How Monthbooks Helped Me Survive My Baby's First Year | Chatbooks

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How Monthbooks Helped Me Survive (and Remember) My Baby's First Year

Published 2/19/26

New Moms

I couldn't tell you what day of the week it was for the first three months of my baby's life,

but somehow I managed to print his entire first year into photo books. Here's how.

The Postpartum Reality No One Prepared Me For

I truly believe some people are just built for the newborn stage. They glide through it like serene swans while the rest of us (hi, me!) are flailing around like we've been dropped into the deep end without floaties.

And honestly? That's not a failure. If anything, it's an acute awareness of the magnitude of what's happening. Like, oh my god, this tiny vulnerable thing that can't even hold its own head up is mine now? And I have to keep it alive?

As if the whole medical scene and trauma of delivery weren't enough (beautiful, yes, but also...what is this alien creature suddenly on my chest?), they just send you home. No training. No manual. Just "good luck!" The much less talked about fourth trimester really is no joke.

After I had my kid, I couldn't believe there were about 8 billion people alive on this planet, which meant roughly 8 billion mothers had done this before me. I was just a speck among them. And that's not even counting all the mothers in existence, ever.

All of this to say: None of this came naturally to me.

The Trenches Were Real

It wasn't just me freaking out, my partner was right there with me, both of us rocking back and forth, watching our baby breathe all night long.

Looking back, it wasn't that bad (now that I’m the mom to a rowdy toddler), but the shock of it all? Nothing prepares you. It doesn't matter how many birth stories you've heard or how many "day in the life" mommy vlogs you've watched. The only way to really know is to live it.

So yeah, I was overwhelmed. (Which feels like an understatement.)

I was running on fumes, cortisol spiking from newborn screams in the middle of the night that would pop me out of bed like I was ready to fly a commercial jet—after a whole 45 minutes of sleep.

And throughout all of this chaos, I kept hearing:

"You'll miss this one day."

"It goes by so fast. Try to enjoy it."

And to that I'd say…yeah, okay.

But here's the thing: they were right. (Kinda.)

Do I Miss It? Yes and No.

Do I miss the sleep deprivation? Absolutely not. (Though I'm still a little sleep deprived with a 2-year-old, tbh.)

Do I miss the little warm potato snuggles? The tiny yawns? The fact that he wasn't trying to throw a toy truck at my face?

YES. So much yes.

He was so snuggly. So small. So sweet

The Photo Overload Problem

During this very chaotic time, I was able to capture a lot of it. I had a million and one photos of this kid from the moment he arrived.

A photo of him sleeping in the hospital.

A photo of him laying perfectly still on my bed.

A photo of his first smile (okay, it was gas, but it was still cute).

Tons of photos. Just accumulating. Nowhere to go.

My MIL asking for them constantly. My low storage notification making me want to throw my phone out the window. These were important photos, like, he'll never be this small again, just sitting there, unused.

I knew I needed to do something with them. But sitting down to make a full baby book? While functioning at like 10% brain capacity? Hard pass.

Hello Chatbooks Monthbooks

If only I could print them each month into a little photo album?

Oh wait. I can.

With Chatbooks Monthbooks, I did exactly that. Sleep-deprived, delirious me was able to make photo books. And the app makes it so easy you can do it while functioning at 10%. Not joking.

It would be 3 AM. Me: burping baby with one arm, making my Monthbook with the other.

Here's all I had to do:

Select a minimum of 30, maximum of 60 photos from whatever month I wanted to print
Hit done
Wait for the book to arrive

The hardest part? Having to choose between 150 nearly identical photos of my baby sleeping.

But guess what? Chatbooks even has a completely free service for subscribers where they'll curate your book for you. All you do is upload the photos. It's amazing.

Monthbooks Photo Books Were the Real Postpartum MVP

Because of Monthbooks, I was able to print month-by-month my son's entire first year. And it was a beautiful thing.

I even sent copies of each book to my MIL, which she obviously loved.

Full disclosure: I did eventually make a baby book of his entire first year, but I didn't do it until he was basically already 2. Sitting down to make a photo book with nearly 400 pages can be daunting, even though Chatbooks makes it easy. (You can connect directly to your camera roll and choose from there, which is a huge time saver.)

But the monthly photo books were perfect for a new mom like me who couldn't even put on two matching shoes for the first couple of months.

Why Every New Mom Needs Monthbooks

I will scream it from the rooftops: every new parent NEEDS this product.

It's Type B—and even Type C (me)—approved, one hundredfold. All you need: photos and a finger to tap. Barely any brain power is required aside from those two things.

Here are more reasons why they practically saved my life:

Takes the guilt off from not sending photos to grandparents
Does something meaningful with all those thousands of precious early moments
Captures growth and milestones you'd otherwise completely forget

Shows your growth as a mom too, from Googling everything in a panic to finally having the confidence to take your baby to their first outing (shoutout to my local diner!)

An actual image of my husband and I taking our son out OUT for the first time.

They look beautiful on my shelf, of course. But most importantly, they're my son's most precious moments, preserved.

Not to Sound Corny But…Just Like the Memories, These Books are Irreplaceable

They're easy to make (TRUST). And they're something every new parent needs.

Because the newborn stage is chaos. And you won't remember half of it.

But with Monthbooks? You don't have to.

Ready to start? [Print your baby's first month →]