Recently we've heard a lot about the importance of reading to our children. This begins during pregnancy and continues on into their lives. Reading to babies can be a lot of fun. Your baby may even remember the rhyme and rhythm of the books you read while they were in utero! So pick up a book and have some fun while boosting their brain development.
1. What to Expect When you're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel
'What to Expect when you are expecting' is like a bible when you are expecting, and I think, even several non-readers have referred to it during pregnancy. The book primarily covers problems and common interventions in pregnancy, often with a very light tone that fails to properly balance the pros and cons of various birth options, which some have claimed does little more than evoke paranoia in mothers without a substantial educational benefit. Neither author is a professional birth practitioner and many in the profession strongly condemn the outright medical lies found in the publication. I have found answers to every possible question that I had, in this book.
From before you conceive to what to expect month-after-month (also week by week), and from special cases to post-partum weeks; you will find answer to all your questions in this 600-page book, in an easy question-answer format.
2. The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger
This book is exactly what the name implies: A book that goes into the stages of pregancy and the proceedures and options in childbirth. The book was written by Kitzinger, a birth advocate and social anthropologist, for families hoping to play an active role in their births, make informed decisions, and have a birth without fear or confusion.
Kitzinger's book has numerous strong points in terms of readibility, including a multitude of diagrams and chapter inserts which illustrate important points throughout the chapter in detail through words and images. Additionally, chapters are set up so that you may go back and reference certain topics easily, or can easily find the topics that most appeal to you and start reading there. The book still works best as a complete guide--reading about each stage of pregnancy as you are experiencing it so you can gain knowledge about the amazing changes your body is undergoing.
If you are hoping to have a natural childbirth, this book has some great information on positions, comfort measures, and ways your partner and/or birth team can easily get involved in helping you through labor. Even if you are not planning to, or are still not sure about having an unmedicated birth, Kitzinger's book takes a good look at the pros and cons of utilizing drugs in labor and discusses a wide-range of alternatives.
As always, though, it is best to reference numerous sources before making this decision. The books below compliment Kitzinger's book well and add to your knowledge base for making informed decisions.
3. Passport to a Healthy Pregnancy by Gita Arjun
I carried this one even when I was leaving for hospital, to read about post - delivery because, you see, I was 12 days early. I had not read everything.
Written by Dr. Gita Arjun - an eminent obstetrician and gynaecologist - this book is extremely reader friendly. It attempts to explain how pregnancy happens, foetal development, various tests in different stages of pregnancy, about the entire nine months and labour and delivery. I think the hindi / marathi version of this book is called "Garbha Sanskar".
It is an excellent book to refer in Indian context.
4. Your Pregnancy Week by Week By Glade B. Curtis, Judith Schuler
While I was in Chapters one fine afternoon, I was so confused as to which book to get to educate myself on what was going on with my body. I went into the baby section and let me tell you–there was no shortages of books on being pregnant. I had no idea what was the best book and I couldn't justify spending hundreds of dollars on pregnancy books and I actually made myself put a few back. I kept this one because it goes through each week of your pregnancy and shows you a picture of how big your baby is, what is developing and how your body is changing. I liked knowing when my baby was the size of a plum, I tried not to skip ahead to each week so that I had something to look forward to each new week, but none the less I did anyway's.
5. Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide by Penny Simkin, Janet Whalley, and Ann Keppler
Those of you in the Seattle area may have had the pleasure of attending a birthing class taught by one of these three notable childbirth instructors, and many more doulas, midwives, partners, doctors, nurses, and birth advocates have benefited from their Seattle-based workshops.
In Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn, these women combine their years of experience into a thourough, but easy to read guide for the expecting mother. Every topic, from whether you should travel in pregnancy to which herbs aid in cervical ripening in labor, to preparing older siblings for meeting the new baby is covered in detail. Information is given for women who choose to deliver at home, in a hospital, or at a birth center, making this an ideal book for educating all expectant women and for birthing professionals.
One of the many strengths of this book is that it is truly women and family focused, keeping you at the core of the information without being overly pedantic. The charts featured in this book, as well as many of Simkin's other fantastic books, are easy reference pages which can be relied on quickly if you have questions as things arise. Additionally, here are tools for backing your birthing bag, preparing your home for the arrival of a new baby, creating a birth plan, choosing to recieve pain medication or have an unmedicated birth, and charting your baby's sleeping patterns.
This is truly a wonderful book for mothers and families.
6. Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy
I think that everyone should read this book. This book is not going to educate you on specific medical terms or tell you what size your baby is at a certain point. What this book does do is allow new moms to laugh at all the crazy changes that happen to your body during pregnancy. She is a no nonsense type of person that tells it like it is. She does warn you that some of what she writes about will make you laugh, and some will scare the crap out of you. But basically I love this book because it addressed a lot of things not even touched upon in regular "medical" baby books, especially the stuff most people are embarrassed to ask about! I read it in a day, and laughed my ass off.
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