Ready to Curl up on the Couch with Pickles or Ice Cream and a Good Book? 10 Books on Pregnancy You Should Read When Expecting (2020)

for an expectant mother, pregnancy is a new journey and a completely different ball game altogether. In the journey of 9 months, not only does a woman get to know more about herself, but also learns about the new life that’s growing within her womb. No amount of information is ever enough to make her feel prepared to bring a child into this world and connect with the baby. There have been a number of ways that are known to help connect with the baby during pregnancy of which two most popular ones are talking to the baby in the womb and then reading to the baby.

According to popular research, even within the first couple of month of life, a baby can recognize voices, especially those of her parents! The voice of her mother becomes familiar and helps soothe her and make her feel secure. And since babies are able to identify the voices they become familiar with while in the womb, reading to them helps in connecting with their mothers. Books are known to be the best companions you’d ever have besides a pet of course! When you’d like to unwind, cut away from the chaos of the world, hanging out in own your company with a book by your side, there could be nothing better. For expectant mothers, reading books from the early days of pregnancy is helpful for both the Mother and her baby, providing vital details on the 9-month journey with regular doses of practical information which save you rushing to a doctor each time you’re uneasy about changes in your body or well-being.

A baby’s ears are ready for listening by the 3rd trimester, and even though the baby can hear the ongoings outside the womb at 10decibles lower than her Mother, the tone, the rhythm and other patterns related to language, that work as a base of speech are absolutely clear! And since babies pick up on language patterns from the 3rd trimester, they can identify words that they’ve been exposed in the womb after being born. Hence prenatal reading is a lovely way to get a healthy brain development started!

For an expectant mother, a few moments of interesting reading is a fine way of relaxing and reading aloud is equally essential to a healthy pregnancy. A mother’s soothing tones can help keep the baby’s fetal heart rate lower and establish an auditory bond that carries through even after birth. And since, reading together is one of the best ways you can connect with your baby, why not start her early in picking reading as a hobby and becoming a fine learner.

When reading to your baby, it needs to be a positive and loving experience for both her and you. It’s best to set a schedule that’s flexible and works for you, even if it means that you spend just 10 minutes every day to relax and benefit from the bonding benefits of reading. If you’re wondering what kind of books are best for your unborn baby, then don’t worry! Books that are repetitive with bouncy rhythms are a good choice for baby’s ears, so choose books that you love, which can include a book that you or your husband loved as children.

Prenatal reading is a good opportunity to bond with the baby not only for the expectant mother but also for the baby’s future family. So invite your husband, parents, your other children and other loved ones to read to your baby. And be sure to avoid speakers when engaged in the reading sessions, as too much of an audio stimulation may create havoc with the baby’s brain development or sleep cycles. Finally, don’t worry too much about how you sound or skipping over sentences or mispronouncing words. This is a fun activity to help you bond with your baby, and hence the more love and affection is involved the better and more successful it is!

The best medicine for getting rid of any ailment is to laugh it off! Humour and wit have a way of uplifting your mood, especially when your hormones go rogue. Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy & Childbirth by Jenny McCarthy is all about giving a humorous angle to the joys and learning journey of Pregnancy. With some of the choicest assortment of experiences that she went through at every stage of her pregnancy, the author shares her symptoms, hormonal changes, pregnancy sex, the torture & relief of delivery, both casually and in a witty tone. Written, as a matter of fact, this book is sure to evoke a good laugh out of you. The book is available at amazon.com in paperback for Rs.1,010 and in a CD for Rs.3,590.

A comprehensive guide on pregnancy, The Baby Bump: 100s of Secrets to Surviving Those 9 Long Months by Carly Roney offers expert advice to an expectant mother, featuring inspiring stories, guide to work on your wardrobe, a kick count tracker, birth plan checklists, diets to follow, a baby’s week on development and what all to expect during the delivery period. With some colourful illustrations and photos, the book serves as a vibrant and cheery gift for a mom-to-be and get her excited about her pregnancy. The book is available at flipkart.com for Rs.1,119.

An anthology of personal experiences and beautiful stories, Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother’s Soul eases the fears of a mom-to-be. This book has been written by expectant mothers, dads to be, and veteran mothers with a blend of physical, spiritual and emotional joys and challenges at each stage of a pregnancy, from start to delivery, offering a healthy flow of light-hearted humour to manage weight gains, morning sickness and other pregnancy miseries, not to forget words of wisdom for the apparent and unnerving responsibility of choosing the baby’s name, going through the pains of labour and giving birth. These stories relay the fears and the joys of all kinds that include multiple births, premature deliveries, and adoptions. Priced at Rs. 316, Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother’s Soul is available at crossword.in.

