Recommend any good pregnancy/ parenting books please?!

[AC786]

I feel the need to read...please could anyone recommend any good parenting and pregnancy books please?

What to expect when you are expecting is very informative.

The Mumsnet ones
Sears Baby Book- really comprehensive this is the only one I keep referring to
Food of Love (breastfeeding)
Three in the bed (cosleeping)
Haynes Baby Manual - great poo pictures

We quite liked the Blokes Guide to Pregnancy - dreadful title but funny and informative. Also good for encouraging birth partners to be an advocate for the woman during labour, if required. My DH is dyslexic and not keen on reading, but really enjoyed this one,

Also Zoe Williams new book looks worth a read - What not to expect when you're expecting.

Ooh yes Food of Love is great.

I second Scarlett... What to expect when you're expecting is a great starting point. The only book I read. Then relied on online info! Congrats btw!

Different styles of book will suit different folks, but I'll share what I've been reading.

Pregnancy
I bought a couple of pregnancy books from a charity shop, my editions are slightly dated but as I have mumsnet to keep me up to date, I don't mind. I think one is a Miriam Stoppard one and the other one is an NCT one. Good for development photos and the different stages of pregnancy and reminders of when to pack your labour bag etc.

My DH has 'Pregnancy for Men' by Mark Woods and seems to like it.

Parenting
I was drawn to the idea of attachment parenting, so I picked up 'Attachment Parenting' by Sears. I was impressed by how flexible it was, not onerous at all, just different tools to promote attachment and they leave it up to you to decide which ones work best for your family.

What Mothers Do (especially when it looks like nothing) - this isn't a parenting manual, but instead talks about how women adapt to becoming mothers, what skills they learn. Its really amazing what's involved in being a mum, and this book is likely to make you feel more confident that getting to know your newborn and adjust to being a mum is worthwhile, even when you don't seem to 'achieve' much in a day.

Breastfeeding
The Food of Love - humourous and informative illustrated guide to breastfeeding.
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding - LLL's comprehensive guide to breastfeeding.

Both are excellent.

Hope that helps.

DH is reading Ina May Gaskin's Guide To Childbirth.

I've got Active Birth, Three in a Bed, What Mothers Do and How Mothers Love. They're all brilliant!

I had The Rough Guide to Pregnancy - lighthearted (but informative), which may or may not suit you.

Also - What Every Parent Needs to Know. This was given to me by a friend who works with adopted children and their adoptive parents. Her council gives it to all their adopters, they consider it to be, well, all you need to know.

I hated the "What to Expect...." series. V American and not well "translated" for the UK market.

Raising Boys is an interesting read (particularly if you have a boy !).

Pregnancy and Birth by Kaz Cooke is part of the rough guides series. I have been rereading it during my 2nd pregnancy. It's witty, factual, and 'non-flowery,' I'd recommend a look at that one.

I would def not recommend the Gina Ford or the baby whisperer book or pretty much any other baby manual, they all made me feel terribly guilty! The one exception to the guilt factor thing was 'The Mumsnet Rules,' which honestly I'd have recommended if I was writing on this forum or not

Good luck!

Pregnancy for Dummies was informative, not so much on the emotional side i.e bonding etc but it was good for when you needed to know the facts. I had pre-eclampsia and this book helped me spot the signs and mention it to the midwife.

The mumsnet ones

Jo Frost's confident baby care (super nanny)

The baby whisperer - Recommended to me by a friend and it worked really well for us

Thank you everyone...I shall get reading!

Gina Ford's Contented Little Baby Book... I used the routines and dd was sleeping through from about 9 weeks.

(Runs away and hides after posting about Gina Ford :) )

What to Expect... is great because it includes absolutely everything, however bizarre. It gives you standard modern middle-of-the road "best practice" for every situation

But it does go very bizarre and American when it comes to food - probably best to go for a different book for that.

Kaz Cook's Rough Guide to Pregnancy and Birth is excellent, we have her baby book now too (I'm 37+2 with DC1), hope it is as good. We've also just bought Baby Love, which was highly recommended by a friend, but haven't had a chance to look at it yet. What to Expect is fine for looking stuff up, but as others have said is very American. DH really liked Jon Smith's Blokes Guide to Pregnancy, but didn't like his follow-on baby book so much.

Thanks AC786 for starting this thread! I've just put my amazon order in!

Ha Wigglewoo...you're brave!! I'm not a GF fan but I used the Baby Whisperer book and my LO was sleeping through at 12 weeks.

DEFO Ina Mays Guide to Childbirth. Has made me look at the entire process in a different light. I'm not nervous, I feel prepared and if anything I'm looking forward to the birth... (Always imagined I'd be freaking out with 4 weeks to go!!) Honestly I think midwifes should give this book out, it really makes you realise how complicated we have made childbirth when really, its the most natural thing in the world.

I really enjoyed this one