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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

can anyone recommend a pregnancy "bible"?

60 replies

Caz10 · 06/04/2007 20:00

I don't want to spend a fortune, but am clueless so need something quite comprehensive, and was also thinking that 2 books might be best to see if any advice differs etc. Can anyone recommend any good titles? Thanks!

OP posts:
edam · 06/04/2007 21:43

Get the Mumsnet book, it's fab. And the other one, Mums on Babies, I think. Much better than reading some po-faced expert who issues commandments on tablets of stone. Miriam bleeding Stoppard, for instance, is so patronising she actually had a picture of a maternity smock in her book in case readers were too stupid to think they might need to buy some new clothes... I mean, no-one has worn a smock since the 80s anyway!

gemmiegoatEGGS · 06/04/2007 21:45

i loved the kaz cooke one too. Ever saturday during my first pregnancy, I pulled the book out to measure the size of my foetus

"John, its as big as a grape!"

Can you imagine now "John its as big as a Smart Car!"

BetsyBoop · 06/04/2007 22:19

another vote for 'Your Pregnancy Week by Week' by Lesley Regan - if your a detail person this is the book for you, it has far more information in it than any other book I've come across.

skerriesmum · 06/04/2007 22:23

Another vote for Birth and Beyond... it doesn't have those "week by week" breakdowns, but there's a lot more about those first weeks with the baby which is more important! I read far too much about pregnancy and birth when I should have been figuring out babycare...

Hoonette · 07/04/2007 13:23

I guess everyone's different so everyone likes a different sort of book...Personally, I recommmend Your Pregnancy Bible . It's written from a midwifey point of view and doesn't give opinions, just sensible points of view. Also has loads of pictures

Original poster
Caz10 · 07/04/2007 16:15

Wow thank you, you lot are wonderful! Sadly we have a v small,v limited local library, and I know the lady who works there, so at the moment ordering books from other branches isn't an option!

So I am going to try and look on Ebay etc and see what I can find.

Really appreciate all your ideas!

OP posts:
MKG · 07/04/2007 16:32

"What to expect . . " is good,
anything by Ina May Gaskin is good if you like the earth- mother approach, (Spiritual Midwifery is good if you like a lot of technical info)

My personal favorite is "Pregnancy for Dummies" I'm in the US and don't know it's availibility where you are, but it gets right to the point.

mum2george · 07/04/2007 20:57

I would recommend not getting any, which is what I did the first time around and everything seemed to turn out ok. Did read the one the MW gave me though.

This time around I'm reading Birth Your Way by Sheila Kitzinger and I really wouldn't recommend it. I have already given birth once and have never been worried about it, have always worked on the principle that "its got to come out sometime so why worry" but this book is making me nervous. Time to take it back to the Library I think!

Did use the "No Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley after DS was born and found this to be fab.

poppy34 · 08/04/2007 21:06

none of the books are perfect but I like best the dorling kindersey one by professor lesley regan - its the most informative without being scary/patronising and the photos are fab. But to be totally honest there is nothing in this (or the other book I've got "what to expect when you're expecting") that you can't get from mumsnet so may be better to save your money...

Hespera · 08/04/2007 21:20

There is a Mumsnet book

TheArmadillo · 08/04/2007 21:24

I had birth and beyond - which was really good as it was quite medical and covered the next 9 months. HAd a first aid section in the back (which was useful once ds was born). It broke everything down and let you know exactly what was going on.

For the emotional side and what to actually expect I had the Best Friends' Guide, which was good and funny, but very American.

I found the balance of the 2 very different books, was really useful.

DiDov · 09/04/2007 08:38

"What to expect ..." was for me the most comprehensive and reassuring. Taking you through everything month by month. Also, the internet is an excellent resource. Try the bbc and the babycentre pregnancy sites, both of which feature timelines for your pregnancy. Happy reading*

SueW · 09/04/2007 08:58

Expecting - antenatal classes in a book and you can back it up for latest research by looking at babycentre.co.uk

Also, as others have recommended, mumsnet's own Mums on Pregnancy and Mums on Babies for the 'take to bed/bath/antenatal appointments' version of mumsnet so you can read a selection of posts from these forums without having to have internet access. Backed up by posting your own questions and opinions to mumsnet talk, of course

Try your local library before you commit to buying anything.

