Best Pregnancy Book

[MumsToBe]

Hi girls

My partner and I will be book shopping on thursday night and we know that there are hundreds of books out there, any suggestions?

MTB

[TreeTops]

I guess it depends on what you're looking for, ie how much you already know and what you want to learn.

I've heard a few people say the only book they read was Kaz Cook's 'Up The Duff' and they loved it. Personally I prefer a more scientific text-book style. I may still read Up The Duff at some stage, as I've heard it's pretty funny.

I've recently read Birth Right by Susan Ross, it's a very pro-midwife book, which suited me, but may not suit others. Being Australian it had some useful info on the hospital and public vs private systems which you wouldn't see in a book published in the UK or US.

I recommend you take a look at the Amazon website (my preference is for the .co .uk one) as they have a rating and review system.

Have fun shopping

[Devon]

I really like Up the Duff. I haven't read much else, but I can't stand What to expect when you're expecting, although I know other people who've found it useful. I think I just don't like its tone, and apparent focus on things that can go wrong.

Hope you have fun shopping!

Oh, and I see that you're in Perth - I went to Borders the other day - their pg and baby section is the biggest I've seen anywhere.

Wishing you a healthy and happy pregnancy!

[Baby Blue Eyes]

I have the up to duff and what to expect when you are expecting. I found the up to duff great for a week-to-week guide and what to expect was good to find the answers to any questions I had.

I am currently looking for a great book on gentle birthing

[bronners]

I have the up to duff and what to expect when you are expecting. I found the up to duff great for a week-to-week guide and what to expect was good to find the answers to any questions I had.

I am currently looking for a great book on gentle birthing

I have a few gentle birthing books that I found very helpful;

Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering - Dr Sarah J Buckley
Spiritual Midwifery - Ina May Gaskin
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth - Ina May Gaskin (just picked this up and it is awesome, wonderful natural birth stories and strategies)

You would quite easily be able to get these from online bookstores, but might not be at your local shop.

I have Up the Duff but didn't really like it, yes it has good week by week development stuff for baby, but the info for mothers is a bit fear based and not very in depth when it comes to your options in pregnancy and birth. The author had a classic "downward spiral" of intervention leading to cesarean which is not very empowering to read (I felt sorry that for her that she was so uninformed about her choices and just blindly went along with the docs ideas).

[MantaRay]

Check out this: Recommended Reading List

I think a good pg book can be useful, but I wish I had done more reading about labour and birth first time around. I strongly recommend New Active Birth (details are in the reading list above). I read it before DS2 was born and it made such a difference. I had a great birth after reading that.

[Beach Mama]

Up the Duff is great for week to week, "my uterus is the size of a grapefruit" type info! but I second New Active Birth, it is a must read IMO. It is easy to read and understand. The other book that I have really loved is Labour of Love by Gabrielle Targett. Fantastic. For heavier reading but still excellent information on childbirth, The Thinking Womans Guide to a Better Childbirth!

[BellyBelly]

My top picks are New Active Birth by Janet Balaskas and The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer. For men, Men At Birth and The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin. I also think the Pink Kit is an invaluable resource, which is part book, part DVD but very important in these days and times where women are feeling so inadequate about their bodies capabilities to birth. Definitely recommend all those.

[Malyna]

I tried to read up the duff but couldn't get into it. I got my copy of what to expect when your expecting (I picked up my copy from a second hand book shop).

Another couple of books was the "how to have a great birth in Australia' which provided stories from a dozen or so women about their birthing experiences. There is also a male version of the book - written by men about their experiences of their partners giving birth (I found these books to be really good in knowing what different births can be like.)

You can get loads of information from the web.

[BellyBelly]

Tarkine, those books are both from the Australian College of Midwives - Men At Birth (the one I mentioned) and Having a Great Birth In Australia. BB stocks them both, they are great!

[meow]

I didn't read much that did a lot for me except The Pink Kit. I wasn't scared of birth though and I found a lot seemed to go on about dealing with fear etc. etc. The Pink Kit was very practical and has so many great tips- my H and I really got a lot out of our study sessions as we would go through a chapter.

I was lent a copy of Up the Duff and the weekly info on what baby was doing was interesting but her vision of birth and pregnancy is terrible and I hated it for that.

The birth articles on here are excellent- some of the best reading I did.

[Neenee Jellybeanie]

My favourite pregnancy book is "Your Pregnancy Bible" by Anne Deans (though it has contributions by all sorts of health professionals). It has week-to-week descriptions of your developing baby with pictures, and has a fold-out page that gives a brief idea of your pregnant body each week (including pictures of a naked pregnant lady so you can see how big you'll be at ___ X date. It also has info about how to look after your body while pregnant, your emotions and relationships when pregnant, your body after bub, and just generally everything. It doesn't have a huge amount on birthing options though it does have a section on labour. I'd definately recommend getting a seperate book on labour.

[Kazbah]

I read only ...

"the yummy mummy survival guide" (excellent - I found it empowering, that pregnancy is a condition, not an illness)

"what to expect when expecting" (great week-to-week stuff) and that was it for me.

Ooooh and also "pregnancy basics" which is a womans' weekly mini-book we bought @ Spotlight.
I found the information I needed either here or by asking my doctor.

However I found the best book given to me after the birth was "your childs' illnesses" which is like a bible to me.