I bought a few parenting and pregnancy books to read. With the increase in apps, websites and videos telling you all about pregnancy, I decided to go for mainly books about experiences and the first few years of baby’s life. Here are a few of the books I’ve been reading to get ready for baby.
Effective Birth Preparation
A friend lent me Effective Birth Preparation: Your Practical Guide to a Better Birth by Maggie Howell and I love it! As soon as I started reading it I felt like I didn’t need to worry about labour. It’s a perfectly natural process that loads of women and animals go through. It goes through the history of labour and why we fear it so much. It then moves on to what is hypnobirthing and how the mind works. I found the first section of the book really fascinating and it made me wonder why I was scared of labour. I’m not going to lie, I’m still a bit scared but I definitely feel like I have some tricks up my sleeve to use when the contractions start.
The last part of the book gives some really helpful tools and skills for you and your birthing partner to help you get through the labour. I also went and bought the relaxing audio CD and the birthing audio CD from eBay. I’ve been listening to the relaxation one as often as I can. I worried at first that I kept falling asleep in it, but if it’s making me that relaxed, surely that is a good thing! I’ve just started using the birthing CD which I’m going to use a few times a week from now on.
I will definitely report back once baby has arrived if this helped during labour.
The Unmumsy Mum
The Unmumsy Mum by Sarah Turner is hilarious. It’s not about preparing you for labour, but it definitely prepares you for what real life with a baby can be like. This has been the book I’ve been taking into the bath and has kept me giggling away to myself. Sarah’s not scared to tell you how it is, even if it’s really embarrassing. It’s made me realise that things won’t be perfect and that I must not worry if things don’t go as planned. I think I’ll probably be picking this back up for a re-read when baby is here.
I also recommend checking out the free ebook called The Unmumsy Mums, which is a collection of other mum’s stories. On my lunch breaks I was laughing out loud to this book.
Minus Nine to One
Minus Nine to One: The Diary of an Honest Mum by Jools Oliver is a really lovely read. I questioned whether I’d enjoy this book as I’m not interested in the lifestyles of famous people. It feels like she is just talking to me about her journey to motherhood. It’s nice to read someones experience of breastfeeding and tears for example, whereas in a pregnancy book they’ll be mentioned but not go into detail. It feels like I know a little more of what I can expect. I found her pregnancy quite relatable, like how she read all there is to know about pregnancy and symptoms! It also has lots of heartwarming and real photos spread throughout the book.
Commando Dad
I bought Commando Dad: How to be an Elite Dad or Carer by Neil Sinclair for my husband, but actually I’ve stolen it off him. Whereas the other books aren’t a manual for parenting, this one definitely is. This is the step by step guide to parenting and it’s also really funny and down to earth. You can flick through it to find out how to do something without all the waffle. The instructions are short and to the point which is what you need when you have a baby. I like hearing peoples experiences like in the previous books but this book is a definite must buy for me. This is the one that will be staying by the bed when baby arrives.
Have you read any of these? What’s your favourite pregnancy or parenting books?
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