Hey Lovely Mama’s,
Welcome to the new Mummy book club! Now, I know i’ve had a fair bit of time on my side what with being in quarantine for the past few months. Therefore, I have managed to get through a fair amount of books and audio books in the run up to welcoming my baby boy into the world.
Here is my personal recommendations of what to read during pregnancy!
The Positive Birth Book – By Milli Hill
This book is by far my number one recommendation for any expectant Mum. I read this book during my first trimester, and it was a real education in pregnancy and birth. It takes you on a journey from the start of your pregnancy through to the fourth trimester, and it covers everything you need to know from changes in your body, the growth of your baby, your emotional wellbeing, what exactly is happening during labour and what to expect from your care providers. Most importantly it lays out everyone of your birth options clearly and teaches you about your legal rights during child birth. I loved how at every turn this book is littered with positive birth stories covering almost every situation that may occur.
But what I found really helpful was how empowered, knowledgable and in control it made me feel, you know what they say “knowledge is power”.
So you’re going to have a baby – By Adam Ringham & Chris Kirkcof.
Okay, this is definitely a controversial one, so brace yourself. I wont lie, this book is pretty heavy, but I am not one to bury my head in the sand. I would rather have all of the information available from both sides of the argument to enable me to make an educated decision. In this book you’ll learn about Heavy Metals, Pitocin, MTHFR, Fluoride, Ultrasounds, Vaccines, Vitamin K shot, Strep B, Eye Ointment, Delayed Cord Clamping, Folic Acid, NSAID’s and Glutathione, mitochondrial disorders, aborted fetal tissue, and more. I did warn you, its intense! This isn’t a book to tell you what decision to make, or to sway you towards being pro or anti vaccine, but it does help you curate an educated list of questions for you to ask your doctor and give you food for thought so to speak.
This book has really helped me and my partner finalise the medical decisions that are best for our child.
Babyopathy – By Angela J Spencer
I picked up this book during my third trimester which was a shame really as it is another book that guides you from the first trimester through to the fourth. This is the perfect book for someone who like me appreciates the power of crystals and essential oils and is into a more holistic approach to pregnancy and birth. This book is written with a focus on relaxation and highlights the importance of combating stress during pregnancy. It also guides you through babies first year of life with a natural and holistic approach. Overall, I wouldn’t say this book is an extensive information based book like ‘The positive birth book’ or ‘So you’re going to have a baby’, but it is a lovely addition to those books and brings some balance between a medical and holistic approach to the journey to motherhood.
Ina Mays Guide To Breastfeeding – By Ina May Gaskin
Now, I don’t know about you, but breastfeeding genuinely scares the hell out of me. It’s much like birth, you can have a “Birth Plan” but how it actually turns out when the time comes is not within your control. I guess the same goes for a “Breastfeeding Plan” the reality is, it could go either way. You could struggle with nipple pain or baby can struggle with his/her latch. So I wanted to get as much information as possible both to motivate me through the hard times and remind myself why I am persevering with breastfeeding, but also to help trouble shoot when the going gets tough. The book covers everything from soothing remedies for cracked nipples to all the tricks in helping baby get a good latch. It also teaches you the history of breastfeeding, the benefits of breastfeeding and covers every solution to every breast feeding problem. I will point out the audiobook version has a pretty annoying narrator so swerve that and get the paperback version on this one.
Your Baby week by week – By Simon Cave & Dr Caroline Fertleman
Now, I cant say I have actually finished this book as it is best read weekly. As my baby is due next week I have only read week one and two of babies life. But this book came highly recommended by several Mummies and already I can see why. This one is purely practical and that is exactly what you need when overwhelmed and under prepared. This book covers feeding, how many wet nappies you should expect, what to expect from babies sleep pattern, what is normal and when you should seek help from your midwife or health visitor, perfect for every first time mum especially if you don’t have a huge support network with lots of on hand advice at the ready.
The book you wish your parents had read (and your children will be glad that you did) – By Philippa Perry.
Full disclaimer this is another one to swerve on audiobook, the narrator has a habit of putting on silly voices when telling stories that are both distracting and annoying, so my advice is to stick to the paperback version on this one!
However that aside, this book is really quite good. It is super thought provoking. Firstly it makes you really take a look at your own childhood and how your parents raised you, which is a good thing to process when you are about to become a parent yourself.
Then it uses personal stories, and psychology to really talk through how best to communicate with children and help understand their behaviour as they grow through different phases of life. It definitely made me analyse how I want to parent and which habits I may have as a person that may be detrimental to communicating with a small human. I would definitely recommend this book for both mum and dad to read.
I hope this helps you navigate your way through the sea of parenting books on the market!
Do let me know via Instagram what you think of this reading guide and if there is any awesome books I have missed off of my list that you would recommend that I read.
Keep an eye out for my next blog instalment, hopefully I will post it next Sunday… presuming I don’t go into labour first!
Love from Shanie & Bump x
Follow me on Instagram @Shanie_Ryan