LowFatMilkshake · 09/04/2007 21:48

Another vote for the Rough Guide, I read it through both my PG's and have passed o to a friend as well - just briliant. I also have the follow up: 'Kid Wrangling'

Monkeybar · 09/04/2007 21:58

I LOVED 'How to have a baby and still live in the real world' sorry can;t remember who it's by as it's been lent out to a second mother to be. No nonsense and quite funny, lots of silly pictures, but actually very factual. It was given to me by my sister (mother of 5) when I was preg with my first. Probably not everyone's cup of tea, but I really liked it

midnightexpress · 10/04/2007 08:18

I love the 'Birth and Beyond' too and also refer regularly to the 'What to expect..' ones.

yesireallycan · 10/04/2007 10:14

I haven't read the whole thread but I really like the books by Dr Sears - there is one called The Pregnancy Book and another companion volume called The Birth Book. They are well written, easy to read, and well balanced.

For books about birth itself, I'd also recommend The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth.

colditz · 10/04/2007 10:15

Mumsnet

seriously.

MissGolightly · 10/04/2007 10:32

Haven't had time to read the whole thread but I found Birth and Beyond to be great - it is particularly useful because it deals with pregnancy but also the first year of a baby's life, so unlike most pregnancy books you don't just chuck it away when the baby arrives.

It steers quite a good line between being medically sound but not too didactic and as well as looking at conventional medicine and birthplans it also covers alternative approaches eg waterbirth, homeopathy, yoga, etc

I found What to Expect when you're expecting to be nauseatingly preachy. "The Pregnancy Diet" section in particular - bran muffins and "double the milkshake" wtf? Why can't I just eat normal healthy food?! Also as as previous poster has said it is pretty much directly translated from the US and often makes stupid mistakes - to give just one example, they advise you to get your doctor to write the name of medicines down and then buy them over the counter rather than getting them on prescription as they will be cheaper, obviously not knowing that in the UK prescriptions are free to pregnant women.

Treeny · 10/04/2007 13:19

Hi there, this is my first time to post on Mumsnet. I have a three-year-old daughter and am expecting my second child in August.

I know loads of people swear by 'What to expect...', but I'm afraid I can't stand it - much too bossy and patronising, and really fixated beyond all that's reasonable on what pregnant women should and shouldn't eat. And it doesn't give enough detail for my curious mind - it runs through all the physical symptoms you might be experiencing, but doesn't explain why they're occurring. I've had to do web-searches to fill in the gaps.

One book that I don't think has been mentioned is 'The best friends guide to pregnancy' by Vicki Iovine. It's American and so some of the references can be a bit baffling, but it's well-written and amusing.

I guess we're just talking about books on pregnancy/birth here, but last time I was pregnant I really enjoyed reading 'Secrets of the baby whisperer' as preparation for what actually having a baby in the house might be like. It's written in an odd mixture of Yorkshire and California-speak, but I found it the most helpful book of its kind.

Definitely read a few different things - just be prepared for them all to differ radically!

Princesspowersparkle · 10/04/2007 14:10

I'm with Hoonette- The Pregnancy Bible is just that. So useful and it has a week by week guide and everything. Its the only book I've needed.
PPS X

MissGolightly · 10/04/2007 14:42

Welcome Treeny! Glad you think WTEWYE is a bit mad too. I was totally baffled by their bran fixation. I have got through my entire life without adding handfuls of bran to anything with (so far) no ill effects.

schmizaj · 10/04/2007 15:53

My 2p worth...

*A vote for your local library!
*Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond - Yehudi Gordon
*Kaz Cooke one for humour
*Becoming a Mother by Kate Moss for the personal stories.
*Boots does a free book thing which was great for week by week stuff, plus the Emma's Diary from NHS.

Remember Amazon does 2nd hand where I bought from! Happy pregnancy!

toadstool · 10/04/2007 16:33

I do find 'What to expect' sensible and useful, despite its USA-only medical focus. I've never stuck to the best-odds diet more than 24 hours, but at least it gives a good idea of how to balance a diet out, so stuff like the late-night hot milk was useful. And it's good having no photos of naked women in labour on every other page, DH got a bit worried by a couple of manuals that were more like the Nudists Birth Guide than anything else.

jaz2 · 10/04/2007 17:19

I read the mumsnet book on pregnancy, and felt SO much more confident afterwards. I was feeling especially nervous as I didn't have my mother to confide in. Unlike friends it doesn't revel in giving you scare stories, but does give a realistic range of views on all aspects of pregnancy (and is sufficiently humourous in places). I read it cover to cover in one sitting.
I also read Your Pregnancy Week by Week, which was quite dry, and confusing as some of the stuff in later weeks you actually needed to know in earlier weeks.
I avoided ones with graphic photos of mothers giving birth...there are some things you just don't need to see!

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