Hi Ladies,
I am on the lookout for some good reading material on pregnancy. This is my first pregnancy, and I am not convinced that What To Expect... is the end-all-be-all of maternity reading. Any suggestions?
I hated What to Expect. Aside from the fact that I just didn't like the format (I'm a picture person) my background is in science and I just found it a little too simple for me. I got "The Pregnancy Bible" - Joanne Stone, MD & Keith Eddleman, MD
It's smart and has lots of pictures (including actual pictures of a growing fetus week by week.) I loved it.
And my partner got the guys guide to pregnancy. It's very funny and informative.
Hi Katie,
I loved the Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy and also Jenny MCarthy's Belly Laughs. Both were so accurate but also hilarious to read. I have a nine month old now and love to read the second book by Jenny MCarthy, Baby Laughs, so perhaps you could purchase them in a set?
This is also my first pregnancy and the two books I found helpful were "Great Expectations: Your All-in-One Resource for Pregnancy & Childbirth" by Sandy Jones & Marcie Jones. In the front there's a week by week section and the rest of the book is broken out by subject, which I find easy to use for looking up information. The other book I have is "The Pregnancy Journal" by Christine Harris, but it's more of a daily update or journal reading about your baby which isn't so much necessary, but I find it fun.
Katie,
I was really into reading birth stories. Ina May's books are great and Birthing From Within is a great one too. Be careful though, there is so much information out there you can get caught up. Take it all with a grain of salt and take breaks from reading too. Your body and other moms tell you more than a book can.
Good luck!
The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy is by far the best book out there. She gives you the real scoop on being pregnant, i laughed and laughed and got some great information! What i loved about it is that she does not force opinion on you, she just simply tells it like it is.
Happy reading!
Dr. William and Martha Sears books are amazing. Not prescriptive, very informative, accurate and empowering.
Re. birthing - Birthing from Within was my favorite.
and a fun anthropology type book: Our Babies Ourselves
I loved the book, "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Harvey Karp. He gives great advice on the 5 S's that help you calm your baby. I took that advice to heart and it worked wonders. I would highly recommend it. I am now reading his follow up book, "the Happiest Toddler on the Block" becuase my baby is now almost 18 months old. You will love it and it is an easy read! Good luck with the Pregnancy!
I honestly can't remember the name of my favorite pregnancy book, my daughter is now almost 4 and all my pregnancy books have been packed up and stored away. But I remember my favorite book having pictures of every phase of pregnancy so you could see what was happening inside of you every week/month and also how you should be feeling and what was coming next, it was really great! I would highly recommend a book like that!
Jamie
I liked the Baby Book by Dr Sears. I used that with What to Expected and thought it gave me a good balance of thoughts.
what to except certainly is not the end-all-be-all, but it really is a great book, and one that I would strongly recommend!
Congratulations!! I read What to Expect while I was pregnant, I felt it had too much info that didn't pertain to me. I've been reading Your Baby's First year week by week and I love it. They have a book Your Pregnancy week by week, by Glade B. Curtis & Judith Schuler, I'm sure it's just as good. However, my favorite thing to read when I was pregnant was weekly newsletters from BabyCenter.com (my favorite) and BabyZone.com. Both are great. I loved finding out what size my peanut was and what was developing. It has great links and they are both great resources as a parent too.
Good Luck and Enjoy the pregnancy and your baby!!!
Congrats to you!
My favorite book was the pregnancy week by week. I felt it was much more informative and enjoyable than the full month at at time that the other book has. I enjoyed the pictures of the growing baby and all the informative stuff they provided.
Enjoy your pregnancy! I hope it goes good for you
My favorites were The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy-very honest, and definitely answers all the questions that you may have and then some-especially those questions that you might be too embarrassed to ask. A very humorous and easy read. My other favorite was Baby Wise. This one is not about pregnancy, but all about your baby and how to handle things such as feedings, bedtimes, and basically everything you need to know about your baby. Good luck!
DEFINITELY the "Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy." It's a hilarious book and a very easy read. I also signed up for www.BabyCenter.com, which gives you weekly updates on what to expect as well the progress of your fetus. I still continue to receive weekly emails now related to my 4-month old (what to expect, etc.). "What to Expect..."was a good reference book so I would still recommend having one around.
What to expect while you are expecting was a great book. I read it and so did several people I know. No complaints from us.
Hi Katie,
Congrats on your pregnancy! There are so many good books. Look at books by Henci Goer, Sheila Kitzinger, Ina May Gaskin, Dr. Sears, Michel Odent, Suzzane Arms, Gayle Peterson, and Pam England. I used to be a childbirth educator and I still have my RN. I worked in maternity. I'm a mom of 3 who had my babies born at home. I used to work in a large hospital though. If I knew more about you and what areas of pregnancy and childbirth you want to learn about most I can recommend books that are a good match for you.
Good Luck!
Jen
I agree with Jen D on every one of her suggestions. Anything by Ina May Gaskin is amazing. She has a true reverence for birth and decades of experience. Spiritual Midwifery was written in the 70s and has a very groovy 70s feel (the grooviness is not for everyone, but beneath the groove, is an phenomenal book). The first section is filled only with birth stories. The second is really a guide for midwives, but covers all of the essential birth info in an accessible way.
in my humble opinion, her latest book (Ina May's Guide to Childbirth) is the best book on childbirth out there. It is organized the same way as Spiritual MIdwifery (stories first, then the information section), but it is infused with the knowledge of 30+ years of delivering babies. It has a wisdom that transcends other books on the subject.
Others:
Anything by Henci Goer
Birthing from Within (Pam England)
Immaculate Deception (Suzanne Arms)
Immaculate Deception 2 (Suzanne Arms)
I am also an RN (was a midwifery student years ago) and had my two kids at home. One in North Carolina and one here in Santa Cruz.
Enjoy this time. It's an amazing experience, followed only by the unmatchable experience of motherhood!!!
I didn't feel it was either! I loved Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy. But I really love www.Babysource.com . It has a pregnancy growth tracker, advice for pregnancy AND stage development when the baby is born. TONS of info on there. I was addicted with my first one. Another thing? It's free and you don't have to pay $20+ for a book. :-)
Additionally, when you have the baby please consider Baby Signs (shows you how to communicate with your baby thru 'sign' language. My kids LOVED this process!) and SUPER BABY FOOD by Ruth Yaron. Incredible feeding resource for babies, including a breakdown of what-to-feed-at-what-age and easy instructions for making your own healthy baby food. It's FAST and super easy and healthier and much much cheaper.
Congratulations on your first pregnancy, Katie! You might be interested in positive information and some good birth stories to read. Here are a few books I recommend to my doula clients:
Hey! Who's Having this Baby Anyway? by Breck Hawk, RN & Midwife
Journey into Motherhood by Sheri Menelli
The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer
Birthing From Within by Pam England
Wishing you a healthy pregnancy and wonderful birth, Holly