Can anyone recommend a pregnancy book (e.g. The Pregnancy Bible)?

[mumtojust3whippetsuntilnow]

I was in Waterstones the other day, but there are so many to choose from. I just wondered if any of you had any particular recommendations before I do my usual and buy 5 because I can't choose just one!!

Thanks

Well I could say I have some on the For Sale board
But other than that, no I don't recommend any one in particular, they've all been OK but none I'd say you must get. MN on the other hand, you must read
Congratulations on your pregnancy BTW

I liked The Rough Guide to Pregnancy & Birth. It's light hearted but tells you all you need to know.

Lady, I've replied to your For Sale thread...

What to expect when you're expecting! All my friends that have been preg love it and my copy is worn thin from lending it.. It has all the questions you would be embarrassed to ask your dr! Good luck..

what to expect is rubbsh I'm afraid, scaremongerin gto the nth degree.

contains some VERY dubiosu info re bf as well

if there are htings you are too embarrassed to ask your dcotor ask MN

tbh the purple/green NHS book is very good, and I can also reccomend How NotTo Be A Perfect Mother

My friend loves her week by week one which she lends me each time I'm pg. It is nice to have something new to read every week - worth a look? Your Pregnancy Week by Week by Dr Glad B Curtis and Judith Schuler. Like all of them I think there are bits you'll want to ignore.

Glade B Curtis not Glad

Have you tried your library? thereare quite a few pregnancy books at my local. you couldeven get the whole 5 u want!

I've got a big hardback by Prof Lesley Regan called Your Pregnancy Week By Week - published by Dorling Kindersley. I've found it really useful cos a) it's British (loads of books seem to be American), b) she's an obstetrician so knows what she's talking about, and c) she's got kids herself. It's quite a straightfoward manual of what to expect - I didn't buy any others as everything I wanted was there.

Obviously mumsnet much better than any book though!!

We've got Miriam Stoppards Birth to 5 years which is not really good for pregnancy but fantastic for after you've given birth. So we are on the lookout for a good pregnancy book.

I bought dh the blokes guide to pregnancy which is fantastic and perfect for all the info he needs without it being too heavy!

Well, thanks for all the recommendations. I've now bought 4 off LadyStealthPolarBear, I suppose it's OK to be indecisive when paying second hand prices!

actually it's good not to get too tied to one book - they all have slightly different takes on things and you can get very stuck believin gthings just because The Book says it...

The Mumsnet guide to pregnancy is out on the 7th September incase you want another one.

I've got "what to expect" - seems much of a muchness - I refuse to read the actual "childbirth" stuff until it's necessary.

On the downside... I registered over at their website - joined an ante-natal group and disappeared when I noticed just one too many "High School Senior Trying To Conceive" banner!

I have had quite a collection over the years.

The best overall one was the Sheila Kitzinger book (All new pregnancy and child care?). For the medical side, Gordon Bourne. For slightly fluffier, Miriam Stoppard.

Run away from What to Expect.

echoes vinblanc.

WTEWYE is waaay too American and totally irrelevant to NHS. Also a bit iffy on the evidence base imho. Can you tell l hated it?

WTE induces all sorts of guilt, especially around food.

When you have MS, you have to just eat what you can. You can't be selective about the nutritional content. WTE advocates only top quality food in a very preaching way, which is just not helpful when you are at a low in the first three months and already doing your absolute best.

I had What to expect, I liked it because it has everything in it, but take it all with a pinch of salt as its a bit too american, on no account should anyone ever try the diets. I also liked the rough guide to pregnacy - liked the bit where it shows you how big your baby is. Not a pregnancy guide as such but Misconceptions by Naomi Wolfe is really good feminist book on pg and children. The NHS book is really good as well.

It's not a pregnancy book, but 'How Not To Be A Perfect Mother' by Libby Purves is just about the best book on early parenthood that I have ever read.

She passes on tips that have worked for her and her friends, but also tells her readers that it is OK not to be perfect. As she says, we are all expected to be perfect Madonnas (the religious one not the pop one - lol) but even a Madonna needs time off to put her feet up with a drink and a good book!

The book is humorous and eminently sane.

I had a Miriam Stoppard guide to pregnancy I always lend it to anyone I know(whos pg obv) and they have always loved it

Patrick Holford's, "Optimum Nutrition Before, During and After Pregnancy"
Absolutly. Totally. Invaluable.
I have to buy my third book, as I lend the book which I have for myself out to friends, and then after reading it for themselves, they pass onto their own friends and I never get them back! I dont mind though! Im glad to help in any way I can

Another vote for Prof Lesley Regan "Your Pregnancy Week By Week". It's very informative without too much jargon, and the tone is friendly but not patronising at all.

Prof Regan, I bought it along with a few others whilst expecting dd and find it very good. I did not have the internet then so not with this one I do still flick through it but can mostly remember it as I read it so much the first time!!

Do NOT buy 'What to Expect...' - it is AWFUL.

I liked the Miriam Stoppard one, and the wonderful Ina May's Guide to Childbirth has reassured me about so many things I was worried about.