A* Really* Good pregnancy book ...any one know one?

[Miranda5]

Hi Girls, I am a bit of a pregnancy book addict when in the family way. I have read Miriam Stoppard 1 million times and have another good one by Dr Gordon Bourne...I need stimulus and thought you girls would be the ones in the know!
Any suggestions welcome!

I got on well with one by Sheila Kitzinger. Can't remember the exact name, but there are some available on Amazon.

There's always the mumsnet book(s)

I really liked the Fat Ladies Club book

The best friends guide to Preganacy by Vicki Iovine is hilarious.

Probably one of the best books I've read.

Depends what you want to read.
Stoppard is - IMO - very uninspiring!

Expecting . My sister has used it throughout her pregnancy and said it was absolutely brilliant and covered everything she needed to use at the right time.

agree about "best friends guide to pg" but don't like the follow-up "guide to motherhood" as find it really depressing.

It makes out you'll be reduced to a fat, useless, jabbering wreck for ages after having a baby. Maybe true, but a depressing read in the last few weeks before baby is born!!

I wanted to get the follow up to it as well.

Might not bother now.

Its not a pregnancy book (it's a rather apt novel) but The Bad Mothers Handbook by Kate Long is an excellent read and made my pregnancy a little more bearable. It made me laugh until I was crying and I swear it was what turned my baby out of her transverse breach position.

I like that one by Kaz Cooke - Rough Guide To Pregnancy (I think).. Quite funny and honest.

and Naomi Wolf's Misconceptions was v thought-provoking.

I liked a combination of books:

Sheila Kitzinger for all round common sense. Gordon Bourne for fascinating medical stuff. Miriam Stoppard for good pictures. Yehudi Gordon for the unachievable. Breast is Best by Drs Stanaway is excellent.

The main American ones, What to Expect and Sears, were rubbish.

I've read everything I could find in local libraries over five pregnancies.

Ameriscot - why didn't you like Dr Sears? Curious....

rough guide to pg by kaz cooke. funny and very helpful. whenever i was concerned about something i could always find the answer.

Personally I think the time and money are better spent on reading a few seriously gory thrillers.

Thanks Girls for your comments! Have read the mumsnet book but literally read it in one after noon and was then hungry for more. I like one you can pick up every couple of days ( or every evening in my boring case) and find out how many mimlimetres your blastocyst is and whether it has an eyebrow yet. Any one else so intrigued and in love with the whole stressful experience?
I see some of the ones mentioned on amazon and have been and bought the 'best friends guide' today simply because on a m/n thread earlier it mentioned cramps in early pregnancy something no book I have so far found has touched upon but a lot of us seem to experience. PLEASE keep your recommendations flowing in! Many thanks

Thinking woman's guide to a better birth by Henci Goer is really good. The author is very pro-natural birth but the book is good regardless of what your stance is because it gives the pros & cons (supported by medical evidence) of all the different interventions and obstetrical practices.

Pupuce,
I think what put me off Sears was that he would have all these little "methods" that he trademarked, when all they are is what women have been doing for 1000s of years.

Just a bit to "over there" for my liking, along with Bradley method, Lamaze method etc.

Not a 'pregnancy' book per se but I loved it.

'Misconceptions' by Naomi Wolf just spoke straight from my heart. Finally somebody who 'understood' me.

It's honest, very clever, eloquently written and just the right amount polemic.

Well I really like one of the one's that has been criticised further down this thread - What to Expect When You're Expecting - I guess it's just a case of different horses for different courses!

Parenting Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth

Parenting Guide to Your Baby's First Year

Both books invaluable, excellent sources. Every other book was just a supplement to these. Easy to read, understand, and has exactly the sort of information you want and need to know. Could not recommend them more highly.

I also enjoyed the Girlfriend's Guide, and oddly enough, the free Bounty handbook that comes with the Mums Gift at the hospital was very handy!

I second the vote for The Rough Guide to Pg + Birth by Kaz Cooke... informative but very amusing in places! Another good read, but not exactly an 'information-book' is From Here To Maternity by Mel Giedroyc (from Mel + Sue), which was a nice, light and funny read. Can also recommend The Active Birth Book (or something like that) by Balaskas, if you're interested in the subject, and also yoga for pg.

I like the book by Queen Charlottes Hospital which told you how things change week by week.