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During pregnancy, you need to relax and gain knowledge to prepare yourself for your child’s birth. So, we have made a list of the best pregnancy books for moms and dads to help you choose the right one. You will be more peaceful and confident if you know more about pregnancy since you will know when to be concerned and when to remain calm.
You will find several books for pregnant women and on various topics related to pregnancy, so choosing the right one is crucial. Browse our pregnancy reading list to choose a book that suits your needs. These book recommendations by experts can help you choose the right book that has useful information to help you prepare mentally and physically.
Top Picks
Books With Pregnancy Humor
Laughing is the best medicine for most of your ailments. Humor books uplift your mood, especially when your hormones are playing truant.
1. Best Humorous Touch: Belly Laughs The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth
Author: Jenny McCarthy
This pregnancy book gives a humorous touch to the joys and discoveries of pregnancy. The author shares her experiences in a lighthearted tone, covering every stage of pregnancy from symptoms to hormonal changes to granny pants and pregnancy sex, in a casual and witty tone. This funny pregnancy book written in a matter-of-fact way is something every woman should read for laughs.
2. Best For Pregnancy Safe: Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth
Author: Ina May Gaskin
The author, Ina May Gaskin, has 30 years of experience as a midwife. In this book, she writes about the benefits and joys of natural labor. This pregnancy book provides comprehensive information on everything from creating a pregnancy-safe environment for labor and the mind-body connection to help you have a healthy natural childbirth without technological intervention.
The humor in her writing makes for great pregnancy reading material and helps you come out of your fears and ease up.
Pregnancy Books For Dads
Fatherhood is an overwhelming experience, but it is nerve-wracking and confusing too. Here are the books for the dad-to-be to help make your journey a little easier.
3. Best For Parenthood: The Expectant Father The Ultimate Guide for Dads-to-Be
Author: Armin A. Brott and Jennifer Ash
This is one of the most informative books written in a reassuring tone for all the dads-to-be. The book includes insights into physical, financial, and emotional effects of parenthood on men. The informative pregnancy book about the journey into fatherhood serves as a reference book for the dads-to-be to support their partners during the most anxious and exciting journey of life.
In this book, the authors have put forth their experiences and incorporated the expertise of top practitioners in the fields of gynecology, obstetrics, psychology, and sociology. It is an excellent take for men who seek guidance and confidence for impending fatherhood.
4. Best For Expectant Fathers: Dad’s Pregnant Too!
Author: Harlan Cohen
This is a medically reviewed book for expectant fathers and couples. It exposes and explores everything from the first positive test to seducing your pregnant partner, from the first push to the first week at home with your baby. The book is an information-packed guide for first-time dads and helps you know everything about fatherhood that no one will ever tell you.
This comprehensive guide to pregnancy for expectant fathers helps them to understand themselves, understand and support their pregnant partner, and learn about what is going on inside her belly.
Quick tipBooks On Pregnancy Health
Pregnancy brings several emotional and physical changes in you. A pregnancy health guide helps you know about various ailments that you might experience during pregnancy. Have a look at these educational pregnancy books to know more.
5. Best For Maternity: Pregnancy Blues What Every Woman Needs to Know about Depression during Pregnancy
Author: Shaila Kulkarni Misri
Pregnancy is associated with joys and fears, excitement and confusion. This book throws light on postpartum depression (PPD), which is rarely discussed or understood. The author, Dr. Shaila Kulkarni Misri, is a certified reproductive psychiatrist with 25 years of expertise in clinical practice and research. She explains the issues associated with PPD, tells you some tried-and-tested treatment options recommended by medical experts, including therapeutic options such as acupuncture.
According to Dr. Misri, around 70% of pregnant women experience depression symptoms to some extent and 12% undergo diagnosis for major depression. This maternity book suggestion challenges the underlying misconceptions, beliefs, and traditions related to PPD, and explores the myths associated with the condition.
