Books to Read While Pregnant

March 12, 2018

Maybe it was my Asian upbringing or maybe I’ll forever be a “student,” but I love reading and educating myself on brand new topics or ventures that I come across in my day to day life. This being my first pregnancy, I had no idea what to expect or what to do so why not “study” pregnancy?

People who know me know that I can’t just go with the flow, I like to have a schedule and a plan, but more importantly, I like to understand the unknown as much as possible. One of the first questions my husband and I asked is “What kind of delivery would be best for us?” We didn’t know if we were going to give birth at a hospital, home, birthing center, or some other option – so we wanted to educate ourselves.

Below are the books that either my husband or I read that had an impact on our pregnancy and delivery:

For Pregnancy and Labor:

Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care – Jennifer Block

pushed_jennifer_block

  • When to read: Early Pregnancy
  • Bottom Line: I know the title seems scary, but trust me, it’s not. View it as an eye opener as Jennifer Block provides insight and realistic views on childbirth in multiple scenarios. If I had read this early on, we would have made our decision to have a natural birth a lot sooner.
  • Summary: It’s been awhile since I read it, but from what I recall, she provides multiple firsthand and secondhand accounts of different labor and delivery stories from healthcare professionals and parents. I’m not against modern medicine, however, I do believe certain procedures and treatment options are often given without much thought and without true informed consent for the patient. This book outlines common interventions, treatment, and procedures during pregnancy and birth that will help give you the knowledge to make the best decision for you and your family.

Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth – Ina May Gaskin

ina_may_guide_to_childbirth

  • When to read: Early Pregnancy
  • Bottom Line: Ina May is probably the most well known midwife. She shares personal accounts of natural births, benefits, and practical advice for a natural birth.
  • Summary: This book helped remove the “fear” around natural childbirth for me. My favorite part of the book are all the tips and advice for having a natural delivery including how to reduce the pain without drugs, what can happen during labor, common interventions and their risks and if they are necessary, how to induce labor, how to create and have the delivery you want, and much more.

Active Birth: The New Approach to Giving Birth Naturally– Janet Balaskas

active_birth_janet_balaskas

  • When to read: Second Trimester – Third Trimester & Delivery
  • Bottom Line: Perfect if you’ve committed to having a natural birth as it provides tips, exercises, and labor positions for a natural birth.
  • Summary: I found this book useful because it provides exercises, yoga positions, and labor positions to help prepare for delivery, reduce pain during delivery, and how to actively labor. Also includes images!

 

 

 

Orgasmic Birth: Your Guide to a Safe, Satisfying, and Pleasurable Birth Experience – Elizabeth Davis

orgasmic_birth_elizabeth_davis

  • When to read: First – Second Trimester
  • Bottom Line: This one was overkill if you’ve read the above books – however, if you’re interesting in an “orgasmic birth,” it is a must read. (For the record, I did not have an orgasmic birth.)
  • Summary: People don’t often think of having an orgasm or pleasure in general when they think of childbirth, but apparently it’s possible! This book also provides firsthand and secondhand accounts of natural delivery stories in addition to guidance for having a positive birth experience. 

 

For Baby:

The Wonder Weeks: How to Stimulate Your Baby’s Mental Development and Help Him Turn his 10 Predictable, Great, Fussy Phases into Magical Leaps Forward – Frans X. Plooij and Hetty van de Rijt

wonder_weeks

  • When to read: Any time, as baby grows
  • Bottom Line: This was a great book to read during my pregnancy (because you won’t have time once your baby is born!) that helped provide some expectations about baby’s development.
  • Summary: Plooij and van de Rijt includes a week-by-week guide to a baby’s behavior, developmental milestones, what to expect, and what may be going on with your baby – although keep in mind, every baby is different! They also have a handy app that compliments the book.

 

Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby – Tracy Hogg and Melinda Blau

secrets_baby_whisperer_tracy_hogg

  • When to read: Any time
  • Bottom Line: Another great book to read during pregnancy that provided tips on how to connect and interpret your baby’s behavior. However, every baby is different and this book makes it seem a lot easier than it is. (Well, that’s the case for me anyway.)
  • Summary: Trust me, you will be Googling and reading everything you can to figure out what is going on with your baby, how to get them to stop crying, and how to get them to sleep! While Tracy provides tips and advice on how to establish a routine and help your baby gain independence, her tips aren’t as straightforward as I’d hope for. Remember, your baby isn’t a robot, but this book will help you identify your baby’s cues better and establish a baseline for what might work for your baby. (P.S. We did follow the E.A.S.Y. method during the day and Logan didn’t catch on until week 4.)

Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting (now with Bébé Day by Day: 100 Keys to French Parenting) – Pamela Druckerman

bringing_up_bebe

  • When to read: Any time
  • Bottom Line: Cute parenting book that provides practical parenting tips inspired by “French Parenting”
  • Summary: I initially read this when I was taking care of my 2-year nephew and I found it very useful then and will probably apply some of her techniques with my own son. I’m sure some of her advice will work with Logan and some won’t, but felt like overall the tips were very practical but easy to overlook. It was also a fun book to read.

 

 

The Birth Partner – Penny Simkin – From the Hubby

birth_partner_penny_simkin

  • When to read: Second – Third Trimester
  • Bottom Line: Written for the support person and provides information about what to expect, how to help along all the stages of pregnancy, giving birth, and after delivery.
  • Summary: Especially if you’re planning on helping with a natural birth, this is an extremely informative book. It provides an incredible amount of insight into what is happening, what to expect, how mom and support person will likely be feeling, and gives tips on how to be the most helpful through all the stages. After reading, I felt much more prepared for what was to come and I understood the terms the midwives were using and had a good general idea for what to do to help get Thy through the various stages of birth. There are a lot of practical tips from what to say to be encouraging and supportive (and not stress-inducing), massage and exercise tips, and specific how-to’s for how to time contractions, how to describe progress to the midwife before leaving for the hospital, and what to take to the hospital or birth center. It’s a great book to keep handy to refer to all along the way.

Most of my recommended books are geared for parents that are seeking a natural birth. But if you don’t know what kind of birth you want, these books will serve as a good resource too!

If you have any book recommendations that you personally liked while you were pregnant or that helped with raising your kid, please let me know in the comments below.

Posted in Pregnancy