So Many Babies
Susan Landers, MD, practiced neonatology for over thirty years, caring for critically ill and premature infants and their vulnerable parents. A breastfeeding expert who lectured for the American Academy of Pediatrics, a leader in donor human milk banking, and a mentor to younger women physicians, she also raised three strong-willed children – one gifted, one perfectionistic, and one neurodivergent with ADHD and dyslexia. Now, she shares the truth about living in the overlap of medicine and motherhood.
So Many Babies: My Life Balancing a Busy Medical Career and Motherhood is a deeply honest memoir about endurance, flexibility, and redefining success. Through decades of experience in the NICU and at home, Landers models resilience over time, reframes perfectionism into “good enough,” and shows how priorities shift through different seasons of life. You’ll see that balance isn’t a formula – it’s an evolution.
In So Many Babies you’ll discover:
- Permission to redefine success on your own terms
- Relief from the guilt that shadows working motherhood
- A powerful understanding of what “good enough” truly means
- Feeling camaraderie with other high-achieving working mothers
- That your resilience is built moment by moment, despite being exhausted and unsure.
- That endurance, adaptability, and “good enough” parenting are genuine achievements
- A true validation of your feelings
- A deep sense of reassurance
So Many Babies is your reassuring companion for the long game of career and motherhood. If you long to feel validated, less alone, and confident that both your work and your loving your children matter, you’ll treasure Dr. Landers’ compassionate and deeply affirming memoir.
Praise
Kirkus Reviews
“…the memoir as a whole will prove to be illuminating for anyone striving to be a caring and effective parent while pursuing a high-stress career.
Frank, insightful writing about neonatal medicine and being a parent.”
Stephen Harrigan, author of “Big Wonderful Thing” and “Gates of the Alamo”
“So Many Babies is not just a peek behind the curtain at the miracles and heartbreak that take place in the NICU, it is also a frank and moving meditation on the human costs endured by the doctors and nurses entrusted with saving tiny lives.”
Louise Morse:
“This is a good read for everyone who has an internal drive and desire to be the best at whatever it is they wish to engage in and having done so, to feel the deep pleasure from the good they have accomplished as well as the extreme fatigue and burnout from having devoted so much of their time, thoughts and actions to that end. In other words, having experienced life’s best and worst emotions at the deepest level, which is something most people who live a more mundane life do not have to live through or have the privilege of feeling.”
Kelly Fradin, MD, author of Advanced Parenting and Parenting in a Pandemic:
How to Help Your Family Through Covid-19 commented: “As a part-time pediatrician and mother, I’ve often struggled to find frank and uncensored mentorship about balancing parenting and navigating practice as a woman. I found Dr. Landers’ book full of excellent anecdotes and ripe with the valuable perspective of a working mother who has seen her children through all sorts of ups and downs. I particularly enjoyed hearing about the moments when Dr. Landers was deeply affected by her work as a neonatologist such as her awareness that it could have been her child with the congenital heart defect. I found myself rooting for her success when she joined an all male private practice and had to advocate for her needs as a working parent. All parents can relate to how she coped with feelings of guilt and unease as she worked to help her children through common struggles (like moving a tween) and more difficult challenges (like learning disabilities and ADHD). I highly recommend the book for mothers looking for guidance and perspective on parenting.”
Mandy Vickers, RN:
“I can’t say enough wonderful things about Dr. Landers. When I started as a NICU RN 20+ years ago I was already impressed with her and scared of her. In time, I have come to realize the barriers she had overcome and what all she truly had accomplished.
This is what I know now: She is a trail blazer. She is passionate about all the important things to women – equality, motherhood, friendship and work/life balance.
She sacrificed so that women following in her footsteps could thrive. I respect her. I love her. I listen to her. I appreciate her. And I am grateful she continues to share her hard fought wisdom and truth with the world – especially with working women and moms.”
Michelle Jocson, RN, a book blogger @Nurse_bookie:
“Dr. Landers memoir is about her career as a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit physician, a mother to her three children, and a wife to another physician. It is balancing these roles that she shares her challenges and triumphs with her readers. This memoir is full of heart and a story of resilience for all women…..This book will be an inspiration to all women trying to balance the complexities of a family and a career.”
Rev. Tracey Beadle
“Engaging and relatable for women struggling to balance two passions: career and family. A beautiful peek into the life of a strong and determined woman balancing the challenges of her two greatest passions – motherhood and medicine. Her vulnerability makes it easy for working mothers to relate and find strength and encouragement for their own journey. Love the book!”
Samantha Smith, RN, MSN, NNP:
“It needs to be voiced to all the mothers out there. Beautifully written about the balance of being a mother and a successful career with all of life’s challenges and joys. I really enjoy the personal NICU stories. Really love this book!”