6. Best For Miscarriage Risks: Fearless Pregnancy Wisdom and Reassurance from a Doctor, a Midwife, and a Mom
Authors: Victoria Clayton, Stuart Fischbein, and Joyce Weckl
Fearless Pregnancy, a best selling pregnancy book, shares the experience of a first-time mom and contains helpful advice and medical information from an experienced midwife and a certified gynecologist. This book puts an end to the misinformation and fear-inducing hype that goes around pregnancy.
It is one of the best books for pregnancy, which covers everything from the beginning to the end of pregnancy. It also provides complete information on diet, weight gain, fitness, testing options, miscarriage risks, and more. Moreover, it covers a chapter on how to deal with pregnancy fears, which makes it a must-read pregnancy book for expectant parents.
7. Best For Birth Plan: The Baby Bump 100s of Secrets to Surviving Those 9 Long Months
Author: Cynthia Gabriel
The Baby Bump is a comprehensive guide offering expert advice on pregnancy. In this book, the author explains everything an expectant mother can do to prepare for the kind of birth they want. It features inspiring stories, birth plan checklists, a kick count tracker, and a guide to work your outfit wardrobe. This book also includes tried-and-tested diet tips to follow during pregnancy, week-by-week development of the baby, and everything you can expect during delivery.
Do remember8. Best For Infertility Problems: Pregnancy Miracle Book
Author: Lisa Olson
This book is a trimester-wise guide explaining what to eat and what to avoid during pregnancy. This book comprises nutritional recommendations and 50 healthy and nutritious recipes to support both you and your baby. Choosing the right food during pregnancy has a great impact on the development and behavior of your baby as well as your waistline. It is a useful guide to understanding which real foods for pregnancy will support the development of your baby during each trimester.
The book comprises different sections that deal with each issue experienced by the couples.
Diet And Nutrition Books On Pregnancy
Diet and nutrition play an important role during pregnancy. If you eat healthily, your baby will get good nutrition and will grow well. Therefore, you would like to know more about the foods to eat and to avoid. The pregnancy diet books are a source of such information.
9. Best For Baby Nutrition: The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care
Author: Sally Fallon Morell and Thomas S. Cowan
This is a well-researched book on health and nutrition covering everything about the importance of vitamins and minerals, healthy fats and infant formulas. From preconception to raising a newborn, this book talks about every aspect of parenthood. It also mentions the risks of chemical exposure during pregnancy.
However, the author does not support vaccinations in some cases, but in your case, you might want to take a decision based on your doctor’s recommendation.
Point to consider10. Best For Nutritious Recipes: What to Eat When You’re Pregnant A Week-by-Week Guide to Support Your Health and Your Baby’s Development
Author: Nicole M. Avena
This book is a trimester-wise guide explaining what to eat and what to avoid during pregnancy. This book comprises nutritional recommendations and 50 healthy and nutritious recipes to support both you and your baby. Choosing the right food during pregnancy has a great impact on the development and behavior of your baby as well as your waistline. It is a useful guide to understand what foods support the development of your baby during each trimester.
"I found this book to be a valuable resource for nutrition during my pregnancy. It's organized by trimester and then by week, which helped me stay on track. Its valuable insights on pregnancy weight gain and post-baby topics like breastfeeding helped."
11. Best For Meal Planning: Eating for Pregnancy The Essential Nutrition Guide and Cookbook for Today’s Mothers-to-Be
Authors: Catherine Cheremeteff Jone and Rose Ann Hudson
This pregnancy classic offers you information about nutritional recommendations before conception, during pregnancy, and after childbirth. It lists 150 nutritious recipes and meal planning advice with illustrations.
12. Best For Modern Moms: Preggatinis Mixology for the Mom-to-be
Author: Natalie Bovis-Nelsen
Preggatinis features recipes for lip-smacking, non-alcoholic libations by popular mixologist Natalie Bovis-Nelsen, also called ‘The Liquid Muse’. These potions are safe to drink during pregnancy. This book has been specifically designed by keeping the modern moms in mind so that they can stay in the social swing with these beverages.
