I have always been a reader. I can devour books like they’re chocolate chip cookies. And while I tend to enjoy fiction over non-fiction, it only made sense to me when I became pregnant to pick up a few pregnancy related books.
I feel like I’ve said this 100 times, but – pregnancy is. a. trip! And while I wasn’t the first of my close friends to go through a pregnancy, it’s obviously an entirely different experience when it’s happening to you!
I’m not going to lie, I found it difficult to find good books on pregnancy and childbirth (spoiler alert – What to Expect While You’re Expecting was a big old thumbs down from me). But I’ve included all the books I read (or at least started to read) and my opinion in the list below.
As a PS, when I say read, I actually listened to a good number of them on Audible. I would love to read more physical books, but I can definitely consume more literature when I can listen to books while I’m doing chores, commuting, etc.
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1. Expecting Better by Emily Oster
9.5/10
Winner winner chicken dinner right here. If you read one pregnancy related book – my suggestion is to make it this one! As someone with science/research related degrees, I fully appreciate evidence. And I fully appreciate Dr. Oster’s (a PhD statistician, not an MD) approach to sharing factual evidence, backed by research, and presenting it in a way that empower’s birthing people to make the decisions that are best for them based on potential risks and benefits.
While I have heard criticism for Dr. Oster based on the fact that she is a statistician, not a physician – to me, that doesn’t really matter. In my opinion, PhD prepared statisticians are probably better at interpreting research findings and evidence than most general practitioners, so relying on the evidence presented in this book was something I was comfortable with. You may not be, and that’s okay!
This one is definitely worth adding to your list ASAP. It’s empowering, well-written and researched, and allowed Spencer and I to make the decisions that worked best for us and feel good about them.
2. Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
8/10
A bit of a cult classic in the midwifery and low/no-intervention child birthing world. The book is a good combination of anecdotal stories and evidence-based practices that encourage and teach low/no-intervention birthing
As someone who wanted as little interventions during labour as possible and likely would have opted for a homebirth if the service had been available (and if I could get Spencer onboard) – I really enjoyed reading this one. It provided great insight, strategies, and thoughts mindset when it came to birthing.
I’ve docked 2 points from the rating: one because I feel like the stories and experiences shared are very isolated – it only talks about birthing experiences at the facility where Ina May and the midwives that work with her work – and obviously most of us cannot deliver our babies there; and the 2 because I feel like there was a bit of fear-mongering about birth interventions. I’m the first to advocate for birth being a natural process. But I also fully acknowledge that sometimes, birth interventions are necessary for the safety of both the birthing person and the child. And I thought this book could have done better to acknowledge that.
3. Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy by Dr. Myra Wick
8/10
A great, step-by-step guide to the nine months of pregnancy. I purchased this one as an audiobook from Audible, and I really enjoyed listening to it. I found some of the information redundant, but I really enjoyed listening to the pregnancy calendar chapters outlining what parts of Sprout were developing at what times during pregnancy.
If you’re going to read this one, or listen to it, I’d suggest following along with your stages of pregnancy!
4. The Montessori Baby by Simone Davies and Junnifa Uzodike
9/10
So I didn’t actually read this one until Sprout was about 9 months old – which is a huge regret of mine. It was one of my first introductions to Montessori education and concepts, and I wish I’d read it while still pregnant. If we have another someday, I’ll definitely be re-reading this one during those nine months.
This book is easy to read, and presents many Montessori concepts in practical, easy-to-digest ways. It’s a great introduction to the school of thought. I’ve docked one point because it is (appropriately) VERY Montessori. As you may have noticed, our family deals very much in the “-ish” realm. We’re Montessori-ish. There are certainly principles in this book that we’ve implemented in our family and home, and there are some that we haven’t. And I love that. I still think this book is incredibly valuable and if you’re interested in the Montessori approach, I would highly recommend it.
5. Sweet Sleep by La Leche League International
8/10
This book was recommended to me my by naturopath while I was pregnant. Side note, if you have extended medical benefits that cover naturopathic medicine – I 10/10 recommend seeing one in addition to your midwife/GP/obstetrician during pregnancy.
Spencer and I planned on having Sprout in a bassinet in our room right from birth – which is what we ended up doing. But, we also did a bit of bed sharing and co-sleeping.
To me, this book is a bit of a harm-reduction strategy. There is no question that bed sharing and co-sleeping can be dangerous for infants. BUT it can also be very necessary. The way my naturopath explained it was that if we were in a position where we had to co-sleep, it was important to do it as safely as possible and take measures to reduce as many risks as we could. I’ve docked two points because it (obviously) pushes breastfeeding and co-sleeping – two choices that may not be right or possible for your family.
6. The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth by Genevieve Howl
4/10
Full disclosure, I didn’t finish this one. I was pretty enchanted by it’s high ratings, 4.7 stars with over 3k reviews on Amazon. And as someone who definitely identifies on the crunchy/granola spectrum, I was excited to read this one.
There is some good information, and maybe I should have given it more of a chance, but the anti-vaccine rhetoric started a few chapters in, and that’s where it lost me. It wasn’t obnoxious, but as someone who wholly backs vaccinations, it just left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth and I wasn’t interested in finishing.
7. What to Expect While You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff
2/10
So I didn’t finish this one either. I got about 12 pages in before I couldn’t take anymore. I don’t know if I can really pinpoint my exact distaste for this one. It felt a little bit like it was talking to the 1950s version of the housewife.
I feel that most pregnancy books carry a lot of gender specific and heteronormative language – but this was another level. And even as a cis-gender woman in a heteronormative relationship, it just brought no value to my pregnancy. Honestly, this one can definitely be skipped.