Hi Katie,
I really liked the Dr Sears Pregnancy Book. He's also the author of The Baby Book, which is widely available and has a good mix of convential and alternative ways to take of your baby. Good luck!
The books that helped me most for pregnancy and birth were the Dr. Sears Pregnancy Book, Birthing From Within and Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. I read A LOT of books, and these I found to be the most honest, encouraging and helpful. Congrats on your pregnancy and happy reading!
Hi Katie,
I personally wasn't a fan of the What to Expect Books. I ended up reading The Pregnancy Book and The Birth Book. Both by Dr Sears.
Another good book for once you have your baby is "On Becoming Babywise." I can't remember who the author is but it basically helps you get your baby on a schedule and sleeping through the night. I hope this helps. I used all tehse books with my first two pregnancies and am currently rereading them while pregnant with my 3rd:)
Tammy B
Katie,
I have read many and my favorite is Your Pregnancy Week by Week. It shows how your body changes every week, answers all your question, has an easy to read format, and show illustrations week by week of the size of your baby. I have bought them for many pregnant friends and they agree. Good luck and congratulations!
Chris A
personally I thought the What to Expect books were old fashioned and boring. I enjoyed the Pregnancy week by week like many other suggested as well as websites where you get weekly updates which was fun.
For a fun read, Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy was HILARIOUS.
After the baby I highly recommend The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp. The book is lengthy so I recommend the video which has actual examples. You can buy the dvd on amazon or even try your local library. I know kaiser has them to rent for free. It really is amazing how great it works!
http://www.amazon.com/What-Doctor-About-Childrens-Vaccinations/dp/0446677078
This is something you have to prepare your self for, I wish someone had offered this info to me... because now I am mother of 2 autistic boys!!! Just like all others, they were normal till vaccines messed their immune system... Please look in to it!!! Love, Gabby. :0)
P.S. After the first vaccine at 2 days of age (Hepatitis B)before we left the hospital... my son was fine until they took him away to the nursery to get the shot... He came back crying nonstop!!! He would cry day and night!!! Before vaccine he would sleep all night!!! And fed normally, after that he never slept all night ever again, he would sleep 3-5 hours at a time!!!He would go to sleep crying and woke up crying (The nurses and doctors would only tell me that he was a colicky baby, that was their only explination)... And also diarrhea for 3 months, then it turned to costipation that would make him bleed and cry every time he went poty... And the more vaccines he got the worse he became!!! until MMR that was the last straw for him...That is when he went over the deep end, he stopped talking and looking at us, like a body without a soul... So that is my best suggestion for you for the health of your unborn child!!! Make sure your child has the chance to bloom in to the best person that he or she can be!!!Don't let you child turn in to an other statistic!!! http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/1/19/the-film-about-vaccines-you-must-see.aspx
Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives by Deepak Chopra was by far my favorite of the books I got when I was pregnant. My OBGYN gave me one that was very practical and that was great to have on hand as a reference, but this was fun and relaxing and helps you appreciate all the magic of this time in your life.
StephanieAnne
The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy. It is informational and hillarious at the same time. I never read "what to expect" - I thought it too...used...?? Is that the right word? Oh well - I think you'll like the book!
Congratulations!!
anything from the Dr. Sears (his wife is a nurse). I loved the Big Baby Book. Fantastic and comprehensive. good luck!
CHeck out The Pregnacy Book by Dr Sears.
I read My Perfectly Pampered Pregnancy and loved the whole book. The bood explained all the changes that may or may not occur and gave ways to get through. What to expect when your expecting....I read about 26 pages and then threw the book across the room. So outdated, hated it, all it seemed to do was tell me all the horrible things about pregnancy with no humor. Good luck.
Hope this helps
Mom of two great kids.
Stay away from the "What to Expect..." series. What little I did read from one of these books seemed to focus on risks and complications. Know the risks, but don't focus on them. The Sears' "The Baby Book" is the best all around book to get through pregnancy, birth, and the first two years.
My favorite birthing books are "Birthing From Within" and "Spiritual Midwifery". Best of luck!
