what pregnancy book can you not live without?

[owensmom]

I know this has been discussed here somewhere before, my search thing quits on me every time...

I used WTEWYE :o because I didn't know any better.

I know people like the Sears book - Pregnancy and Birth I think it is??

Are there better books for "mainstream" people versus homebirth/midwife users? KWIM?

I'm talking about books that take you through the 9 months, what is happening, and into birth...

Share with me, so I know what to buy my friends, and for myself should the time come... :p

[kykarraliv]

I really like Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and Spiritual Midwifery. I know very midwifey but they are so positive and full of excellent information.

[gurumama]

Shiela Kitzinger's book (don't know the title) is the BEST!

[JeanetteL]

Thinking Woman's Guide To Better Birth by Henci Goer - should be required reading for all pregnant women, especially those giving birth in the hospital. If I could afford it I'd stand at the doorway of OB offices and hand it out!

She admits her bias towards non-intervetion, but does a really good job of informing the reader and laying out the pros adn cons of many things you are likely to encounter during pregnancy, labour and birth.

Oh, she is also the birth guru at www.parentsplace.com - so you can find a lot of her articles and info there as well.

[Viola]

I think everyone should read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. I also really enjoyed Birthing From Within. I'm not sure these are really what you are looking for, because they aren't the your pregnancy every step of the way type of books.

I was reading Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way, but I didn't find that one too enlightening.


I want to read the Henci Goer book mentioned, but I have to request it from a different branch of the library.

[Colorful~Mama]

i threw out my wte books. after baby #1. lol

Thinking Woman's Guide To Better Birth by Henci Goer definetly
Birthing from within is my bible this pregnancy
Vbac companion has been important to me this time round too
Spiritual midwifery was wonderful
A good birth a Safe birth (i borrowed it from a friend, i think thats what it was called) was good too
The Bradley Method book was a good read

[Summer]

For raw data, I highly recommend "The New Well Pregnancy Book" by Samuels and Samuels. It's not an entertaining read, but it's just crammed full of information and good facts. It's fairly non-interventionist but does discuss common interventions in a fairly nonjudgemental way. However, the facts about those interventions speak for themselves so the authors don't really have to say a lot.

[annakiss]

Birthing From Within By Pam England was what I loved the best, though it doesn't go into a month-by-month sort of thing at all. It's about preparing for birth, which I found to be infinitely more valuable than my other more mainstream books.

The Birth Partner By Penny Simkin is great for DPs

Sheila Kitzinger's book is probably what you want though - The Complete Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth

Also recommended by my mom, the midwife:

Birth Reborn by Michel Odent

I read Spiritual Midwifery and it was cool for the stories, but those hippies are a little kooky, IMHO ;)

What to Expect When You're Expecting SUCKS. Though I suppose it does give you a run-down month to month on what you might be feeling. It's VERY mainstream though. I'm not sure it mentions much in the way of alternatives to birthing in a hospital with a catheter in your spine, unable to move or pee or feel the urge to push.

The most important thing I found to learn ahead of time was knowing the different stages of labor and what might happen, as well as detailed information about what happens in a hospital, at home, or in a birth center. I think you probably want Sheila Kitzinger for that - she's the goddess.

[witchbaby]

the unoffical guide to having a baby-- can't remember the authors
this is a pretty good book, filled with pretty much all you could be looking for.
the pregnancy book-- dr. sears
i LOVE dr. sears and have been obsessed with him since before i lost my first pregnancy. very pro-attachment parenting and natural births.
the hipmama's guide to survival-- ariel gore
fantastic, upbeat, informative book for non-mainstream mamas.

[fourlittlebirds]

The only book I would buy for a mainstream friend would be "The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth" by Sheila Kitzinger. It does not even remotely have an alternative vibe, but has all the necessary information one needs for avoiding obstetrical crap.

If after reading that she seemed amenable I would also suggest (not in any particular order, each has subjective strengths and weaknesses, depending on your mindset and needs) Henci Goer's "The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth", Pam England's "Birthing From Within", Sheila Kitzinger's "Birth Your Way", Michel Odent's "Birth Reborn", Ina May's "Spiritual Midwifery", Scaer and Korte's "A Good Birth, A Safe Birth".

[Meli65]

I'd recommend Dr. Sears Pregnancy Book. I didn't know what AP was when I bought it -- I just liked his tone better than the other books (more informative and less preachy). I think it is mainstream enough not to scare off the average pregnant woman, but still gets its AP message in -- I went on to buy the Baby Book, also by Dr. Sears, and have lived by it.

[Annais]

I would like to second Dr. Sears Pregnancy Book!

I love it because he doesn't talk on and on about all the things that could possibly go wrong, and is very positive. I am a natural worrier, so not being innundated with a list of the things to worry about helps me a lot!

I've also bought his Birth Book, and plan on buying The Baby Book, too.

