M+Culture: Lessons in Motherhood from It Takes a Village

Motherhood has never been a solo act — and yet, in today’s culture of individualism, it can feel like one.

It Takes a Village, the new book from Peanut, lands with timely clarity: the struggles mothers face are not personal failings but the result of societal gaps.

Drawing on all aspects of motherhood through real life stories and traditions from around the world, the book reframes support as essential, not optional. For example, in many cultures care is communal — food is shared, rest is prioritised, labour is divided.

Here, that same ethos is translated into everyday acts: a neighbour dropping round a lasagne, a friend sending a check-in text, a stranger offering a knowing smile. The message is clear: community isn’t a luxury, it’s what makes motherhood possible.

“Sometimes your village has to be built deliberately, one connection at a time.”

One of the book’s most compelling arguments is the need to plan for the “fourth trimester.”

Too often, expectant parents prepare meticulously for the birth itself, while overlooking the intense emotional and physical demands that come after.  Meals, childcare, and emotional support aren’t indulgences — they’re as vital as nappies and night feeds.

Framed through the lens of matrescence — the identity shift that comes with becoming a mother — the book invites us to treat this stage with the same respect we give to adolescence or menopause.

“Planning for the fourth trimester isn’t indulgent — it’s essential.”

What sets It Takes a Village apart is its refusal to sugarcoat. It acknowledges the burnout, comparison, and perfectionism that dog modern motherhood, and pushes back against the myth of the flawless mother.

Instead, it argues that these struggles are signs of a broken system — one that undervalues care, invisible labour, and isolates women at precisely the moment they need community most.

For readers, the takeaway is both comforting and galvanising: we are not alone, and building a village - whether through cultural tradition, friendship, or micromoments of kindness is how we all move forward.

“Motherhood isn’t meant to be endured alone — it was always meant to be shared.”

At Mother+, we couldn’t agree more. Our own community is proof of this ethos: a modern ‘village’ of women sharing tips, solidarity and support. Because when a baby is born, so too is a mother — and so too is the network that helps her thrive. It Takes a Village is not just a book but a call to action. A reminder that celebrating motherhood also means celebrating the networks both big and small that sustain it.

It Takes a Village: And Other Essential Truths for New Mothers from Peanut is out now, buy your copy here.