Posts: 1517
10/19/08 11:52 A

It depends on the veiw you are looking for if you are looking for basic pregnancy info, then any of the penny simpkin books are great there are a few of them too!.. oh and the Birth assistant/Doula books are great for DH/BF who are clueless as to what to do during labour!
I love Ina May Gaskin, she has to be one of the best authorities on childbirth after attending over a couple of thousand births, and even inventing a procedure to help with shoulder distortia, so Ina May' Guide to childbirth, is a good one.
I love the thinking womans guide to a better birth, its by Henci Goer.
for basic guides to pregnancy as opposed to delivery, there are so many choices I think the best way to pick is to pick up a few from your local library, and choose the one you like with the right format for you!.. Personally I DONT NOT like any of the what to expect books, it makes it seem like Interventions like episiotomy, forceps, induction, and c -sections are NORMAL when they are clearly NOT!!!

anywhoooo.... if you cant find the ones that you want in your local library go to a local book store and look at the selection pick a few you like, write down title and author then go to your local livrary and see if they have them at a different branch put them on hold and pick them up at your branch, some libraries even have purchase suggestions, I have done this myself and a few of the ones I have suggested actually made it into thier catalog..

Partlysbabe

BabyPoints: 5801
Posts: 1001
10/3/08 10:02 A

Thanks for this list! I wasn't sure where to start. Going to swing by the library this afternoon to take a peek at a few of these.

Posts: 9
8/25/08 11:39 P

A Thinking Womens Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer helped me really think about and develop my birth plan. A definate in my opinion!

Posts: 3
8/21/08 3:02 P

"from the hips, a comprehensive, open-minded, uncensored, totally honest guide to pregnancy, birth, and becoming a parent".

I swear by this book, as a matter of fact, I am rereading it for baby number two. It has all view points on every topic with lots of references on more specific issues.

BabyPoints: 10805
Posts: 7956
8/19/08 11:03 A

the one that I read is THE JOY OF PREGNANCY by Tery Cropp and I like it! A friend of mine gave me WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU ARE EXPECTING by Heidy Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg & Sandee Hathaway and this book had all my questions answered!!!

Posts: 52
8/16/08 7:25 A

The Mocha Manual to a Fabulous Pregnancy by Kimberly Seals Allers

My sis sent me a copy of the Pregnancy Bible but I can't recall the author's name.

Posts: 66
8/14/08 6:25 P

Baby 411 by Denise Fields and Dr. Ari Brown is a fun one, but it touches a lot more on the first year. I still enjoyed reading it because it's packed with information--but more in layman's terms. What to Expect is also an excellent book. I paired the two of those together and learned a lot before I even set foot into a childbirthing class.

Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy is another great one. Absolutely hysterical.

If you want to get a good book for your DH too, I bought my hubby The Expectant Father by Armin Brott and he really liked it.

BabyPoints: 270
Posts: 20
8/9/08 1:15 P

Besides What To Expect When You're Expecting I also really like Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn by Penny Simkin and Understanding Pregnancy & Childbirth by Sheldon Cherry. The first two listed have proved to be very informative and useful for me. I've been thinking about checking out the Pregnancy Week by Week book but haven't done so yet.

Posts: 186
8/8/08 9:25 P

I read many books on pregnancy and childbirth, and the ones I felt helped me the most for the actual birth were "Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way" and "The Birth Partner."

And of course "What to Expect When You're Expecting" is an informative staple that will answer a lot of questions you have while you're pregnant, and "Your Pregnancy Week by Week" was really interesting.

And for afterward, "So That's What They're For!" is a great book on breastfeeding. I liked it better than the commonly recommended "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" put out by La Leche League (I did read them both).

Edited by: MANJARIW at: 8/8/2008 (21:29)

Posts: 3794
8/6/08 9:22 P

pregnancy week by week/a child is born, BOTH AWESOME books

Posts: 266
8/5/08 6:37 A

I like the book "A child is born" It has great pictures of the baby developing.

BabyPoints: 48039
Posts: 18218
8/4/08 6:43 P

I enjoyed the Your Pregnancy Week By Week. It helps you with knowing what is going on with the baby and your body as well.

Posts: 3
8/1/08 9:17 P

I REALLY ENJOYED THE GIRLFRIENDS GUIDE TO PREGNANCY. IT ANSWERS ALOT OF THOSE QUESTIONS YOU DON T FEEL COMFORTABLE ASKING! ITS NOT BORING, SO I STAYED REALLY INTERESTED THROUGHOUT IT.

Posts: 53
7/31/08 11:21 A

Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy is a great book. It is straight forward and really funny! I loved that book.

Posts: 1134
7/14/08 11:36 P

for vegetarians..i recommend "your vegetarian pregnancy"...its decent..and its eye opening for non-vegetarians it is by Holly Roberts.
Also, I am interested in reading the "Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy" plus "Birthing from Within" also..the Mayo Clinic guide to pregnancy...not sure if I am going to grab them all this time around.

Posts: 83
7/3/08 2:56 P

I like "What to Expect...", and I love "The Pregnancy Journal" by Dr. A. Christine Harris. TPJ tells you what's happening with your baby during each day of your pregnancy--very in-depth. I like to leave it open to my day with a little sticker that says "Here's when I am today" so that my husband can read it, too.

Posts: 3506
6/16/08 4:07 P

I really liked "Your pregnancy week by week". It's written by Gladis something or another. It's really cool. It tells you how big the baby is week by week, compares it to a kidney bean, peach, softball, etc. Pretty cool.

Lindsey

BabyPoints: 332
Posts: 10
6/15/08 12:58 P

I like the what to expect books and the dummies guides

Posts: 14
6/12/08 9:13 P

My favorite by far is "The Pregnancy Countdown Book" By Susan Magee & Kara Nakisbendi

Posts: 1159
6/4/08 6:49 A

I really liked Belly Laughs with Jenny McCarthy. I also have a copy of The Mayo Clinic pregnancy guide, it is handy for the more detailed questions.

Posts: 2
6/1/08 2:49 P

I really thought that "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" was helpful and informative when we were TTC. Also, once we were pregnant, I really enjoyed "The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy," a fun and entertaining must read.

CR

Posts: 1318
5/30/08 12:32 P

I really liked "The Everything Pregnancy Book" which starts at TTC and then goes month by month, "Belly Laughs" by Jenny McCarthy (it's really funny, but she's a bit vulgar, so just a warning about the swearing), and "The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy" which was written by women/moms not doctors, so it's less science and more personal.

Good luck TTC!

BabyPoints: 1114
Posts: 13
5/29/08 6:25 P

I really enjoyed "The Mother of All Pregnancy Books". It has everything for pre-pregnancy onward. Enjoy!

Posts: 59
5/27/08 11:28 P

I am soon to be TTC and want to start reading up on what to expect before during and after. I'm going to be making an appointment with my ob-gyn soon and will also ask her but I like to know what is popular among non-doctors.