This recipe book highlights fresh juices, herbs, garnishes, and novel ideas with delightful illustrations for Preggatini Parties. Moreover, it includes an exclusive recipe by celebrity chef Michel Richard, author of Happy in the Kitchen, and recipient of the 2007 Outstanding Chef James Beard Award and owner of the legendary Citronelle restaurant in Washington, DC.
"This cocktail book can appeal to expectant mothers who enjoy refreshing drinks, although the need for obscure ingredients might put some off. Some of the versatile, crowd-pleasing drinks were a fun discovery."
Pregnancy Books On Development
Every mom-to-be is curious to know if her baby is growing well inside her womb. Pregnancy development books help you know the week-by-week, month-by-month, and trimester-by-trimester changes happening to your baby during pregnancy.
13. Best For A Healthy Pregnancy: Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy
Author: By the pregnancy experts at Mayo Clinic
Being pregnant, you look for reliable, accurate, and authoritative information on pregnancy. The Mayo Clinic Guide helps you sail through the pregnancy phase by providing information on everything from the week-by-week growth of the baby to month-by-month changes in your body as well as the 40-week pregnancy modifications, common pregnancy symptoms, and an overall review of pregnancy.
This essential pregnancy read from Mayo Clinic offers helpful advice on getting pregnant, nutritional recommendations, and medications to consider during pregnancy.
14.Best For Pregnancy Issues: The Pregnancy Countdown Book Nine Months of Practical Tips, Useful Advice, and Uncensored Truths
Authors: Susan Magee and Kara Nakisbendi M.D
The Pregnancy Countdown Book gives you detailed information about the 280 days of your pregnancy journey. It talks about the biggest milestones you can expect during pregnancy and the changes your body undergoes. This book also includes tips and suggestions from doctors, healthcare providers, and parents as well as quotes, anecdotes and all the uncensored details that no other book can tell you.
This popular pregnancy and baby book also highlights the pregnancy issues that you are likely to have during this phase, but may not discuss with your family and friends. It features some tips and advice for the dads-to-be and how they can support their pregnant partner while she is undergoing stress and trials during this critical phase. You can also go through the funny quotes section in this book.
"This book made my pregnancy journey enjoyable with medical insights, relatable anecdotes, and mom-to-mom advice. Although some info seemed a tad outdated and generic, it stayed engaging and fun with humor and daily entries."
15. Best For Newborn Care: Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn The Complete Guide
Authors: Penny Simkin, Janet Whalley, Ann Keppler, Janelle Durham, April Bolding
The book covers all the aspects of pregnancy, from getting pregnant to labor and early days of babyhood and newborn care. It also includes detailed information on fitness regimes and diet to follow during pregnancy, with beautiful illustrations.
The book now available with an updated and revised version talks about pregnancy tests, complications, infections as well as drugs and medications. It includes a detailed section on how to create a detailed birth plan.
"This book is a valuable and well-researched guide for expectant moms or those supporting pregnant individuals. The content is informative and beneficial. I highly recommend it, regardless of your birth plan."
16. Best New Life Arrival: A Child is Born
Author: Lennart Nilsson
This is a pregnancy classic that was first published 40 years ago. It offers a beautiful glimpse of life inside the womb through delightful illustrations.
Lennart Nilsson is a photographer, who, along with obstetrician Hamberger, has explored the miracle of birth, from the attraction between a man and a woman to fertilization, pregnancy, labor, and childbirth. They also discuss infertility, IVF, and other treatments. This book incorporates brilliant photographs accompanied by text. It makes a great reference book for the present generation couples.
17. Best For Expectant Mothers: Pregnancy Day by Day
Author: DK
If you are anxious to know about the development of your baby at every stage, then Pregnancy Day by Day by DK publishing makes a good pick for you. This book provides a daily countdown until the due date, covering each day of pregnancy, labor, delivery and newborn care.
