Hello. My Sister-in-law (hubby's bro's wife) just announced she is pregnant. She is about 12 weeks. She asked me for reccommendations on Pregnancy books. I mostly used the internet and scanned one book I had borrowed from a friend, but can't remember what it was. I did read Jenny McCarthy's Belly Laughs buts thats mostly entertainment. I told her I would check it out for her. I am pretty much the only one she knows with kids. I gave her some baby internet sites but she still really wants a book. So, what are the best books? Any not worth trying? Thanks!
"The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy" is good! and "What to expect when you're expecting"
um while i was pregnant... i read what to expect when your expecting... and i also read a week to week pregnancy book, that showed how your baby is growing in your belly...
i found it very helpful and intresting.... hope this helps :]
I liked What to Expect When You're Expecting.
These are the books I really loved during my pregnancy:
The Pregnancy Book: Month-by-Month, Everything You Need to Know From America's Baby Experts by William Sears and Martha Sears
What to Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel
The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer and Rhonda Wheeler
Husband Coached Childbirth by Robert A. Bradley and Ashley Montagu
After the baby is born, I recommend:
What to Expect The First Year by Heidi Murkoff, Sandee Hathaway, and Arlene Eisnberg
The Baby Book: Everything You Need To Know About Your Baby From Birth To Age Two by William Sears, Martha Sears, Robert Sears, and James Sears
Hope that helps! -Carrie
My absolute favorite - and one I always give as a gift - What to Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel
Your Pregnancy Week by Week is awesome! It's fun to see what's happening each week as you go along the pregnancy.
Hi Jaycee,
I liked: Your Pregnancy Week by Week by Glade B. Curtis, Judith Schuler (by far the most referenced during my pregnancy), The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy (this one was a fun read), www.babycenter.com is great. She can register to the website & she'll get weekly updates on how her pregnancy should be progressing, etc. and during my pregnancy I read "On Becoming Baby Wise" that book is so awesome. My daughter was sleeping 7-8 hours through the night by 10 weeks. She is 9.5 months now & has been sleeping 7pm-7am since she was a few months old. Also, I highly recommend the DVD "Happiest Baby on the Block". I couldn't have stayed sane without those two tools. The DVD really helped my husband get involved in helping me sooth & calm our baby when she was crying. I know I've gone a little over what your original request of info. was but these really helped us. I am now reading and have been reading "Becoming Baby Wise II" it's for 5 months to 15 months. Awesome, Awesome books. So hope this overly helps.
Take care...
Oh..1 more tip. I buy my books from www.half.com You can get used books that are in perfect shape for really cheap. Good luck to your sister-n-law!
"Your Pregnancy Week by Week" by Glade B. Curtis and Judith Schuler is a great book.
Hi Jaycee,
"What to expect when you are expecting" is a classic book. Full of information and it goes week by week.
I also enjoyed having a pregnancy calendar which can be purchased at Mimi's maternity store or babies R us.
Congrats to your sister in law!
I LOVED what to Girlfriends guide by Iovine. And I hated What to expect when you are expecting. I felt that the expecting book was all about fear. Too much of what could be wrong.
The girlfriend guide is the best!!!
Some great books are the Dr. Sears' collection. "The Pregnancy Book" and "The Birth Book" are excellent for explaining the stages of pregnancy month by month. Both are also wonderful resources for information on all the various options available on every aspect of pregnancy and birth (facility, physician/midwife/doula, labor and delivery options, birth assistants, preparation classes, pain management options, and on and on). I highly reccommend the Bradley birth preparation classes, www.bradleybirth.com to find a instructor in your area. Your sister-in-law will learn WAY MORE in one of those classes than in a community/hospital/lamaze type class. Bradley instructors tend more to promote natural birth, but regardless of your birth choices, at least with Bradley you will learn what all the choices are. They really empower parents to make the choices that are best for what each couple desires.
Another AWESOME book is "Childbirth Without Fear" by Grantly Dick-Read, M.D. It is out of print, but you might be able to find a used copy on Amazon.com. I'm not parting with mine :-}
It's a wonderful book that explains how childbirth really is a natural (not medical) process that women's bodies are designed for. I found it very empowering as I prepared for my own deliveries.
There's always "What To Expect When Your Expecting". I then used What to expect with 1 year old". I found them helpful and informative. There's even a section at the back of questions/answers from real expecting women.
I'm a big fan of What to Expect When You're Expecting. I lent my copy to one of my friends due in November. I bought another copy for my other friend due next year.
I had another book at first from Babycenter. But it was quite boring actually. I felt like I was reading a textbook. What to Expect When You're Expecting was a much more enjoyable read. I like how it lists out the questions that you might have month by month. It was a life saver for me while I was pregnant...so many questions. And I always found my answer in the book.