Are there any pregnancy books that won't insult my intelligence?

[Petsville]

I've just found out that I'm 5 weeks pregnant. I want one reference book that I can use to check facts (particularly things like levels of risk with eating different foods, what test results mean, glossary of things that might go wrong, all that kind of stuff). I don't want some clown telling me about my emotional state and suggesting that I change my surname to my husband's - I know what my emotional state is, thank you, and I'm not changing my name just so that a hypothetical future school has a slightly easier life. I asked my GP last time round and she hadn't got any suggestions (no children of her own) but she didn't hold out much hope as she reckons they're all written for the lowest common denominator. Has anyone found anything that's any good? Everything I've looked at is so appallingly patronising I want to fling it out of the window!

Sorry this post looks really grumpy - I'm afraid it isn't pregnancy hormones, I'm always like that!

The Pregnancy Bible.

I'm not sure if that's its actual title, but it's close enough. It has all th einformation you will need presented in a calm manner, no patronising. You can easily ignore the bits you aren't interested in and the illustrations are superb.

What To Expect is pretty good, although it is way OTT PFB stuff. But this is your first, so you are allowed to be PFB-ish. It's informative and not patronising, anyhow.

Yes, agree, yuck to Miriam Stoppard. I also found the What to Expect... books quite badly adapted from the American, so quite often irrelevant or plain inaccurate. I come from a family of medical people, so often want something a bit more detailed, too, rather than just the usual stating of the bleeding obvious. I do like Yehudi Gordon's Birth and Beyond, as a holistic guide to the before, during and after of pregnancy, labour and the first year, and the last third of the book is an excellent a-z health guide.

Your Pregnancy Bible

I know it looks pricey but you could always borrow it from the library to see if you're comfortable with it. Personally, it was the best buy for me. I have referred to it even in my subsequent pregnancy (most books are aimed at first-time mums and contain no relevant information for those already familiar with pregnancy, birth and newborns!)

sorry, just read op. Read your other post. Very sorry to hear about your experience previously. That is the good thing about books, though - you can just skip over the crap stuff that you don't like and read what is helpful.

I don't mind Penelope Leach either, in a Delia kind of way.

butadream - so true. I have a similar situation and it is so frustrating.

It's not a pregnancy bible as such, but I think you well might enjoy the tone of The Rough Guide to Pregnancy and Birth by Kaz Cooke.

I highly recommend it. It's very practical and down to earth, but also the author has a dry and very funny wit, and at times pokes gentle fun at some of the more ridiculous suggestions in the other books, in a way I suspect from your OP you might well appreciate. It made me laugh out loud.

I didn't like "What to expect". I haven't read the birth one, but I have read the one for the first year. I found it so obviously written for the American market, with a quick make-over for the UK edition as to be really annoying and - in places - laughably incorrect. Also when it started advising that I don't name my child anything too unusual, and then mentioned a list of extremely Christian names, I decided it definitely wasn't for me! I mean what business is it if a childcare manual to tell me what to call my child?! (That's what the 6 baby names books I bought were for!) And the assumption that all readers were Christian annoyed the hell out of me (no pun intended!)

I enjoyed Your Pregnancy Week by week - the pictures are superb.

I meant "what business is it of a childcare manual ..."

Gah!

I found Kaz Cooke's book absolutely enraging - it was the only book I read (not many admittedly) where I felt patronised. I ended up taking down a couple of notes on some of the useful things in there (book references, what to buy for new baby etc) and then giving it away before I burnt it.

Dreadful.

Birth and Beyond has been my favourite book, it seems to cover everything. And I've found What to Expect useful for dipping in and out of, although I have several complications in my pregnancy and it didn't cover these in enough detail for me, but then, what single book would.

Illuminasam - so glad I'm not the only one. I hated Kaz Cooke's cook, found it very patronising and quite hysterical compared to other books I've read. I didn't find her that funny either although obviously that's very personal.

HMC - exactly!

I liked the Lesley Regan book too.

I also hated the Rough Guide. It tried to be funny, but wasn't. At all.

What to Expect was my bible and I have the First Year and Toddler ones as well and have used them loads.

the green and purple NHS book is quite good for Facts, and How Not To Be A Perfect Mother is good for a readable take on the whole parenting shebang

the rest are generally shite, especially What To Expect.

borrow a lot from the library and return them all in disgust, you will feel a lot better

oh and get hold of a copy of Misconceptions, which will (hopefully) help turn your disgust and crossness at being patronised into a positive sort of anger to make you get out there and demand decent information from HCPs you meet...

'YOUR PREGNANCY BIBLE' straightfwd and factual.... and is in english not american!

The Great Ormand street Baby and Childcare book. It covers everything from pre-conception to five years old. I still refer to it all the time, my DD is 3 now and am expectiong DC2. Great for those middle of the night panics about temperatures and rashes. And all the profits go to GOS, too.

I have really liked the Pregnancy week by week book too. I found it factual, to the point and agree that the pictures are great.

misconceptions by naomi wolf.

Another fan of week by week.

I like what to expect from the pov that they seem to realise life isn't always a bed of roses - e.g., they talk about drug use rather than sticking their fingers in their ears and pretending it doesn't happen.

But as someone else pointed out - you are going to get patronised in ways you never began to imagine. Every twat out there has something to tell you and you will do everything wrong. Everything which passes your lips will be criticised.