[weesej]

A Good Birth, A Safe Birth by Korte and Scaer

Looks at interventions and wether or not the evidence supports them.

[MommyT]

The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth, Childbirth The Bradley Way, The Birth Book by Dr. Sear's (this is what introduced me to natural birth, then I just took off from there!), The Five Standards of Safe Childbirth and The Breastfeeding Book (you can't start too soon on that one if you plan to BF). I also liked The Pregnancy Journal because it took me through day by day what my baby was doing and how he was growing. I thought that was fun.

WTE is a HORRIBLE book. Gives you just enough info to scare the crap out of you, but not enough to truly educate.

Someone gave me The Girlfriend's Guide To Pregnancy and said it was the BEST book she ever read (same girl that gave me Babywise so I should have known). :rotflmao YEAH RIGHT!!!! That book was a HUGE joke!!!!! Genuinely amusing, but makes me so sad for anyone that actually takes Iovine's advice (ie: get to the hospital as soon as you can to get the epidural). :shake It just wasn't for me....but it was funny. :lol

[annakiss]

MommyT!
I read The Girlfriends Guide too and thought the same thing! What a load of crap! :LOL
I thought it was so weird that this woman had 4 kids - it didn't sound like she much thought that how you get them is something anyone should have to go through. :rolleyes:

[witchbaby]

Originally posted by annakiss
MommyT!
I read The Girlfriends Guide too and thought the same thing! What a load of crap! :LOL
I thought it was so weird that this woman had 4 kids - it didn't sound like she much thought that how you get them is something anyone should have to go through. :rolleyes:
that's because she has nannies! ;)
two friends reccomended that book to me when i was pregnant the first time. it drove me batty. because i'm not rich/selfish/obnoxious/etc. i couldn't find anything that made sense to me in that book.
i have a very big hatred for any pregnancy book that brushes off miscarriage as a "but it won't happen to you!" i don't think a book needs to scare the crap outta you, but i don't think it's especially helpful to not include it at all.
there was almost nothing in the first few pregnancy books i had that mentioned miscarriage. so when i lost my baby, i felt as though i was an abnormality.

[onediaperinmama]

What to Expect When You're Expecting was a god-send!
Especially What to EAT when you're Expecting.
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V

JUST KIDDING!
:LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL

What a crock of *&$#! I remember stressing out so much over the What to Eat when you're expecting book because I WAS THROWING UP A ZILLION TIMES A DAY! I thought I was starving my baby & we were all going to die. They want to you make charts & keep track of every little gram of protein. GIMME A BREAK! It was a good day if I could keep water down long enough for it to get warm before I puked it back up.

The Girlfriend's Guide was funny but totally ridiculous & detached.

I'm almost finished with "Birthing from Within"... interesting spots but some of the stuff is over the top for DH... no way would he draw a birth picture & talk about his inner self ;)

I read Henri Goer's book before I sent it to my sis who's expecting in August. ANYTHING by Sheila K.... will be fantastico.

I've taken to buying the LeBoyer book for every new mom I know. I wish I'd read that before DS was born :(

[simonee]

Oh yeah, the food things in WTE. Stuff like (post-puke stadium) "If you really need to splurge on a treat, go and have a bagel with just a touch of cream cheese" :rotflmao :rotflmao

That's not what keeps Ben & Jerry's in business!

I like Ina May's book. And I read a book during pg1 about just fetal development, one of those "popular science" books written by a man. I wish I remembered the name, I'll look it up when I can. That was actually really interesting on the development front, and then I only needed pg books for the more emotional side. And that's where I really love Ina May's book. All these earthmamas rushing and smooching (I don't see my dh "smooching" to get some prostaglandins at my cervix with the midwife present :LOL). But after reading that book, for the first time my almost irrational fear of shoulder dystocia (thanks to WTE explaining us about gynobs breaking collar bones :rolleyes: ) is alleviated. "We'll just do a Gaskin manoever!" I think now :)

[owensmom]

Exactly Simonee, the Ina May book is a keeper, like I think I would need to make flash cards for myself in labor or something, so I remember to do stuff! I totally want my dh to smooch me during labor! Of course with the first one, I prefered noone talk to me during labor, so we shall see... :lol

I checked out What to Eat... from the library, and we made one thing from it and it was HORRID. :Puke I didn't even learn from it the first time and got What to Expect the First Year, which was pretty ok until the only topics left to talk about were CIO and not bf'ing anymore. :rolleyes:

Now thanks to these suggestions I have a million books on hold at the library. and I'm not even pg! :o

[Pigpen]

Active Birth...Janet Balaskas. Helped me, as I have super fast labors, offers ideas for different positions to slow things down, or speed up. Puts childbirth in mom's hands where it belongs! There is pregnancy info too. Leboyers book, Birth w/o violence is beautiful. Unfortunately it's old so people tend to dismiss it. What he talks about in this book is still valuable. If nothing else, might help a mainstreamer think twice about all those interventions.