Hi everyone,

I want to buy a pregnancy book that details the month by month, or week by week progression of the baby. I'm not a big fan of "What to Expect" books, but I'd love to hear your feedback. What are your favorite pregnancy books?

I'm With you the "what to Expect" books were not what I was looking for either. I found "Your Pregnancy Week By Week" to be fascinating and helpful. I looked at it nearly every day. My FAVORITE book is out of print, it is called "The New Natural Pregnancy" Wow it was great, lots of helpful natural advice. I highly recomend it, if you can find it. It is a large paperback, with a blue cover that has a photo of a very pg blonde woman.

I've not found one yet myself...I may check out the one PP mentioned

Is this it? http://www.amazon.com/New-Natural-Pregnancy-Janet-Balaskas/dp/1856752194/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207074805&sr=8-1

Hmm... wrong cover, but reviews make it sound like the same book. we just moved, but i will do some "digging" tonight and see if the author is the same.

just lurking but I liked

http://www.amazon.com/Mothering-Magazines-Having-Baby-Naturally/dp/0743439635
-Our library didn't have it but I was able to get it through interlibrary loan.

Birth Your Way by Sheila Kitzinger
http://www.amazon.com/Birth-Your-Way-Sheila-Kitzinger/dp/0789484404/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207080596&sr=1-21

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin, Spiritual Midwifery
http://www.amazon.com/Ina-Mays-Guide-Childbirth-Gaskin/dp/0553381156/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207080689&sr=1-1
&
http://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Midwifery-Ina-May-Gaskin/dp/1570671044/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207080689&sr=1-2

I also was given
Natural Birth the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon, et al.
http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Childbirth-Bradley-Way-Revised/dp/0452276594/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207080765&sr=1-1

Any suggestions on a book for a first time dad? My husband has been asking for one but they all look a bit silly...

Ohh great thread! I have lots of favorites in many different topics about birth lol here is my list:

USA maternity system:
Pushed by Jennifer Block
Born in the USA by Mardsen Wagner

Pregnacy:
Thinking womans guide to a better birth by Henci Goer.
Ina May's guide to childbirth by Ina May Gaskin

Cool pics:
A child is born

General good reads on birth and midwifery:
Spirtual midwifery by Ina May Gaskin<-- Now I liked the first half of the book with all the stories on how she got into midwifery and all the babies born on the bus caravan trip from Cal. to Tenn and how "The farm" came to be but the last half is very interesting but I was lost in some of it when it talked about specific aspects of telemetry and how to measure inside ect. But the first half was great!
Birthing from within by Pam england

VBAC:
The silent knife by Nancy Wainer Cohen
The VBAC companion by Diana Korte
Cesarean Voices available at ICAN Bookstore (http://ican-online.org/store/)

Check out http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/
Don't let the site name fool ya its not just for plus size moms. There is lots of info on good books for different things. Websites, prenatal testing and the risks, VBAC, C/sections ect lots and lots of info. VBAC stories, research Even VBAmC(Vaginal Birth after multipule cesareans) stories.

I also love birthing from within, Having a baby naturally, the womanly art of breastfeeding. I am sure I will think of more since I have like 20.

Well, I'm guessing that the majority of you aren't going to rush out to buy The Essential Guide to Lesbian Conception, Pregnancy and Childbirth (http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Guide-Lesbian-Conception-Pregnancy/dp/1555836267/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207276212&sr=8-5) by Stephanie Brill and Kim Toevs, despite it being my favorite :lol so I will also lend my support to Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth.

I must also recommend the Wise Woman's Herbal for the Childbearing Year. It's full of lots of herbal remedies to help with common pregnancy maladies, things that can help childbirth and also a LOT of good tips, recommendations, etc for breastfeeding.

I also have Your Pregnancy Week-by-Week by Glade Curtis, MD and The Pregnancy Book by the Searses, but they were hand-me-downs and I must admit I haven't ever used them...

List I give to my couples...

RECOMMENDED READING LIST

Dr Marsden Wagner Born in the USA

Susan McCutcheon Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way

Dr. Robert Bradley Husband-Coached Childbirth

Henci Goer The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth

Dr. William Sears The Birth Book

Peggy Vincent Baby Catcher

Dr. Marsden Wagner Creating Your Birth Plan

Ina May Gaskin Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth

Barbara Harper Gentle Birth Choices

Jennifer Block Pushed

Ina May Gaskin Spiritual Midwifery

Carl Jones Mind Over Labor

Tina Cassidy Birth

La Leche League The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding

Kathleen Huggins The Nursing Mother’s Companion

Magazines: Mothering Magazine (subscribe online or in print)
www.Mothering.com

Midwifery Today
www.MidwiferyToday.com

the book that changed my life as a mother-to-be:

"active birth" by janet balaskas

a friend gave it to me a month before the birth of my first -- and i had a fantastic, easy, natural hospital birth as a result.

I didn't send my VBAC REading List or my HB Reading List. I think Active Birth is a great one esp for homebirthers.

It depends to me what you are looking for. I for one could read 1000 books but I'm a birth junkie with a library of 60 books on birth, parenting, bfing, fertility sitting behind me. :D

Any suggestions on a book for a first time dad? My husband has been asking for one but they all look a bit silly...

Dr. William Sears "Becoming a Father" is my all-time favorite (with lots of great hands-on suggestions for how DH can help you after baby is born).

Well, I'm guessing that the majority of you aren't going to rush out to buy The Essential Guide to Lesbian Conception, Pregnancy and Childbirth (http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Guide-Lesbian-Conception-Pregnancy/dp/1555836267/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207276212&sr=8-5) by Stephanie Brill and Kim Toevs.

Jen, were that book not so US centric, it'd be on top of my list too. As it is, my current fave is The Complete Book of Pregnancy & Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger (http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Pregnancy-Childbirth-Revised/dp/0375710477/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207433538&sr=1-1). I love Kitzinger and find that she really honours women in her approach. DP loves an Australian book, written by an Australian comedian-come-womens health writer. It's called Up the Duff by Kaz Cook (http://www.amazon.com/Up-Duff-Kaz-Cooke/dp/0670882895/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207433626&sr=1-1) and is really excellent for people who find it difficult to engage in all the dry, technical and/or hippy trippy kind of speak. (Just realised that "up the duff" is Australian vernacular for pregnant and in the US the same book is called "bun in the oven" :lol)