're in it. This collective forgetting, which leads to well-meaning comments such as: 'enjoy every minute' and 'treasure this special time', is doing a disservice to women, leaving them unprepared for the more complicated, conflicted reality of the experience. In Maternity Service she sets out to capture this reality, in real time, arguing that it is more helpful, and honest to think of maternity leave as being akin to a military tour of duty, with its kit that needs to be acquired and mastered (and often lugged around); full body work-outs; night shifts that turn into day shifts; an unofficial uniform; a plethora of injuries; the sense of unrelenting effort for a larger, not always fully comprehensible long term goal and then the slow satisfaction that comes from doing your bit - for your baby and your family. This is not a parenting book - Emma isn't offering advice on sleep-training or weaning or helping your baby reach 'milestones'. Instead, her focus is on acknowledging the work of being on maternity leave, with its highs and lows, its boredoms, its insecurities, its unsocial hours and its impact on how women feel about themselves and their purpose. As eye-opening as Rachel Cusk's A Woman's Work, as honest and relatable as Don't forget to Scream and as groundbreaking as Friendaholic , Maternity Service is the essential companion for every mother embarking on maternity leave.