Hi all
I know many of us can struggle with hyperfocusing on TTC, especially for our first baby. I can't tell you how many hours I've wasted on Flo, mumsnet and random blogs.
So I'm trying to reduce my screen time and explore my interest in TTC, pregnancy and parenthood in a healthier way, with books! Thought I'd post my favourites here, welcome other recommendations...
Welcome to Motherhood Bitches by Victoria Emes - hilarious book that takes you through conception to the fourth trimester. Had me in stitches. She does not skimp on the gory details (bum grapes galore!) but normalises them and helps you laugh about them which I really liked. Made my partner read this book and he laughed a lot too!
Expecting Better by Emily Oster - really good book for those who like lots of information to make informed choices. Emily is a micro economist so uses those skills to share all the research around the various pregnancy recommendations that exist whilst taking you on her own conception and pregnancy journey. I really liked this book for the statistical info which helped put things into perspective.
The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read by Phillipa Perry - I actually did tell my parents to read this book too 🙃 because it was a really interesting reflection on how hard it is to parent, how easy it is to get things wrong and I think it's made my relationship with my own parents better. Also discussed the book with my husband to talk about the kind of parents we want to be.
Getting Pregnant with PCOS by Claire Goodwin - I don't have a PCOS diagnosis but have suspicions so read this to get informed. Turns out PCOS is just a symptom with many causes which are covered in this book. It's well laid out and tells you exactly what tests to ask for to rule stuff out.
Why has nobody told me this before? By Julie Smith - not actually a book related to TTC but it is about mental health and the gotchas that put us in a low mood. This is much cheaper than a therapist and I keep going back to read specific chapters to help recalibrate my mental health on this TTC journey. So out of all the books in this list it's the one I've read the most.
Look forward to hearing your recommendations!