This revised version highlights the updated medical practices, prenatal imagery, and technological advances. Moreover, this baby book covers nutritional recommendations, medical issues, exercises, pain relief, and much more, making it a great pick for expectant mothers.
"I love this informative and visually appealing pregnancy book that talks about a baby's development and maternal changes. Some images might be a tad uncomfortable to view around others, but it has been enlightening for my pregnancy journey. I highly recommend it for first-time parents."
18. Best For Pregnancy Planner: 40 Weeks + The Essential Pregnancy Organizer
Author: Dani Rasmussen and Antoinette Pérez
40 weeks + is a well-designed and reader-friendly pregnancy planner. It will help reduce your stress by explaining everything you need to know about the next 40+ weeks, in an easy-to-read style. Unlike other planners, it is not extensively informative but includes small text in each section, which tells you how to prepare for the baby in a simplified way. It all includes checklists, questionnaires, and forms, which help in managing the pregnancy and baby’s arrival.
This pregnancy organizer has spaces to let you stick pictures and answer common pregnancy questions, making it an ultimate record book of your journey to parenthood.
19. Best For Healthy Pregnancy: Your Pregnancy Week by Week
Author: Glade B. Curtis and Judith Schuler
Written by a doctor, this pregnancy book offers excellent medical advice on a healthy pregnancy. It features the information in a medically appropriate and comprehensive way and is organized week by week. It covers all the latest information, trends, and safety recommendations for pregnancy.
The Weekly chapters explain everything about the baby’s development and growth with illustrations. The new edition includes details on advanced obstetric technologies, latest nutrition and fitness recommendations, maternity bands, tips for dads-to-be, and pregnancy glossary.
Pregnancy Journals
Pregnancy journals enable you to track the changes in your pregnancy, cravings, feelings and much more. Chronicle the beautiful journey of your pregnancy.
20. Best For Birthing Options: Sacred Pregnancy A Loving Guide and Journal for Expectant Moms
Author: Anni Daulter
Sacred Pregnancy is a four-color edition specially created for expectant mothers’ photo illustrations. This journal features a space where the mom-to-be can pen down her thoughts and feelings. It highlights different issues of pregnancy such as fears about cesarean or natural childbirth, courage, sexuality, turning into a mother, adornment, body image, and more.
It helps you to have a close look at each unique issue of your pregnancy. It also includes sections on various birthing options and helps you visualize your baby’s birth.
21. Best For Pregnancy Milestone: My Pregnancy A Keepsake Book of Memories
Author: Dan Spellerberg
This book is a blank journal for the expectant mothers to pen down their journey and memories through pregnancy. This 64-page scrapbook helps you document your pregnancy milestones, which include the positive pregnancy test, first sonogram and more. It offers you a great way to document your feelings, moods, and cravings you go through during this phase.
"This pregnancy journal has a special place in my heart—It has been a companion for both my pregnancies. It's a keepsake filled with places to put pictures, ample writing space, and unique questions. I hope it's available for more expectant mothers to enjoy."
22. Best For Expectant Mother: The Pregnancy Journal A Day-to-Day Guide to a Healthy and Happy Pregnancy
Author: A. Christine Harris
This classic guide to pregnancy contains information on both the expecting mother’s and baby’s health. It is one of the best selling pregnancy journals featuring daily entries, tips, and advice that guide an expectant mother from conception through delivery. This bestseller pregnancy book helps you visualize the development of your baby inside the womb.
"This book is a great pregnancy guide with daily development updates on my baby and me. The information is simple and not overwhelmeing, making it an insightful pregnancy essential for busy moms."
Pregnancy Books On Yoga And Ayurveda
Ayurveda and yoga provide alternative therapies to your pregnancy-related problems. Yoga eases your labor process by engaging you in a healthy fitness regime.
