Good baby books for first time parents?

vegetable

hi!... first post here and on boards, i am 6 weeks pregnant with my first baby and want to know if anyone has any suggestions about a good baby book that covers what actually happens in pregnancy?
all advice welcome and needed!
thanks:)

Cookie Jar

http://www.eason.ie/books/9781847373755

I used to read that all the time. Goes through the stages and tells you exactly whats going on with your baby.

That was the only one I had experience with:)

Squiggler

I'll second What to Expect when you're expecting. It was recommended to me by friends who'd looked at a lot of other books. I find it really informative, balanced and reassuring.

vegetable

thanks for that, that is exactly what i was looking for!

Winnie

+1 on the What to Expect book

LegacyUser

i got this book
http://www.dorlingkindersley-uk.co.uk/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781405348799,00.html
find it really useful, its answering every query i think up ;-) but you should check out some second hand book stores, i picked this up for €7, it was €27 in easons!

NextSteps

Agreed - I had that and The Rough Guide to Pregnancy, and What to Expect is much more informative.

qwertytlk

hi, i got both these from library and they were good. What to expect when your expecting and pregnancy and birth in ireland. Just have a look in the library and ask what the most popular book's are..they are usually the best :-) congrats and good luck with everything x

Toots

I'm 16 weeks and have been reading one called Your Pregnancy Bible, which I got in Hughes & Hughes. So far I've found it really good, it goes through your progress week by week both in terms of what's happening with baby and what's happening with your body. It's massive, and has loads of information. I don't know if I'll ever read it all

If you have an iPhone or iPod touch, I'd also recommend an app called BabyBump (the paid version is about €3) and it's great, has little daily tips and also tracks your progress. I love it!

Noopti

First time parent here and we got this book:
http://www.eason.ie/books/9781405332101

It is really good because you read it day by day, and each day it gives you a rundown on what is happening and also has various tips etc. Plus, because you are reading it in bite size chunks you take in a lot more than you would if you were reading pages and pages of info.

It also has some great pictures. You get into this routine of looking forward to reading the next days page.....like a daily treat!

How Strange

What to Expect is fantastic as a reference book during your pregnancy. I got a present of Your Baby and Child by Penelope Leach; I've read quite a bit of it so far and I've found it very informative. It's great for dipping into when you have questions about your baby and believe me you'll have lots and lots of questions.

mariaf24

I have just got the best ever pregnancy book, it is just AMAZING
It's called THE DAY-BY-DAY PREGNANCY BOOK (Dr Maggie Blott)
Its basically a huge encyclopedia that has a page for evey single day of pregnancy!! So im 24+6 today..it shows what baby looks like today (real 3d images) what he/she is doing and what im feeling. A Huge page for every day!!!
I just regret not getting it sooner It goes through conception-the first 6 weeks, feeding etc etc...
I got it for €17.00 on the book depository website and i think its about €40 to buy normally.
I am in no way associated with the book, its just so beautiful/amazing i wanted to share. Really wish id known about it at the start!!!

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

curlybob

Thanks for you Question Vegetable and to everyone for the answers...I am also six weeks pregnant and just had my first doc apt today, so excited and impatient. not even feeling pregnant yet but looking forward to it. hope all will be ok. Off to buy those books now best of luck to all

Ayla

Personally, I tried reading some preg books & looking up everything online, but I found my own experiences were so different from what they said I "should" be feeling/seeing/experiencing that they weren't much comfort. There is such a thing as "too much" information...

For instance, if your book tells you you'll feel the first movements at 18-22 weeks, but you feel yours at 16 weeks, or don't feel anything until 24 weeks, you're going to worry. If the book tells you you'll feel a nesting instinct & you're happily sitting in piles of laundry, you'll worry that your mothering instincts aren't good enough. If the book tells you your boobs will be bigger & yours seem to shrink, you'll wonder what's wrong w/ you & if it'll have any impact on your abilities to breastfeed.

I'm just saying this to all the first-timers out there: sure, read whatever you want, but take it all with a grain of salt. Yours & your baby's bodies are the only ones that are important, and if your experience doesn't line up with the average, it doesn't mean a thing.

Squiggler

It's for the reasons Ayla just gave that I recommend What to Expect. It totally respects the fact that every woman, and every pregnancy is different. It provides a list of things you MIGHT be feeling, rather than should and is so comforting and encouraging, whether you're experiencing a difficult or a straightforward pregnancy.

The information in it is very balanced, looks at all the options and provides lots of suggestions whether you're looking for minimal or maximum medical intervention.

Some of the other books I looked at were very 'by now you should have reached this benchmark' which annoyed me and they also assumed a hospital antenatal and labour scenario, which isn't relevant to everyone.

Noopti

mariaf24 wrote: »

I have just got the best ever pregnancy book, it is just AMAZING
It's called THE DAY-BY-DAY PREGNANCY BOOK (Dr Maggie Blott)
Its basically a huge encyclopedia that has a page for evey single day of pregnancy!! So im 24+6 today..it shows what baby looks like today (real 3d images) what he/she is doing and what im feeling. A Huge page for every day!!!
I just regret not getting it sooner It goes through conception-the first 6 weeks, feeding etc etc...
I got it for €17.00 on the book depository website and i think its about €40 to buy normally.
I am in no way associated with the book, its just so beautiful/amazing i wanted to share. Really wish id known about it at the start!!!

Yep, that's the one I was talking about too. Excellent book....we have had it since week 7 and it has been a fantastic and informative read so far!