When I commit to something, I like to deep-dive into research and educated myself as much as possible. Here are my recommendations of 5 books to read when you are expecting. In addition to reading all the books I could during pregnancy, I watched hours of labor and births online so I could be fully prepared. I felt desensitized to the idea of giving birth and had a clear representations of what to expect after watching so many birthing videos. Getting fully prepared mentally provided me with courage on the process and actually got me excited about my own birth experience!
Bringing Up Bebe, By Pamela Druckerman – I love this book and it was most definitely my favorite. The “le pause” has been crucial in getting Indi to sleep through the night and will be instrumental in raising her. Bringing Up Bebe is a comparison French versus American parenting styles and why, per Druckerman’s analysis, French kids “don’t throw food.” This book is an enjoyable and insightful read!
Moms on Call, by Laura Hunter – Laura’s series of books categorize instruction by the age of your child. Moms on Call is all about the “ideal” schedules, by age, and how to get there with your baby. She details everything from how much milk a child should be fed to how to transition a baby our of a nighttime swaddle. I did not discover her books until after I had birthed Indi, but I would absolutely recommend reading before you have your baby. While most books are on pregnancy or birth, Moms on Call helps prepare Mamas for those first few months after baby arrives.
Cribsheet, by Emily Oster – Cribsheet was an excellent book to help me during pregnancy. Notice I did not include “What to Expect when You’re Expecting”- Cribsheet is the MODERN version of the classically overkill advice offered in “What to Expect.” Cribsheet offers actual statistics on all the classical pregnancy advice and wisetales so you can come to your own conclusions on how to safely proceed with your experience.
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin– Highly experienced doula and advocate for natural childbirth, Ina May Gaskin details everything an expecting Mom should know about childbirth. The Guide details the hospital process, medications used in labor, and how Ina May obtained the highest success rates for natural birth known during her years as a doula. I found this book particular informative, data driven, and encouraging for my hope toward a natural birth. I ended up having to get a Cesarean section, but it was also covered in this book and gave me preparation for the unexpected. I would recommend this book to anyone pregnant, whether the goal is 100% natural or 100A% the opposite.
No Bad Kids, by Janet Lansbury – Janet Lansbury teaches proactive parenting to build emotional intelligence and how to (hopefully) leave your child as mentally unscathed as possible. Her approach is not one I will likely have the chance to put into action until once Indi is a few years old, but I also think it is best to be proactive and learn as much about parenting as I can before the baby arrives. Essentially, this book teaches that kids learn best when their (often overreactive and silly given circumstances) emotional reactions are validated.
BONUS: Unruffled Podcasts, by Janet Lansbury – The podcast talks of child development, how to empower your child emotionally, as well as support your children with a proactive approach to parenting as opposed to reactive. Each is a gentle reminder that children’s defiances are more developmental than meant to hurt or bother us. I think her methods will be great to teach emotional intelligence to any child at an early age. The podcast is like her book, except for each episode is a tale of a child rearing concern or issue, followed by her advice on how to handle it based on the ideas from No Bad Kids.
How to Talk so Kids will Listen, and Listen so Kids will Talk, by Adel Faber, Elaine Mazlish – I really enjoyed this book, and the concepts are very similar to No Bad Kids. This book is about parenting and validating kids’ emotions. It is cheesy, but valuable nonetheless. It contains situational scripts to practice. Practicing scripts is great because it helps the proper set of words come out when my future child is having a parking lot tantrum.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Simplicity Parenting, By Kim Joh. Payne, Lisa M. Ross
Parenting with Love and Logic, By Foster Cline, Jim Fay
SHOP THIS POST
Please let me know if you have other recommendations. What is your favorite pregnancy book?
With Love,
