8 Specific Books I Read (and Loved!) For Pregnancy & Parenting
When something is new for me I kind of dive in headfirst to the “accumulate knowledge” phase and try to learn as much as I can, and that was definitely my experience before conception, during pregnancy, and now trying to get ready for motherhood since I’m in my final trimester.
To me, knowledge is POWER.
At the end of the day, while I fully realize I’ll never be able to “learn” how to be a parent solely from a book, and parenting isn’t always black and white, reading these books has made me feel more confident, prepared, and empowered to trust my own intuition when the time comes.
I don’t think there’s any one right way to parent or learn about parenthood, or pregnancy, (or really anything, for that matter!), but these are the top books I’ve used and loved that have inspired how I’ve taken care of myself during this pregnancy, how I intend to mother, and just kind of set a foundation for this next stage of my life.
Sooooo without further ado, let’s get into it!
1) “Expecting Better” by Emily Oster
I. love. this. book. Emily Oster is an economist at Brown (AKA she knows how to review the literature, data, and comprehensively look at the research in a given topic), and what she does in this book is break down common “myths” and “rules” of pregnancy by shedding light on them through actual data. She includes topics and questions that have been dramatized or maybe even underplayed during pregnancy, like:
Can you drink coffee while pregnant?
What actually is the risk of having sushi in pregnancy? Deli meat??
What does the evidence actually say about an epidural?
How long does it typically take to get pregnant?
She answers all of these questions with DATA, but in a super fun, easy to read, never-dry way. There are soooo many questions that everyone has about pregnancy, but no one is willing to ask — she breaks it all down with actual evidence.
I love love looooove this book. I read it once before I was pregnant (it was actually recommended to me by my medical doctor obstetrician!), and then I read it once again during pregnancy. It’s just helped me to have the information to make the best decisions for me. HANDS DOWN, my favorite part of this is that Emily doesn’t tell you what to do, but instead she gives you all of the info so you can make your own informed choice & decision. I truly couldn’t recommend this one more highly.
2) “Cribsheet” by Emily Oster
This is the follow-up book by Emily Oster, and this one is all about topics for after the baby arrives— like parenting styles, sleep training, breastfeeding, and more. It’s all of these common, what-the-heck-am-I-doing parenting questions, but backed by data— and empowering you to make the best choice for yourself given the opportunity. And, again, you can read all of it in an easy-to-understand way and then decide which route you want to take. I love these books — I think they’re so empowering, eye-opening, informative, and FUN. Highly recommend!
3) “Period Repair Manual” by Lara Briden
This is one I recommend reading before getting pregnant. Coming off birth control can be confusing — it’s hard to know things like how to prevent pregnancy if you’re not ready, or how to start trying to get pregnant if you *are* ready. The Period Repair Manual is a super tangible, evidence-based approach to these topics. It’s basically my bible of women’s health and I’ve been recommending it on this blog since day one.
I also feel like this was the book that gave me the tools to really know my menstrual cycle going into the conception phase of pregnancy. So even though this one isn’t necessarily pregnancy-related it’s definitely hormones, women’s health, conception, birth control related and fully deserves its place on this list. (Especially if you are feeling a bit lost on how to actually track your cycle, know when you’re ovulating, etc.)
4) “Bringing up Bébé” by Pamela Druckerman
*cue Moira Rose voice* This book is about an American woman who’s very ingrained in American parenting styles…who then moves to Paris and sees that Parisian children are often a lot calmer, more independent, more open to trying new foods, etc. She notices that Parisian parenting doesn’t seem as dramatic (especially when it comes to things like lack of sleep in the newborn stage, etc.) and in this book she breaks down the biggest differences that she as an American sees between the parenting styles in America and Paris.
This is another super easy read — it’s very fun, it’s funny, it’s quippy…but there was also so much in it that I really resonated with. So this was one that both Adam and I read and really enjoyed. At the end of the day I want to parent in my own unique way and not necessarily subscribe to any singular “parenting style”, but moreso just use different influences and ideas I like — and I got a lot of those ideas from this book. It really resonated with my personally, and it was such a fun read to add to your list!
5) “It Starts with the Egg” by Rebecca Fett
I know I mentioned this one during my pregnancy preparation blog post, but that’s because I highly, highly, highly recommend it if you think you’re going to start trying to have kids in the next year (or in the next month!). This book is full of tangible, step-by-step things you can do to help improve your egg health, sperm health, and optimize your chances of a successful pregnancy. I found it to be concrete, backed by evidence, grounded, trustworthy, and easy to understand. HIGHLY recommend if you are looking to get pregnant somewhat soon. One of my favorites, for sure!
6) “Real Food for Pregnancy” by Lily Nichols
Oh my gosh…SUCH a wealth of information in this book. If you are someone who is like, “What do I eat? How do I best nourish my body?” this is the pregnancy book for you. Again, the author of this book is a registered dietician and presents a ton of evidence. And even better, it’s *current* evidence — sooooo many of the things we’re told to eat as pregnant women are frankly very outdated, and so this is an updated functional and holistic approach to what you should eat during pregnancy. I’ll admit, it’s pretty “dry” and research heavy, but I found it to be a beautiful resource and it really inspired how I ate during this pregnancy.
7) “The Mama Natural Week-By-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth” by Genevieve Howland
This one was just fun to read! It’s a week-by-week guide literally starting in week one all the way through childbirth, where each week has a different topic ranging from health-related things to more fun things (like what to put on your registry, prepping the nursery, etc.). I really enjoyed paging through it each week and focusing on the specific topic of each week. There were a few more “crunchy” ideas in this one and it was definitely less evidence-backed than some of the other books on this list, but it’s a great read for someone who is more natural, holistic, and wants an uplifting, fun read throughout pregnancy!
8) “Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth” by Ina May Gaskin
This is a book by the legendary Ina May Gaskin, who is probably the world’s most famous midwife, and in it just shares a tonnnnnnnn of birth stories— and an empowering perspective on pregnancy, birth, labor, etc. . If you are someone who feels scared of birth or anything in that regard, I would recommend this read. I personally found it so beautiful and inspiring to read these different birth stories, and I’ve actually listened to this one on Audible a lot. It is more geared towards an unmedicated birth but I do think hearing ALL birth stories, in general, can be inspiring. I really like this book — it makes me feel empowered and comforted by all the women who have done it before me (and the MANY different ways labor can look!)
And that’s it!
I truly believe that knowledge can be so empowering, and personally, I’m just trying to strike that balance between knowledge and intuition. Much like this blog and my approach to health, I seek out the concrete, black-and-white evidence and the intangible aspects of health.
… this is similar to how I’ve felt in pregnancy and how I intend to mother!
I know how important it is for mothers and expectant mothers to trust our guts and our intuition, but it’s also soooooo helpful to have tools and perspectives along the way that can offer additional information, resources, and guides to help us find a sense of balance between concrete evidence and that intangible motherly instinct.
And these were the eight books that I read while I was walking that line for myself.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I did, and let me know if there are any other books you read and loved in the comment section below!
Your Next Read…
Another monthly round-up is here! 8 specific (and random) items I used & loved in February! From my go-to wine subscription (for over 5 years), Miles’ baby book, an #aesthetic candle lighter, and more— there’s some GOOD stuff in here!