Whether you’re expecting your first child or another, sometimes you want to brush up on the facts. Check out some of these pregnancy books to help guide you through these nine months.
Obviously, there are thousands of books on pregnancy available for your perusal, so many in fact, it can actually be rather overwhelming. Before you buy a bunch of books hoping to stumble upon a gem, check out these five top-rated books.
What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff
Not only does this book have 18.5 million copies in print, it’s also the longest-running New York Times bestseller. If you’re the type of person who wants to know about all of the things that can go wrong, then this is the book for you. On the other hand, if you are someone who gets anxious with the thought of things possibly going wrong, then you may want to steer clear.
What to Expect When You’re Expecting covers concerns from health fads to the Zika Virus, just about every question you can think of-and everything that would have never crossed your mind- is answered within these pages.
Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy: From Doctors who Are Parents, Too!
A book on pregnancy from the reputable world-class Mayo Clinic that’s written by doctors who are ALSO parents. What’s not to love? This book not only gives sound advice on all things pregnancy related but also features a week-by-week update on your baby’s growth, month-by-month information on changes for mom and a 40-week pregnancy calendar.
What’s nice about this book is that the information is easy to understand. You don’t need a medical dictionary to make sense of the answers inside. It’s also very straight to the point so you can get a direct answer to your important questions.
Dad’s Guide to Pregnancy for Dummies
If you’ve ever read a book from the For Dummies series you can expect the same great writing from an expert in the field. The experts, in this case, are Mathew Miller, professional writer and editor, and Sharon Perkins a registered nurse with over 25 years of experience in prenatal, labor and delivery care.
Like all For Dummies books, Dad’s Guide to Pregnancy for Dummies is laid out in a way that makes sense so you can skip the parts you don’t need and jump right ahead to the areas you want more information on. Or if you want to read it straight through, this book is set up with everything you need to know about pregnancy and prenatal care in a manner that is timely to what you will experience as pregnancy progresses and builds upon your knowledge as you go.
Baby 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for Your Baby’s First Year by Ari Brown and Denise Fields
Maybe you’ve already had your baby and you need help with what to do now. Baby 411 covers the important lessons you may be afraid to ask like “how to breastfeed,” or “is this bald spot on my baby’s head permanent?”
A lot of parents also like that reading this book feels like getting advice from a trusted friend. It doesn’t come off as judgmental or like they are trying too hard to be relatable. It’s also enjoyable enough to read straight through and possibly learn more about topics you thought you already learned about.
What to do When You’re Having Two: The Twins Survival Guide from Pregnancy Through the First Year by Natalie Diaz
Being pregnant is scary enough but having multiples at once is a new level of anxiety. Of course, most pregnancy books will cover topics related to carrying more than one child, but having a book dedicated to those mothers who have specific concerns is a big relief. This book is written by a mother of twins who writes form a perspective of someone who didn’t have a clue on what to do either and learned the hard way. This is a great book for first-time moms who are nervous about the entire process and want to read about someone else’s experience instead of hearing facts from an expert who can only provide the information second hand.
As a reminder, no matter how good your baby book is, there is no substitution for seeing a primary care physician and a pediatrician.
