"Based on my job as a professor of infant and child development, people are always pointing out how "prepared" I will be when I become a parent. My job is perfect for having children, they say, as I should know everything there is to know about having a baby already. The truth is, expertise can certainly tell you the science of what's happening to a baby throughout development, but all the science in the world can't tell you what it feels like to have a baby--the pang of morning sickness, the pain of labor, the excitement of birth, and the joy that comes from seeing your baby's first smile. This book is about pregnancy and first-time parenthood, and what someone who is supposed to be an expert in infancy experiences in the 9 months of pregnancy and the 9 months that follow. The book can offer you two things. First, it offers the psychology of how a baby is developing in the 9 months of pregnancy and the 9 months that follow. Second, it provides a first-hand account of how that science translates to a parent's experience--namely, my own. What's unique and special about this book is that I wrote it in real time while experiencing pregnancy and first time parenthood myself. Most of us hear amazing things about having kids, mostly because parents quickly forget the trials and tribulations of the early days of parenting as their children grow up to be wonderful and interesting people. The truth is, the first few months of parenthood are really hard--much harder than anyone tells you. This book will offer you information about development from an expert in the field, alongside an honest and real time account of how that science translates to a mother's experience"--