23. Best For Heart Centered Practices: Yoga for Pregnancy What Every Mom-to-Be Needs to Know
Author: Judith Hanson Lasater
The author Judith Lasater is a yoga teacher, physical therapist, and an experienced mom. Yoga for Pregnancy is a reader-friendly and comprehensive guide on yoga postures and breathing techniques.
The information in the book helps the expectant mother to stay healthy and flexible throughout the pregnancy and at the time of delivery as well as after the childbirth. This book for expectant mothers contains an additional section known as “Mantras for Mom and Baby,” where the expectant mother can focus on the heart-centered practices every month during pregnancy and towards the baby’s first year.
24. Best For Traditional Ayurvedic: Ayurvedic Garbh Sanskar The Art and Science of Pregnancy
Author: Balaji Tambe (Ayurveda doctor)
Inspired by Ayurvedic medical research and grandma’s conventional tips on pregnancy, Ayurvedic Garbh Sanskar helps you know everything from conception through pregnancy and delivery, until your child turns two years old. This book clarifies your pregnancy-related confusions.
It mainly focuses on the traditional Ayurvedic approach to help the couple conceive soon and have a healthy pregnancy. It has got all the information on herbal combinations, yoga, breathing exercises, meditation, Ayurvedic diet, Vedic chants and music that help both the mother and the baby. This pregnancy literary resource offers holistic methods and tips to make your pregnancy journey easier. If you are a follower of Ayurveda, then this book is for you.
"I enjoyed reading this pregnancy book. I found the tips beneficial, keeping me aware of important precautions I should take. It's certainly a book you should keep on your shelf."
25. Best For Herbal Treatment: The Natural Pregnancy Book Herbs, Nutrition, and Other Holistic Choices
Author: Aviva Jill Romm
The Natural Pregnancy Book delivers information on herbs that promote wellness during pregnancy as well as the natural remedies that help alleviate the concerns like anxiety, morning sickness, fatigue, and stretch marks. This book provides herbal treatment solutions for various pregnancy-related ailments. From conception to baby’s birth, the book covers all common issues of pregnancy and discusses a healthy diet by emphasizing on natural foods. The comforting tone of the book helps the expectant mother visualize a natural pregnancy.
"As an expectant mom, I found this book insightful with its wealth of information. I loved Aviva Romm's soothing, kind, and knowledgeable presence throughout. The book offers some great tips regarding remedies, nutrition, and exercise. It is an excellent book for those seeking a natural approach to pregnancy."
Pregnancy Fact Books
The moment you know about your pregnancy, you will be bombarded with a list of dos and don’ts. The pregnancy fact books are a good source for you to separate facts from fiction.
26. Best Anxiety-Free Pregnancy Guide: The Panic-Free Pregnancy
Author: Michael Broder
Panic-Free Pregnancy covers the lifestyle issues confronted by every expectant mother. It is a comprehensive and well-researched book that separates facts from fiction, midwives tales, and media hype. This pregnancy book is a question and answer format to help every pregnant woman get clarity on her queries and have a safe pregnancy.
27. Best For Knowing Facts: Expecting Better Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong–and What You Really Need to Know
Author: Emily Oster
It is another book that highlights facts and empowers them to make their own choice. There are a lot of rules and myths associated with pregnancy, without any valid reason for the same.
The author, Emily Oster, is an economist and a mom, who has evaluated the data behind these rules, which either misguide you or are factually wrong. The revised and updated version of this book includes latest research and findings on genetic testing and more.
28. Best Pregnancy Myths: Debunking the Bump
Author: Daphne Adler
Debunking the Bump explains the reasons behind pregnancy rules and myths. It covers exhaustively researched topics and talks about the parameters of what should be and shouldn’t be allowed during pregnancy. It also contains practical, actionable recommendations, and clear explanations of risks and trade-offs that help you make right choices for a happy and relaxed pregnancy.
