The Best Pregnancy Books To Prepare You For Pregnancy, Birth And Beyond

Often praised as the ultimate pregnancy book, this guide covers pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. It’s written by five experts, including doulas, childbirth educators, registered nurses and physical therapists. The book is designed to give parents the information they need to make informed decisions and covers a wide range of topics, including common pregnancy concerns, nutrition, birth plans, labor pain, c-sections, postpartum depression and breastfeeding. 

This evidence-based book is full of information and advice from specialists at the Mayo Clinic. It’s ideal for first time moms because it provides a lot of general advice, such as how to get pregnant, how to deal with nausea and which medications are considered safe. The book doesn’t stop at birth—it also covers a good amount of information about the newborn and postpartum period as well as complications. 

“So many people are completely shocked when they face something they weren’t planning for or didn’t know was possible, leading them to feel so alone and like a failure as they process their experience,” says Dr. Jessica Vernon, an OB-GYN. This book is approachable for a wide range of people because it covers very specific situations, including being pregnant with multiples, managing preexisting conditions and coping with pregnancy loss. 

I found this book really helpful when I was pregnant with my first. It’s particularly helpful for women who want to avoid interventions whenever possible. You’ll garner a lot of information about what to expect during labor and childbirth and how to work with your body. However, if you know that you’ll be having a C-section or that you may want or need interventions such as being induced or getting an epidural, this probably isn’t the book for you. 

Recommended by Vernon and Lopez along with many members of the Forbes Vetted staff, Expecting Better by economist Emily Oster challenges conventional pregnancy advice by evaluating studies and data. “There is so much online and on social media that it is hard to know what to trust, and what is just clickbait versus actually something valuable that may change aspects of how they care for themselves during pregnancy,” says Vernon. This book empowers you by helping you understand the statistics and risks associated with different choices, so you can make decisions that are right for you and your pregnancy. 

What this book does really well is combine preparing dads for what their partner will go through along with what they will go through themselves. Each chapter focuses on a month of pregnancy and addresses what’s going on with baby, what’s going on with their partner, what’s going on with them and how they can stay involved. The book addresses topics like financial planning, work-life balance, handling stress and more. 

As a mom to twins, I know that being pregnant with multiples and having multiple newborns is very different than only having one. I often say that it’s not twice as hard, it’s 50 times as hard. Of course, it’s full of joy, too, and having a good book that can walk you through the unique challenges you might face can help everything go more smoothly. The book covers information not only about twin pregnancy and delivery but also about the gear you’ll need for twins, tandem breastfeeding and navigating bonding with both babies. 

“I found this book to be very useful, but my one critique is it often feels like it’s written for birth moms,” says baby and kids gear editor Margaret Badore, who also has twins. “Dads and other partners may want to do some additional reading.” 

This book is easily digestible thanks to charts and images. Along with over 100 recipes, you’ll also find information on which nutrients can help specific pregnancy complications, what specific nutrients and foods do for fetal development and more. The book also covers how good nutrition can benefit both you and baby, which helps you stay motivated when you’d much rather have a tub of ice cream for dinner. 

At the same time a baby is born, a mother is born, too. “Birthing people are undergoing a process called matrescence and understanding how this affects every aspect of your mind, body and soul is so important,” says Vernon, who recommends this book. It combines memoir and self-reflection with science and research to explore what exactly happens to a woman when she becomes a mom. 

Praised as a pregnancy book for the modern mom and recommended by both Vernon and Lopez, Bumpin’ feels like it’s written by your best friend, but it’s also full of evidence-based knowledge. The book covers a wider time period than many other pregnancy books, from pre-conception to the fourth trimester (the first three months after birth). With plenty of charts and lists, the book is easy to digest and allows you to pull out the information that’s most pertinent to you. For many people, this book helps cut through the noise and overwhelming information online. 

From practical concerns (“What if I have back labor?”) to more humorous takes on real concerns (“What if my water breaks on my boss’s shoe?”), this book addresses a wide range of things that can happen during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. Illustrations throughout make the book visually appealing and help break up the reading. The book offers examples and techniques for various scenarios, including reflective questions to help you process your emotions and the steps healthcare providers should follow to ensure informed consent.

If pregnancy and birth feels scary and overwhelming, this book can help ease those fears and instead leave you feeling empowered. “There is also a lot of push towards empowered, person-centered births,” says Vernon. From feeling confident in the healthcare provider you choose to learning how to trust yourself, this book will help you feel in charge. Pick this one up if you want to be well informed and also learn how to advocate for yourself and your baby. 

When you spend so much time thinking about pregnancy and birth, sometimes the postpartum period can hit you like a ton of bricks. “I don’t think enough women are prepared for the transition to motherhood after baby is born—so many focus on the birth but that is only a one-day event, whereas postpartum is a long haul and a huge transition with very little sleep,” says Lopez, who recommends this book. Rather than focusing on the baby, this postpartum guide focuses on the mom, including how to support healing, navigate emotions and restore energy. 

In addition to preparing for your own recovery, it’s helpful to give some thought to your parenting philosophy before your baby is born. Bringing Up Bébé is a well-respected parenting book written by an American journalist who was intrigued by French parenting. One of the most famous parenting practices to come out of the book is “le pause,” or waiting a moment to allow baby to settle before soothing them. While you may not agree with every aspect of French parenting that the author observed, this book is a great springboard to start thinking about how you want to parent. 

A well-informed and supportive birth partner can make all the difference, regardless of what type of delivery you have. It’s good for the pregnant parent to “remember to think about resources for your partner so they can support you during pregnancy and birth,” says Lopez, who recommends this book. It’s an informational read that covers potential complications, what the labor process is like and how to support the birthing person.