A decade later, the Fort Worth pediatrician mother of two boasts a significant social media presence. Several of her posts on Facebook have gone viral, receiving hundreds of thousands of views, with readers ranging from Tarrant County natives to followers in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started just being very honest and writing about what I was doing with my own kids, the data I had read, the numbers I knew, and just shared that with the community to help them make their own decisions,\u201d Arnaout said.<\/p>\n
Now, she\u2019s taking the next step as a writer. Arnaout is publishing her first book, \u201cHiccups: A Pediatrician Mom’s Guide to Surviving Your First Year of Parenthood,\u201d on April 2.<\/p>\n
Part of Arnaout\u2019s desire for the book was to put her advice somewhere more permanent. Social media is \u201ca dumpster fire some days,\u201d she notes.<\/p>\n
But she also wanted to provide parents with a different kind of guide to the first year of parenthood. The book is a colloquially written, succinct, 300-page guide caregivers can open every night to get questions they have answered by a trusted source, she said.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/hi-res-9798881806095--614x1024.jpg\")
The cover illustration of “Hiccups: A Pediatrician Mom’s Guide to Surviving Your First Year of Parenthood.” (Courtesy image | Bloomsbury Academic)<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I wrote the intro of the book, I said, \u2018Don’t read this book cover to cover. Jump in and jump out whenever you need it,\u2019\u201d Arnaout said. \u201cThat’s how it’s organized. That’s why I wrote it the way I wrote it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The chapter titles echo the conversational, lippy style Arnaout has gotten famous for in her social media posts. Sections include \u201cBreastfeeding is a real bitch,\u201d \u201cThe absolute brilliance of your kid\u2019s immune system,\u201d and \u201c\u2018Sleep is for the weak.\u2019 \u2014 most babies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each chapter is also structured differently than most parenting books. Instead of long, chunky paragraphs of text, Arnaout spells out her advice in a question-and-answer format.<\/p>\n
Everything from the advice littered in the pages to the cover \u2014 Arnaout joked most parent guides look like textbooks \u2014 was designed to emulate a \u201cconversation with a good friend,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope it helps someone somewhere. I think it will,\u201d Arnaout said. \u201cI always say my goal is to help some parent somewhere (who) is feeling really confused and frustrated, and they just whip the book out and get the answer they need and sleep better that night.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cowtown resident \u2014 who\u2019s worked in Fort Worth her entire pediatric career \u2014 is not stopping at this book. Arnaout said her publisher, Bloomsbury Academic, has already given her a contract for a second book titled \u201cTumbles\u201d and covers ages 1 to 3.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She hopes to write two future books covering school ages and the teenage years, enveloping all the help a parent may need for their kid\u2019s entire childhood.<\/p>\n
The books, including \u201cHiccups,\u201d are dedicated to Arnaout\u2019s children, Jack and Abby.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’ve taught me more than any book ever could, and I love you,\u201d Arnaout\u2019s acknowledgement in \u201cHiccups\u201d reads. \u201cThanks for understanding why I wrote about your butt rashes online.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ismael M. Belkoura is the health reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at ismael.belkoura@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n