Darria Long Gillespie - Mom Hacks: 100+ Science-Backed Shortcuts to Reclaim Your Body, Raise Awesome Kids, and Be Unstoppable

Dr. Darrias witty, clever, and thoughtful approach to mothering advice will make you comfortable with the chaotic beauty of raising the most treasured friend you will ever have. Go get em!

Mehmet Oz, MD, Host, The Dr. Oz Show, attending physician, New York Presbyterian-Columbia University

Mom Hacks, written from the heart of a mother and the scientific mind of a doctor, is a fun and informative read for busy parents. My favorite hack is Dr. Darrias wise advice about how moms can keep their own mind happy, even when their kids are draining. As a parent of eight and pediatrician for over fifty years, I highly recommend it.

William Sears, MD, coauthor of The Baby Book

Mom Hacks is a book every household should have to help maintain and improve the health of their children, and themselves. Dr. Darria fills the book with real medical lessons distilled from her years in the ER, as well as her own experiences as a mom of two children. This is the perspective and information moms everywhere need to hear, today.

Sanjay Gupta, MD; CNN Chief Health Correspondent

Dr. Darriaa mother, a doctor, and patientis uniquely able to give insider advice thats both relatable and trustworthy. Most importantly, her easily-absorbed hacks are a quick read on-the-go, can be read in any order, and are just what the doctor ordered for busy moms everywhere.

Dawn Whaley, Sharecare President (and a mom)

While we always hear it takes a village, thats not always easy to find until now. Welcome to your village of fun and sensible advice every mom needs to hear! Going from me to mommy wasnt the easiest transition for me, and I wish I had this book back then! Its a must-have for all of us navigating the wonderfully complicated journey of motherhood.

Lynn Smith, Mom and CNN Anchor

Dr. Darria delivers evidence-based bite sized tips to help the busy parent (including dads!) make the daily routine simpler and gratifying.

Sudave Mendiratta, MD, FACEP; Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Chief, Emergency Medicine, Erlanger Health System Chattanooga

Dr. Darria shares her wisdom and offers honest advice how moms can live their fullest, healthiest, and joy-filled lives while not sacrificing their most precious gifttheir children. With balance, she reveals how we can have it all in Mom Hacks.

Meg Arnold, BSN, RN, and mom of four

Mom Hacks is a must-read for all moms to maximize beautiful moments with their children and minimize frustration. Combining the best in science with the honesty of a girlfriend, its the all-in-one, laugh-out-loud book that is the exact information youd get if your BFF were also a top physician and parenting expert.

Dr. Tanya Altmann, pediatrician, founder of Calabasas Pediatrics Wellness center, author of Baby and Toddler Basics and What to Feed Your Baby, and national spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatricians

To my beautiful babies:

You gave me the reasons I needed hacks but also the fire to create them.

I love you more.

To BTG:

and it would not ring true.

If not for you.

To Mom and Dad:

Illegitimi non carborundum.

Never allow a person to tell you no

who doesnt have the power to say yes.

Eleanor Roosevelt

This book is designed to provide information and motivation about health and wellness. It offers helpful tips and education but is not intended to diagnose or treat any malady, or to replace, countermand, or conflict with the advice given to you by your own physician. If you have or think you have any health-care needs, you should contact a health-care professional and follow his or her advice. Information in this book is general in nature and is offered with no guarantees on the part of the author or Da Capo Press. Neither the author nor Da Capo Press is responsible for any specific health needs you bring, have, or might develop in the future, and we disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book. Unless explicitly noted, the names and identifying details of people associated with events described in this book have been changed.

At seven months pregnant with my first child, I joked at dinner with an old friend (herself a mother of two), about modifying my running habit for my growing bump. I was caught off guard by her response: Going to the gym. Yeah, that wont happen again after baby arrives.

I was stunned. And hurt. But was it true?

The Mom Epidemic

Shortly after that conversation, I was working on a news piece for mothers health and learned that the truth wasnt pretty: For every child she has, a mothers risk of obesity rises by 7 percent. (I know. Wheres the justice?) Moms are statistically more likely to have poor nutrition, get less exercise, have waaaay less sleep, and face alarmingly increasing rates of pregnancy-related complications and death in the United States.

Suddenly, I was worried for moms. And for our children, whose generation may have shorter lives than our own. What sort of Handmaids Tale world was this? Did we have to accept poor health as the cost of motherhood?

We find cures for cancer. We create artificial ears using 3-D printers. We solved how to pee in space. I knew we could figure this out.

Id Found Solutions When I Was Told No BeforeCould I Do It Again?

You see, Id been here before, told my health as I knew it was going to change and that I had to live with it. When I was in medical school, I developed a large ovarian cyst. I awoke from emergency surgery having lost the entire ovaryand facing probable fertility problems. Within the next two years, I started to develop painful, swollen joints; I couldnt walk or see patients without pain. Within weeks, I went from daily runs to a low point when I realized my car was unlocked in downtown Bostonbut was in too much pain to go back and lock it. I was eventually diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and started weekly medication injections. They helped but came with their own risks (and if you need a laugh, watch a doctor learning to give herself an injection).