I would just like to say that I tend to read too much. How does the mother of a 19 month old read too much? Don't ask me. I feel like I never have time to read anymore, and then I list of what I've read in the last month to a friend and am generally told that is more than he/she has read all year. Oh well, dear reader, I thought you might want to take advantage of my over-zealous reading in case you are pregnant, or want to be pregnant, or your wife/friend/whoever is pregnant, and you do not want to bother reading all of the nonsense that I have read over this pregnancy and last. Anyway, here are some thoughts:
Great to Read Anytime
What to Expect When Your Expecting, Heidi Murkoff
Clear, informative, month by month info. Question & Answer format. Not the best for the hypochondriac, however, to read every portion of this book. Just read the answers to the questions you actually have, and you'll fine. The only thing this book is really missing is the "emotional" side of pregnancy. It's pretty much from a medical & physical point of view. (This is my only re-read from the last pregnancy)
Very Good & Informative, But May Scare You a Bit (for different reasons cited below)
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth - Ina May Gaskin
I loved this book during my first pregnancy and read it obsessively. It is full of very cool and uplifting birth stories from ladies on a regulation hippie farm. I want to move there (j/k). I'm not re-reading it this time b/c natural birth didn't work out for me last time & though I may give it a go again this time (if doc will allow it), I may just go in for another surgery & the birth stories just make me sad that I got so close, then needed a c-section after all. Still, very good book. (Oh, scary part: Does include photos of women giving birth, and some of them are not wearing any clothes!! AHH.)
Childbirth Without Fear - Grantly Dick-Read
This is an old book with the theme that if you go into birth with the right attitude, it doesn't even hurt. Well, he's wrong: this one will set up for a surprise! I don't think it's possible to be more into childbirth than I was last time. I had the midwife, the bouncy ball, and the rice socks ready, but I still thought some of those contractions were going to rip my body into shreds. Especially the ones that came after they said to stop pushing b/c it's time for a c-section. Sorry, Dr. Dick-Read if your baby's head is too big for your body, you better believe it hurts. (The scary part here is what I said about the contractions, truly girls, some of them don't hurt. ;) )
The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth - Henci Goer
All I will say, is that if you want to have your baby in a hospital, don't read this one. It is well researched and filled with great facts & statistics, that will scare you all the way to a homebirth. Also, you can learn most of this stuff in a less frightening way in Ina May's Guide. (Umm... the whole book is scary.)
UGG, Don't Even Bother: Books I Shut After the First Chapter (I never do this)
Misconceptions - Naomi Wolf
Okay, so I read this when I was trying to get pregnant the first time, and it scared me so bad I didn't want to try anymore. It's got the info from The Thinking Woman's Guide turned into a worse-case scenario birth story. Don't bother.
Releasing the Mother Goddess - Gail Feldman
Cool title for a book of wacky paganism. The author actually believes in some sort of cosmic goddess and is seriously seeking converts. Weirdo stuff, don't waste your time.
