Vicki Iovine, by The Best Friend's Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood

Comments from other Mumsnetters:

"Informative but very light hearted, it's not intended to be a manual on how to bring up your child, more a collection of shared experiences, advice and good humour to get you through the tough bits." "Written in a conversational style, it raises lots of subjects/issues that I didn't find in other books and makes you focus on yourself as well as your baby!" Sadly I didn't find this one until I was expecting my second, but I passed it on to a friend who was expecting her first baby and she found it realy helpful."

I loved this book, it ought to be an essential read for any new mum, be it your first baby or the fifth!
Informative in a chatty, friendly way, it gets mom to realise she's just as important as baby for things to work out.
Sensible, funny and understanding, there isn't much it doesn't cover.