What are you reading?

[crazykittymomma]

I haven't started yet, but I have Birthing From Within and Hypnobirthing in addition to the books I had from my first pregnancy (From the Hips and some other standard stuff). I'll be going for an HBAC and I'm looking for any resources that might be helpful. Bonus points if I can find it on Kindle! :) Oh, and I'm vegetarian too if there are any fantastic books about that.

I'd also love to find some books for my daughter. I know I want to get her We're Having a Homebirth, but I don't know what else is homebirth/breastfeeding/non-circ friendly.

[CDsMom1031]

I got What To Expect When You're Expecting. DH bought Pregnancy Sucks For Men. LOL!

[Ldavis24]

Originally Posted by TTCChloeOrConner 

I got What To Expect When You're Expecting. DH bought Pregnancy Sucks For Men. LOL!

just my opinion...WORST PREGNANCY BOOK EVER....

don't even read it. All you will learn is to be afraid of all the miserable things that can happen during your pregnancy or labor!

DH had pregnancy sucks for men too, he laughed a little bit but ended up reading some of my other books.

Pick up Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin, you don't have to read some of the super crunchy birth stories but I found the second half to be incredibly helpful. It's where I learned all about sphincter law, a term I thought ridiculous the first time I heard it.

Toss what to expect in the trash!

Ok rant over, sorry :)

Oh I just wanted to add that Ina May's book was the catalyst for the complete 180 in how I view pregnancy and birth. It helped to start to completely change my outlook forever.

[loveandlight33]

I agree, What to Expect is not a great book to read. I read parts of it when pregnant with my first and it terrified the crap out of me. I'm not motivated by fear, thankfully, so went out and found some books that were more geared to information instead of fear.

I enjoyed Ina May's books for good inspiration. I put WTEWYE away for the Mothering Magazine's Guide to Having a Baby Naturally & The Natural Pregnancy Book by Aviva Jill Romm. (She also has a great postpartum book & what I felt was a pretty nonbiased vaccine book.) The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth is also good.

I really liked the Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook, she uses whole foods for cooking and has recipes marked for morning sickness, trimester, postpartum. I'm also vegetarian.

For kids, our favorite book was Welcome With Love. We also had two books by Dr. Sears when I was pregnant with my daughter, I'll have to look and see what else is out there now.

All that said, I am not venturing into the world of reading birth & pregnancy books just yet. I'm reading Water for Elephants.

[Mal85]

I'm going through the process of getting certified as a doula, so I've been ready some books for that... just happens to be helpful for my own situation too. I just got done reading Ina May's book. Now I'm reading The Birth Partner. Next on my list are, An Easier Birth: A Mother's Guide, The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth, and Breastfeeding Made Simple. 

[Mal85]

Originally Posted by crazykittymomma 

I haven't started yet, but I have Birthing From Within and Hypnobirthing in addition to the books I had from my first pregnancy (From the Hips and some other standard stuff). I'll be going for an HBAC and I'm looking for any resources that might be helpful. Bonus points if I can find it on Kindle! :) Oh, and I'm vegetarian too if there are any fantastic books about that.

I'd also love to find some books for my daughter. I know I want to get her We're Having a Homebirth, but I don't know what else is homebirth/breastfeeding/non-circ friendly.

All the books on my list can are available for the Kindle. That's what all mine are on. 
 

[TalkToMeNow]

I'm reading a big fat nothing. I've loaned out everything over the past years. But I love and will reread (as soon as I track them down!):

Spiritual Midwifery- Ina May

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding- La Leche League

Husband Coached Childbirth- Bradley... for dp!

The Birth Book and The Baby Book-  the Sears

Yoga Mom, Buddha Baby

Natural Family Living- Mothering

I think that's about it. Oh, and I have every issue of Mothering from 2001-2004. And I need a book about water birth, if anyone has any recs. :)

[sammypants]

This is my first, so I was excited to get some books!  I'm flipping through

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding

Real Food for Mother and Baby (love this!)

Having a Baby Naturally

My friend offered What to Expect... but I declined.

sommer, I LOVED Water for Elephants

I just finished The Kids Are All Right (different story than the movie) and liked it very much.

On my wishlist is the Dr. Sears Vaccine Book and The Thinking Woman's Guide...

I'm screwed because I've got a kindle and the amazon app on my phone.  Damn you one-click buying!!

[loveandlight33]

Just read this article about What to Expect When You're Expecting, and I found it to basically back up previous comments (mine included )

sammypants, finished Water for Elephants yesterday, it was fabulous. I was also reading a Dexter book when I was working out and finished that one today (paperbacks fit much better in the book/magazine holder) so I need a new working out book too.

[SoCaliMommy]

 Not reading anything right now but do plan to re read the book The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth and  Ina May's Guide to Childbirth  also.

