If I only read one pregnancy/baby book, it should be...

[SecondCityShark]

What are your suggestions?

It's such a topic of debate and I don't want to go through a stack of conflicting advice.

What's a good one-stop shop that covers all basic bases, in your opinion?

What to expect when you're expecting

How Eskimoes Keep Their Babies Warm
Proves there are many right ways, not one.

Baby week by week.

If you're planning to breastfeed - The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by the La Leche League. Woo title but incredibly useful and the only reason I persevered and ended up loving it. I read various books but that's the only one I kept referring back to once DD was born; especially those days that you're worrying about supply, painful nipples etc.

The science of parenting

Why your baby's sleep matters

I'd read the kellymom website if planning to breastfeed. And I'd just read a few summaries of different parenting styles (attachment, gentle, baby whisperer, Gina ford) so you are aware what people agendas are when they give you advice. I wouldn't try and identify any parenting style as 'yours' as you'll probably find whatever you want doesn't work with DC anyway!

"The Rough Guide to Pregnancy and Birth" by Kaz Cooke

I never read a baby book when pregnant or when daughter was a baby. But I did read The Gentle Eating Book a couple of years ago and wished I’d had it when daughter was a baby! I wish OH would read it as he comes from a family with very disordered eating and I think it might help him. But he won’t.

Didnt read any books but i did it invest in hypnobirthing.

I love The gentle Parenting series. There are loads; behaviour, sleep, siblings. She makes a point about being gentle and responsive but not permissive.
I found it useful for understanding what was developmentally appropriate. I personally found anything like the contented baby book just made me feel like a failure, especially after baby no.1.
I also second Kelly mom website for breastfeeding advice.

Bin the lot of them. So much conflicting info because no two babies are the same, no two women are the same. Not to mention nobody tells the animal mummy's how to do it.

However I'll summarise them all for you.
Keep one end fed and the other end clean.

Breast if possible it's not easy getting established but it's the best fast food restaurant going. Bottle, read the instructions.

Nappies, disposable or cloth both do the job.

You, look after yourself, enjoy your baby and try and meet some new mum friends.

Lockdown that's why I enjoyed the Mumsnet Guide to Babies the most of all the books I read. It presented all the different perspectives, even if they were contradictory - like a meta-summary of all the different books and methods and made me realise there was no one method that would always work, just worth trying different things until something worked for me and the baby in question and forget about books or people telling you that you MUST do it this way or that way.

Then DS2 came along and everything that worked with DS1 didn't work on him so we were back to square one anyway!

Thats very much it, if they're was a magic method that works no books would be required.

The other crazy thing is "official" advice keeps changing with more safety precautions built in.
Back in the 70s mums made their bottles up in a batch in the morning, and fridge them. Now mums are told to make them fresh every time.
Are fridges less reliable in the UK now than they were 40 years ago.

@Lockdownbear

Bin the lot of them. So much conflicting info because no two babies are the same, no two women are the same. Not to mention nobody tells the animal mummy's how to do it.

However I'll summarise them all for you.
Keep one end fed and the other end clean.

Breast if possible it's not easy getting established but it's the best fast food restaurant going. Bottle, read the instructions.

Nappies, disposable or cloth both do the job.

You, look after yourself, enjoy your baby and try and meet some new mum friends.

I second binning the lot of them.

Honestly I read about 7 books and completely forgot most of it when baby arrived! Practise Hypnobirthing type breathing now, rest, do nice things with your partner. Life will never be the same again. I found reading made me anxious and less mindful. Also when baby arrived, I googled/spoke to midwife/ HV rather than referred to books!

Quick update: they haven't all arrived yet but the stack of reading material is rapidly growing.

Thanks ladies!

I think you'll be in for a shock because babies don't follow the manual.

And no matter how hard you look, you can’t find where the batteries come out!

I hated the Week by Week book - my DD was weeks ahead

I liked the Baby Whisperer (Tracey Hogg) as for me the routine worked, my baby slept through from 8 weeks (obviously I don’t know whether that was because of the book )

My recommendation would be…. None.

I never read any books. Just did what felt instinctive and right at the time. Otherwise it’s easy to get bogged down in ‘ideology’ like attachment parenting etc and feel disappointed if it doesn’t work for you.

La Leche league: the womanly art of mothering (if you plan to breastfeed).

I followed Contented Baby / Baby Whisperer. You have to decide early on whether you're going to be an attachment/co-sleeping type or a structure/sleep hygiene type because they're totally different. Your baby doesn't mind which one you choose but will mind if you chop and change between styles. Babies just want to know what to expect- they have enough chaos going on without having to try to guess how their parents will respond.

@Greenmarmalade

La Leche league: the womanly art of mothering (if you plan to breastfeed).

As the title denotes though, all good fun & pressure free

Sarah ockwell Smith’s gentle parenting books
Baby Led Weaning by Gill Rapley
Hypnobirthing by Siobhan Miller
Dear Ijeawele by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie ….. she is a fabulous author and this is about raising a baby girl as a feminist

Ina May for me, made me feel strong, capable, empowered. Re-read it in each pregnancy.