Something about being a mom requires you to share the experience.

Whether it's to help a friend who's going through it for the first time or it's to commiserate about the lack of sleep, a mom rarely tires of hearing other mom stories.

At least, that's the kind of mom I am.

I love getting advice, hearing my friends' war stories -- the mom who had morning sickness for all nine months(!); the son who didn't sleep through the night until he was 10 months old -- reading parenting books and now, sharing my stories with new moms-to-be.

That's the spirit behind "A Cup of Comfort for New Mothers." The jacket describes it as a collection of stories from "50 mommies" that will provide the "support and reassurance" a new mom will need in her new role.

Indeed, through the short personal essays (none more than four small pages long), you hear from overwhelmed moms, moms waiting to adopt and moms who are watching their first-born adapt to the new baby in the house. I appreciated the fact that while the overall tone of the book was about the joys of motherhood, these moms don't come off sounding perfect.

There is the mother of two who laments the loss of her pre-pregnancy figure and describes how she futilely tries to squeeze in exercise during her morning routine. The mom who confides that in the first few weeks of dealing with a crying newborn, she feels "resentful" because "this little person has invaded my life and turned it upside down."

Not every mom will identify with every story, but after reading a few, you're warm and fuzzy inside, like you just finished a cup of hot chocolate.

Of course, anyone considering buying this book for a new mom should remember that one of the things new moms don't have is time to read. So you may want to wait until the baby is at least 6 months old.