Kylie,
I agree! Up the Duff is brilliant, another of my favorite ones is Well Adjusted Babies.
There are a lot of unhelpful books out there - but you will learn which ones are suitable for you and your views...I found a few of them contradicted each other so you really take what is relevant to you.
I also find Belly Belly to be one of the best sources of information.
Kirsten, IKWYM about unhelpful books, when I was pg with Lindsay I went to the library and there were heaps there, but most of them were published in the early 80's, so you can imagine what they would have been like LOL.
I HIGHLY recommend "BIRTH" by Catherine Price and Sandra Robinson. Everything i went through in my pregnancy from the word go and also once Jesse was born to do with him and myself was in this book. It was my bible!
A friend lent me Up The Duff and although it was humourous i found it more something fun to read and it didnt seem to have as much information in it as i needed.
I have found "what to expect when you're expecting" to be quite informative. I have Up the Duff and look forward to reading it every week. I can always associate with what is said and although it isn't a medical type book, it has the advantage of also discussing the feelings and emotions of pregnancy and how to deal with other people which I couldn't find in the normal pregnancy books.
Yay for Up the Duff - my DH and I both like it - he doesn't like hearing all the gory details, and this book is light and fluffy and funny. My SIL gave me The Yummy Mummy's Survival Guide, another fun one that doesn't go into a great deal of medical detail, but is casually informative - like talking to a friend who's had kids.
What to Expect When You're Expecting is good for specific questions, I find, though I think the edition I have has since been superceded. Also Dr Miriam Stoppard's 'Conception, Pregnancy & Birth' was very informative too.
Im going with Amy, 'Conception, Pregnancy and Birth' was the best $50 i ever spent on a book. Very helpful, loads of information, pictures and ideas. DH and I loved reading it together.
I also have 'What to expect when you're expecting' and its a combined with 'What to eat when you're expecting', was a good book off MIL, dont refer to it all that often but now and then i do as i think its goes more in deepth with answers i want to know.
The ones i frequently refer to and find informative as well as easy to read are:
-New Pregnancy and Birth book by Miriam Stoppard
- K.I.S.S Guide to Pregnancy
- What to Expect When You are Expecting
- Up the Duff
Have fun learning about the joys of preg - it's truly an amazing experience!!!
I liked " Conception, Pregnancy and Birth" by Miriam Stoppard, found it very informative and practical.
I didnt really enjoy Kaz Cookes book but instead preferred another one of a similar vein called " A best Friends guide to Pregnancy" by Vicki Iovine, very funny and good to keep your spirits upa dn know you are not the only one experiencing things. Think with that one you might have to buy it online as not many bookshops stock it.
In last years Bounty Bag i got a Pregnancy Book. Its free and you should get it. Its got good info in it without blowing your mind iykwim.
In saying that though, i booked into hospital on wednesday and didnt get a bounty bag . Arent they giving them out anymore, or is because ive had 2 kids that i dont get one.
I think Up the Duff is fabulous.. Its a great read and is really entertaining. I look forward to reading it each week.
I am also always thumbing the pages of "what to expect when you are expecting" - it seems to cover almost everything, its a good sanity check when you think something is a little weird.
I have found this time around "A Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth" (I think thats the name LOL) by Henci Goer to be amazing and informative. Also "Silent Knife". Have a look at the recommended reading list as mentioned before
For men, the Haynes Baby Manual is fantastic. I've bought it for DH for Christmas - it's for babies as well as pregnancy and conception, and leaves the medical stuff to the other books, just tells the man to look after his wife and treat her well! Sounds good to me (hence me buying it). Of course, it does lament the fact that you'll be buying the Haynes Car Manuals for essential work, not fun, from now on, but otherwise doesn't do much of the product-selling you may expect.
Hello, the book I referred to throughout was Dr Miriam Stoppard's 'Conception, Pregnancy & Birth. Lent it to someone and never got it back However, when we started to TTC I saw a copy of a newer edition at the markets so snaffled it up!
BTW - regarding outdated books at the library. PUH-leeeeeeeease take them from the shelf and ask to speak to the librarian about replacing them. Public libraries mostly purchase based on what's being borrowed already by the readers, so if they're not getting borrowed they might not get replaced. However if you point out that there's a hole where there should be some up to date books, they will purchase some new ones!!
:-)
Bookmarks