Best books for expectant parents?

moonlady-2 · June 2016

I will have a lot of time to read this summer so I'm looking for some books to educate myself more on this whole process...pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, etc.

Any favorites or books to avoid?

zdmd_14 · June 2016

The Bradley method book if you're hoping to try going without an epidural.

Dr Sears baby book. I found it very helpful, although a lot of the info is on his website anyway.

What to expect when you're expecting is a bit too fear-mongering IMO.

elvinnoe · June 2016

They're all right, yet they're all wrong lol. Whatever you read, take it with a grain of salt and trust your own instincts. For me, the most helpful reading came from light reading such as blogs, tips and tricks articles, community boards like this, etc. Also, I still love a good nursery Pinterest board!

Regarding birth and breastfeeding, I found Youtube birth and BFing videos to be the most informative. It helped me decide what kind of birth I wanted and definitely helped the BF process, especially since the lactation consultant on call at the hospital was possibly the worst I've ever had (first child).

spano41 · June 2016

Baby bargains is great for figuring out all of the current baby gear. Happiest baby on the block is pretty popular. Wonder weeks is really interesting, although I'll admit I only got the the app and didn't read the book....it's not super useful, just interesting.

Shawlls · June 2016

We have an 18 month old and these are what really helped us (in addition to a prenatal class, which is where I learned most about breastfeeding).

"the new pregnancy bible"; informative, straight to the point, unbiased.

If you like novels: Bringing up Bébé.

Happiest baby on the block, The baby whisperer, and Sleep sense were life savers for calming/setting routines/sleeping.

sagoon · June 2016

The only books that I used the first time around were What to Expect and a book about Baby Signs (which we did and will definitely do again!). I found the internet more useful and convenient than any book.

cjs260 · June 2016

I will second "Bringing Up Bebe". I really loved that book and it confirmed a lot of the ideals that H and I had previously discussed as things we'd like to do.

BAJDesigns · July 2016

I am resurrecting this post since reading doesn't make me nauseous anymore. I am looking specifically for positive breastfeeding books. I struggle with anxiety so I really need books that are shame free whenever possible. I definitely don't need anything extra to push me over the edge if I struggle with it.

emcollins3 · July 2016

My sister in law just sent me "Expecting Better" by Emily Oster and I am loving it so far. Definitely checking out some of the others mentions and checking back on this thread to add to my reading list!

sweetyjenj · July 2016

I actually like "dad" books because they tend to be funnier and easier to read.

1. Dude, you're gonna be a dad
2. Dad's pregnant, too

katesmama0706 · July 2016

I read about a million last time. The ones I really liked and have revisited were:

The Big Book of Birth
The Mommy Docs Guide to Pregnancy

I also liked You'll Lose The Baby Weight and Other Lies About Pregnancy and Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy . They're both kind of dated and less informative but I liked the anecdotal aspect of both of them.

Edited cause the bump ate half my post

Dinozaur · July 2016

I think this book was mentioned a few times somewhere else, but I finally got Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. I'm still only in the birth stories section, but so far it's been such a relief to read all of these stories instead of all the crazy horror stories that friends and family like to tell. Like I understand some had difficult births, but sometimes I feel like people are just TRYING to scare me. Anyways, I don't know about the rest of the book yet, but the first part is great so far.

gapeachrn · July 2016

@Dinozaur I took an elective midwife class in Nursing school. May's book is so empowering! I love her perspective on childbirth!

TinaBelcher · July 2016

My doula friend suggested Birthing From Within (I haven't opened it yet), I loved Ina May's book, and I'm pleasantly surprised with Dude You're Gonna Be a Dad (I've only read the first couple of chapters)- not misogynistic, some stupid side remarks I could do without but otherwise just amusing and empathetic!

karaelaine1991 · July 2016

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. It is very much stilted in favor of midwife/non medicated birth, but I found it so helpful even as someone who had an epidural birth in a hospital. It really made me less fearful of giving birth and has fantastic information about medicine (both cons and pros, which I found impressive given that she's definitely in favor of non medicated birth when possible), positioning, and much more. But again, you will definitely notice that she pushes a natural birth agenda.

turtlemobile2 · July 2016

The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy is hilarious and informative. I also like Baby 411 because it has easy to read chapters and a fantastic index for easy reference at the end.

rdh33 · July 2016

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth has been my favorite read so far. If you like the birth stories in that book, I'd recommend Spiritual Midwifery, as well. It's also by Ina May Gaskin and is fabulous.

(FTM here, but I came thisclose to going to midwifery school a couple years ago; I've read a lot of pregnancy/labor books.)

Also, anything by Penny Simkin will be a good read. The Simkin Center in Seattle has a very well-regarded doula training program. The Birth Partner in particular is excellent for dads, birth partners, and moms. There is a more complete guide for pregnancy and childbirth by Simkin, but I haven't read that yet.

If you want to go really hippie, check out Birthing from Within -- especially those wanting a drug-free birth.

I really, really liked Bringing up Bebe.

*Edited because the bump is weird.

ElleMF728 · July 2016

"The Guy's Guide to Surviving Pregnancy, Childbirth..."

DH and I read a lot of this together. Its very funny so he would read me pages as I sat in the nursery at 3,4,5 am and attempted to nurse DS1 for the 80,0000x that night. It would make me stop crying and start laughing lol.

canavara · July 2016

On the pregnancy front, I really liked Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives. Each chapter is a different topic written as a personal essay. It's personal but the person writing it is intelligent so it's relatable.

Most pregnancy books have driven me insane. They're either written by doctors who are too preachy and kind of condescending and assume their readers are all idiots, or are written *too* anecdotally and thus seem really misguided.

On child-rearing and parenting, OH and I both read The Danish Way of Parenting and really loved it. It's about how Danish people raise their kids and values/techniques they try to instill but it really has little to do with Danish culture itself, so everything can be translated to an American (or other) family. Lots of talk about praising children for their actions not their traits ("You did really well at school today! Keep up the good work!" vs. "You're so smart!"), encouraging independent non-organized play time, learning how to reframe discussions so kids can learn that there are many sides to a story, and exposing children to a wide range of emotions early (i.e. reading stories that have sad endings instead of always happy) so that they develop empathy earlier on.

ETA: Links

Caitie81490 · July 2016

I bought my husband, "Dude You're Gonna Be a Dad." He loves it. It puts things in "guy terms" and gives him a heads up on what to expect at each stage. I bought the newest edition of "What to Expect..." and I wasn't impressed. Their website uses almost the same wording for the same topics, which makes sense. Why recreate the wheel? I'm looking for a better option for myself as well. My dr's office gave me a copy of a pregnancy book but it's from 2002. Good information but a little dated.

colleenkevin · July 2016

I read "It's really 10 months" last time. It's speckled with clinical info but mostly it's a funny take on pregnancy from 3 friends who were pregnant at the same time.

Want a personalized experience?

Best books for expectant parents?

Re: Best books for expectant parents?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards