Maternity Service

A heartfelt, reassuring and bracingly honest book about what it actually feels like to be on maternity leave, from award-winning Radio 4 Today programme broadcaster, Emma Barnett.

The essential companion for every mother embarking on maternity leave

"In one important sense, maternity leave is poorly named, as it involves no actual leave. You are constantly on, even when your offspring is having a nap. There is nothing restful about it. In another sense, maternity leave is aptly named, because it's a period of leave from all you know—taking leave of one's mind, body, job, and relationships."

When Emma Barnett began her second maternity leave, she realised that, despite having been there before, as soon as her first leave finished, the rose-tinted lenses had descended and she immediately forgot 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 reality of what it means to be on maternity service.

In this warmly reassuring, refreshingly honest book, Emma sets out to capture this reality, in real-time while on her latest tour of duty. She isn't offering advice on sleep-training or weaning or helping your baby reach milestones. Instead, Maternity Service is a celebration and acknowledgement of the work of being on maternity leave, with its soaring highs and challenging lows, and its impact on how women feel about our purpose and ourselves.