"Going through this book gave me deep insights into pregnancy. Its thorough research and fact-based approach assisted me in debunking many confusing assumptions. It's informative not only for the new mothers but for all and can help you make educated decisions about certain topics."
Others Pregnancy Books
There are a few more pregnancy books that share the experiences of veteran moms, moms-to-be and fathers-to-be.
29. Best For Endless Stories: Chicken Soup For The Expectant Mother’s Soul
Author: Jack Canfield
This book highlights endless stories from mothers who have gone through the phase, expectant mothers, fathers-to-be and makes you feel that you are not the only one to go through the problem. This book includes sections on special moments, challenges, delivery day, adoption, advice from others, personal stories, and more.
"As a mom-to-be, I find this book truly heartening with its collection of personal, uplifting stories, not just on pregnancy, but also on diverse themes like adoption, motherhood, and miracles. It makes a thoughtful gift for first-time moms."
30. Best For Multitasking Mom’s: The Working Woman’s Pregnancy Book
Author: Marjorie Greenfield
Dr. Marjorie Greenfield is an obstetrician and a working mom, who has incorporated her experiences and drawn insights by interviewing many other working women. The book contains a checklist for multitasking working moms-to-be, with colorful illustrations and includes advice and stories from experienced mothers. This gives you an insight into planning a baby and balancing life thereafter.
Taylor Beal, a reading specialist and educator, says, “These pregnancy books are a treasure trove of information and contain so much critical tips for multiple stages and facets of pregnancy. Consider what type of birth you are looking to support and what you believe about nourishing your body throughout pregnancy and buy the books that most align with your needs.”
How Can Reading Books Help You During Pregnancy?
Books can be your best companions. Take a book and relax in your chair, you wouldn’t know how time flew.
Begin reading from the early months of pregnancy so that you can get an idea of what you will be going through in the coming months. It provides you with information on pregnancy and practical advice so that you don’t have to rush to the doctor every time you have a minor problem.
How To Choose The Right Pregnancy Book?
It’s not easy to narrow down on a specific pregnancy book with many categories and options to consider. Here are some factors that might help you decide from this list of top pregnancy reads.
- Evidence-based: There are so many pregnancy-related myths out there that it only makes sense to read books backed by up-to-date research and approved by certified gynecologists and healthcare professionals. Look for signs such as citations, references, and researcher names to recognize a suitable book. You can also find more information about the author’s credentials before buying.
- Variety of topics: Pregnancy constitutes several phases and terms, so it would be a great help to purchase a book that covers various topics for your reference. Whether you have questions about nutrition or birthing, finding the answers to questions in the one place can make your journey smoother.
- Reader reviews: Pregnancy book reviews from moms and dads-to-be are also one of the ways you can get reliable information about how effective the book is. This will also allow you to determine whether it’s tailored to your needs as you move along in your pregnancy.
Why Trust MomJunction?
Being a bibliophile, Wedetso Chirhah knows the preference of an avid reader. Pregnancy is a time to relax and enlighten yourself with positivity. This post has a compilation of many good books to read during pregnancy. Wedetso has taken care to choose the best ones from the many options in the market. After deep research, he has described the notable features of each book and also given some insight on why reading can be helpful during pregnancy.
Reading books is not only good for gaining information and knowledge, but it also helps one relax. Because pregnancy is a roller coaster of emotions, reading pregnancy-related books can be extremely beneficial. The above list includes some of the best pregnancy book suggestions for moms and dads that are available and cover a wide range of topics related to pregnancy, such as nutrition and exercise, as well as the baby’s health. So, go through this list to keep yourself engaged and relaxed during one of the important phases of your life.
Infographic: Choosing The Right Pregnancy Books
Pregnancy books are indispensable resources for expectant parents, offering essential guidance on pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care. However, with numerous book options, selecting the perfect one can take time and effort. Our infographic below can simplify your selection process as it highlights the key factors to consider when choosing the right pregnancy book.
Illustration: Momjunction Design Team
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