[SilvanaRose]

I also have to agree that What To Expect is probably the worst book ever for pregnant women. No wonder so many women end up choosing c-sections!!

One of my most favourite books for pregnant women is Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives by Deepak Chopra. Such a warm and wonderful look at the miracle that is pregnancy and birth.

Also, I love just about everything that everyone else has listed!

[Rachelette]

I bought What to Expect, and thought it was pretty comprehensive and useful to me so I didn't panic when I had some spotting.  It was probably because I haven't gotten to the breastfeeding portion that people seem to have a lot of issues with.   I'm definitely going to check out some of your recommendations.  I'm vegan and expecting our first, so if anyone has any recommendations, I would be very grateful. 

[eastvanmama]

Two of my favorite books are Eating for Two and After the Baby Comes both by Robin Lim. The recipes in Eating for Two are yummy, simple, made from whole foods and the book includes lots of information about supporting yourself nutritionally during the pregnancy and post-partum. I love reading the stories that go along with the recipes and imagining Robin's big family- fully immersed in enjoying life. Lots of tips on how to deal with nausea, cramps etc...

After the Baby Comes focuses on our recuperation and the early days with a little one. With my first I was so focused on the pregnancy and giving birth- I had absolutely no idea of what it would be like after pushing the little one out and what the road to arriving back to earth and putting my body back together would be like.I felt pretty alone at that time and this book helped me gain a sense of companionship and the understanding that what I was going through was shared by lots of new moms. Robin has a lovely nurturing voice in her writing, it's like having your midwife there, just a few pages away.

[Butter is Better]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ldavis24 

Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin, you don't have to read some of the super crunchy birth stories but I found the second half to be incredibly helpful. It's where I learned all about sphincter law, a term I thought ridiculous the first time I heard it.

Oh I just wanted to add that Ina May's book was the catalyst for the complete 180 in how I view pregnancy and birth. It helped to start to completely change my outlook forever.

I just received my copy in the mail yesterday....I was a little shocked by the graphic pictures of babies crowning! it made me want to return the book! lol.... maybe a need to develop a thicker stomach or something :)

I also purchased Nurture Shock....

I read a lot prior to TTC (I am a big planner what can I say):

BOOKS I HAVE READ:

On Becoming Baby Wise by Gary Ezzo: People have very strong reactions to the principles he suggests in this book. I thought it has some helpful insights and like all parenting and baby advice I will take it with a grain of salt.

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon: Eye opening and life changing book on nutrition. Really brings people back to what is good anad has worked for healthy people groups for centuries. Great section on foods for pregnancy mama, baby and commercial formula alternatives.

From the Hips by Odes & Morris: Very well illustrated and easy read. Has good info. A good alternative to the very bland “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.”

What to Expect When You Are Expecting by Murkoff: I was expecting a lot more from this book. I went with it because I figured it was a no-brainer, but I was disappointed.

Belly Laughs & Baby Laughs by Jenny McCarthy: Easy reads filled with candid accounts on pregnancy and a new baby respectively.

Your Best Birth by Riki Lake:  This book is a great place to get an idea of different options for labor and delivery what you can expect from maternal care. A wonderful read. I also watched the documentary “The Business of Being Born” which was very eye opening and was a wonderful complement to the book.

The Baby Book by Dr Sears: Big on Attachment Parenting (AP) with lots and lots of info on all kinds of things baby, still not my fav book so far...

Some I want to read:

Babyproofing Your Marriage by Cockrell

How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor by Mendelsohn

Active Birth by Balaskas

Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Gaskin

Husband Coached Birth by Bradley

Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way by Rosegg

[lisabww]

I haven't read it yet, but hopefully will soon read Jon Kabat Zinn's book on Mindful Parenting..Heard him interviewed and it sounds amazing..

Thanks to all for the suggestions!

Lisa in Baltimore

[xakana]

I haven't read a pregnancy book since Birthing From Within and probably won't. I can barely pay attention to fiction when I'm pregnant (my ADHD goes WAY up), non-fiction needs to be limited to articles ;) So I'm just reading websites that tell me what size/developmental state my baby is in. I'm too busy writing to read any fiction and am trying to avoid cross-contamination from other books anyway.

[Gunter]

Eastvanmama- i work with Robin here in Bali and am so honored that you like her books.  did you know she wrote a new one recently called, 'Placenta: the Forgotten Chakra'?  Contact me if you want a copy of it.  i am bringing them back to the States at the end of November. 

[artekah]

For your daughter, I highly recommend "Hello Baby." "We're having a home birth" is okay but not great. "Hello Baby" is worlds apart--beautiful artwork, beautiful words! (Although when reading aloud we changed the words to make it more age appropriate for my son who was then under 2--it's written for an older child, maybe a 4-5 year old. Totally worth buying just for the artwork, no matter your daughter's age!)