For laughs I recommend Jen Macarthy's Belly Laughs, it gives you a laugh along with what to expect. I did use "What to Expect" as a reference but I mostly did alot of my reading online at americanpregnancy.com and babycenter.com.
Good luck!
Hi Katie,
Be sure to get the free Kit for New Parents anywhere in California! It has an awesome Advice book for new parents that covers a huge variety of topics. Plus it has a DVD series and other resources perfect for mom and dad.
Your doctor or your county's First 5 organization should hook you up with the Kit for New Parents. For our county, information is posted at www.first5shasta.org.
Good luck!
Hi Katie,
And you are so right that book is not the best at all...the book I used are:
Pregnancy Childbirth and the Newborn-Penny Simkin
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth-Ina May Gaskin
Also, try Prenatal Yoga it will help your pregnancy, and birth and delivery...
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask!
Hi Katie,
I am a labor and delivery nurse. We never recommend what to expect when you're expecting. I am now pregnant and have found the Mayo CLinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnany book to be very good.
Good Luck :)
I don't know if you are involved w/ the father or not but a great book for the father to read is "My Boys Can Swim". It is only like 30 pages of very lighthearted, funny reading that will give him a very brief & informative look into what to expect of the next 9 months.
Good luck!!
On another forum that I am a part of, there is a huge list of resources. I would check out your local library for any first. I would also suggest burning What to Expect. There is a lot of misinformation in in, and it is not very thorough in the topics that it does cover. This is a pretty long list, so I put stars by some of the essential ones. All of these books are great (I have not read all of them, but they come highly recommended).
Pregnancy:
Pregnancy Childbirth and the Newborn: The Complete Guide by Penny Simkin
The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger
Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy by Mayo Clinic
Childbirth:
*Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
Birthing from Within: An Extra-Ordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation by Pam England
*Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon
*Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin
*The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer
A Good Birth, A Safe Birth by Diana Korte
Childbirth without Fear by Dick Grantly (out of print)
Gentle Birth Choices by Barbara Harper
The Birth Book By Martha Sears
Having a Baby, Naturally By Peggy O'Mara
*Hypnobirthing: The Mongan Method By Marie Mongan
The Birth Partner by Penny Simpkin
A Wise Birth by Penny Armstrong
VBAC & Cesaren:
Artemis Speaks:VBAC Stories and Natural Childbirth Information By Nan Koehler
*The Silent Knife by Nancy Cohen
History of Childbirth:
BIRTH: The Surprising History of How We Are Born by Tina Cassidy
Maternity Care System:
*Born in the USA: How a Broken Maternity System Must Be Fixed To Put Women and Children First by Marsden Wagner (A MUST READ!)
PUSHED: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and the Modern Maternity Care by Jennifer Block
*Obstetric Myths Vs. Reseach Realities by Henci Goer
Birth as an American Rite of Passage by Robbie Davis Floyd
Pursuing the Birth Machine by Marsden Wagner
Midwifery:
*Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent (this is one of my favorite fun reads!)
A Midwife's Story by Penny Armstrong
Hearts and Hands: A Midwife's Guide to Pregnancy and Birth by Elizabeth Davis
Breastfeeding:
*The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League International
The Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins
The Breastfeeding Book by Martha Sears
Mothering Your Nursing Toddler by Norma Jane Bumgarner
So That's What They're For: The Definitive Breastfeeding Guide By Janet Tamaro
How My Breasts Saved The World: Misadventures of a Nursing Mother By Lisa Shapiro
Fresh Milk: The Secret Life of Breasts by Fiona Giles
Parenting:
The Continuum Concept: In Search of Happiness Lost By Jean Liedoff
The Natural Child: Parenting From the Heart By Jan Hunt
*The Baby Book by Dr Sears
The Attachment Parenting Book by Dr Sears
Mother Rising The Blessingway Journey Into Motherhood
Natural Family Living by Peggy O' Mara
Well, thanks ladies! There’s lots here to sift through. I’m starting with two books I received from my sister: my pregnancy week by week and the girlfriend’s guide. And then I’ll go from there! Much thanks again!