Maternity Service

A tender, honest ‘love bomb’ of a read … I’m giving it to every new mother (and old) that I know * Abi Morgan, author of This is Not a Pity Memoir *This lovely book will keep many a new mother company * Philippa Perry *An absolute jewel of a book. Kind, funny, smart, soothing, and radical … A true gift for mothers, and an act of service in itself. This book will change lives * Lucy Jones, author of Matrescence *This book is absolutely excellent. I loved every word * Claudia Winkleman *This is the book every woman should read before they take maternity leave * Anya Hindmarch *‘Reassuring, funny and wise … A very welcome life raft’ * Sophie Ellis Bextor *Women need to be prepared for motherhood, in body and in soul, and I hope Emma’s book will inspire mothers to talk about their “maternity service” * Naomi Stadlen, author of What Mothers Do – especially when it looks like nothing *When Emma turns her forensic gaze onto a subject, that subject should be very afraid. She is stepping out onto virgin soil here and busting it open in the most comprehensive of ways … Attitudes towards Maternity Leave should and will never be the same again. And the first thing that needs to change is its ridiculous name * Emma Freud *Maternity leave is a no man’s land. Often literally. Weirdly so little has been written about it - probably because new mothers are too knackered and dazed. Emma has managed to capture this very strange but magical time and make some sense of it for us all * Susannah Constantine *Emma Barnett is the David Attenborough of the maternity leave world; her writing is as reassuring as her voice is on the radio. Reading this made me want to weep with relief for the woman I was in those early months - this book should go alongside the breast pads and maternity pants in every hospital bag * Dolly Jones *

Emma Barnett is an award-winning broadcaster and journalist. She was named Interviewer of the Year for 2022 at the British Journalism awards and is a presenter on BBC Radio 4’s flagship Today Programme, as well as hosting TV interviews and documentaries across the BBC. She has presented programmes that include Woman’s Hour on BBC Radio 4 and Newsnight. She also presents Ready To Talk - a BBC podcast she created to have meaningful one-to-one conversations about the moments that reshaped people’s lives. Think bold questions, unexpected truths and lot of tea.

Emma pens a newspaper column for the i, and was previously a columnist for the Sunday Times and the Daily Telegraph, where she was also the Women’s Editor. After the birth of her first child, she wrote Period- It’s about Bloody Time, her first book. Emma grew up in Manchester, and now lives in London with her husband and their two children.