There is an infinite amount of books out there on the subject of pregnancy, baby care, and parenting. Throughout my pregnancy I browsed so many books and only a handful ended up making their way into my home. Because my baby isn’t here yet, I mostly read pregnancy books but I did read a few that had great information for after baby’s arrival and they made me feel more prepared, so I had to share those too. Below are my favorite pregnancy and baby-prep books.
![The Impatient Woman's Guide to Getting Pregnant by [Twenge, Jean M.]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/519tDoDLOzL.jpg)
This book belongs at the top of my list because I read this even before I was pregnant. I had a miscarriage a few months before I got pregnant with our son, and I can’t even tell you how comforting this research-based book was after our loss. The chapter “sad endings” really spells out the stats on miscarriages and it kept me positive as well as reminded me that I did nothing wrong. It’s a super easy read with information on how to increase your odds of conceiving and how to be your healthiest self before you get pregnant. I think I finished this book in just a few days. I am also really big on research-based information and I loved how this book was just loaded with statistics.
When I found out I was pregnant, I was so excited to go to Barnes & Noble and browse the pregnancy books! This was the first one I ever bought. It’s written by an MD and she covers it all in this book. It reads like a textbook, with lots of pictures, charts, and loads of scientific information. Owning this book was like having my own OB/GYN in my house. It moves month-by-month, so I read the next chapter as I entered that particular month. It’s a thick book, so reading it this way is definitely the way to go and I looked forward to picking it up each month.
This is obviously the pregnancy book of all pregnancy books. It has a more “girlfriend-to-girlfriend” vibe, compared to the previous book. One thing I really like about this book is the “What You May be Wondering About” section. They are basically reader questions, such as “I’ve been feeling nauseous again recently, but I thought that was only a first trimester symptom” and they provide the medical explanation along with tips and solutions. By the way, when I got to the 8 month chapter and read that question, I totally related and couldn’t wait to read the answer!
I read the originally Skinny Bitch book many years ago, and was curious to find out what the ladies thought about eating during pregnancy. This book will wake you up to the fact that pregnancy is not a time to eat whatever you want or to “eat for two”, if you didn’t already know. I loved learning the ingredients to avoid, like artificial colors, sweeteners, etc. and why there were not a good idea to indulge in during pregnancy. It’s a great book for the health conscious mom-to-be. And really, pregnancy is the best time to be health nuts and improve our nutrition for the well-being of our babies.
Sometimes I wonder how having a baby will affect my lifestyle, career, and relationship with my husband, and that unknown can be a little scary. This book assured me that I can be a great mom without losing myself. I love her tips for how to bounce back after pregnancy/birth and how to keep it all together with a new baby on the scene. It’s funny because both of the author’s pregnancies were total surprises, and if she can bounce back after all that unexpected and unplanned change, then it makes me feel confident that my husband and I can too (and we had been talking about our desire to grow our family a full year before our son was conceived).
This is more of a parenting book, but I really enjoyed it even though my baby hasn’t arrived yet. It’s about an American woman who raised her children in France and her observations on French parenting. She says that French children, overall, are more patient, polite, and well-behaved than American children. It was an entertaining read and I found the parenting techniques in this book really interesting. Hopefully I will remember most of them when I have to start disciplining.
Practically the day I entered the 3rd trimester I thought, “Holy s*#!%, I’m going to have a newborn soon!” I babysat a lot growing up and have spent a little bit of time around newborns, so I have some basic baby knowledge, but I wasn’t feeling like I knew enough to care for my own. I found this book at the library and after reading it I feel so much more confident and excited about bringing home our baby. I’m sure there’s tons of information I have yet to learn, but this book has a lot of basic tips and I am definitely going to have to check it out again for reference after the baby arrives. I also loved learning the science behind why newborns do the things that they do. It helped me better understand babies in general.
Jean Queen 