Written by one of the most popular names in the Wellness Industry, Namita Jain, the book Fit Pregnancy: The Complete Health Plan for You and Your Baby is all about morning sickness, frequent headaches, mood swings, dizzy spells and glowing skin. According to the author, pregnancy is as similar or different as one woman to another. Whether it is about gaining too much weight, fears about starving the baby even you’re frequently throwing up, having too much chocolate and it’s possible side effects on the baby, exercising, fluctuating emotions and more, the author sets all fears of an expectant mother to rest with a guide to a balanced pregnant journey, inspired by her clients’ experiences and different case studies. Rich with exercise routines, abundant tips on eating well, shopping right, travelling comfortably, working in the office or getting rid of stretch marks, not to forget healthy recipes, this is the book to have in your book collection! Priced at Rs.299.

A bestseller with over a million copies in print, Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide by Penny Simkin, Janet Whalley, Ann Keppler, Janelle Durham and April Bolding, is a comprehensive and commanding book that offers an enriching and valuable series of details about pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum period, including newborn care. The book also shares information on complementary approaches to medicine, the latest details on childbirth interventions, advice on burning topics in maternity care in the new age and more! Designed to be more accessible and user-friendly, Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn come with an abundance of photographs, illustrations and boxed features to highlight important information. Available at amazon.in, the book is priced at Rs.932 for paperback and Rs.1,204 for Kindle version.

With a mix of real-life experiences from the time of conceiving to motherhood, I’m Pregnant, Not Terminally Ill, You Idiot by Lalita Iyer deals with the good, bad and ugly of being pregnant. The book is different from other pregnancy reads in a way that it doesn’t revel in the old fashioned sermons or pieces of advice on the baby in the womb, breastfeeding and subsequent pregnancy woes, but really shares some of the most common ways an Indian family or society react when a woman gets pregnant, bombarding her with an overdose of advices, the hurdles of being pregnant in terms of body changes and emotional fluctuations, treatment at workplace post maternal leave and hilarious accounts of how men try or not try to take care of their newborns, with the most important job of finding a maid for the baby! A down-right honest and witty effort by the author, I’m Pregnant, Not Terminally Ill, You Idiot is available at crossword.in for Rs.236.

From her 30+ experience of midwifery, Ina May Gaskin shares the joys and perks of natural childbirth in her book Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, offering an insight to expectant mothers on how to trust the ancient wisdom of their bodies for a fulfilling and healthy birthing experience, offering comprehensive details about an all-important mind & body connection and giving birth without any technological intervention. Full of practical advice and inspiring birth stories, the book includes details on reducing labor pains without drugs, information about what to expect during labor, details on Episiotomy and pleasurable labor, common ways of inducing labor, tips to enhance chances of an unmedicated labor and childbirth, risks associated with anesthesia and cesareans and more. Priced at Rs.1,439, Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth is available at flipkart.com.

Written by Tarla Dalal, Nutritious Recipes for Pregnancy is a ready reckoner of healthy eats to meet all the nutritional needs of an expectant mother and her baby. Fittingly divided according to the required nutrients with recipes featuring rich in calcium, iron, proteins, anti-oxidants, vit.B and fibre, the book includes steps that are easy, simple to cook and sure short appealing to satisfy a mom-to-be’s unusual food cravings! With just the right amount of nutrients per serving, each recipe in the book highlights the benefits of food ingested with add-on information about each nutrient’s details and it’s benefits for the growing baby, the recommended daily dose for the expectant mother and sources that would provide these nutrients. Available at amazon.in, Nutritious Recipes for Pregnancy is priced at Rs.120 for a paperback.

A mom of fraternal twins and a guru on having two, author Natalie Diaz’s book, What to Do When You’re having Two is a definitive guide for an expectant mother offering instructions on how to parent twins, making a birth plan checklist, healthy sleep patterns, managing double breastfeeding sessions, stocking up on all kinds of essential baby gear, bonding with each child and much more. Informative and convenient, this is one book that is no less a manual for parents to twin kids. Priced at Rs.1,054, What to Do When You’re having Two is available at flipkart.com.

A commanding guide meant specially for expectant working women, authored by Marjorie Greenfield, The Working Woman’s Pregnancy Book comprehensively addresses all subjects about Pregnancy in addition to special concerns that working women have. Drawing from her experiences as a working mother and an obstetrician, with over a 100 interviews of mothers who were employed as factory workers to high paying law attorneys, the author aimed to create a unique resource for expectant working moms and her book includes everything from planning a pregnancy to work-life balance after childbirth. It includes stories, advice from experienced mothers, supporting illustrations and checklists for multi-tasking to reassure, empower and keep all working moms to be informed throughout their pregnancy journey. Priced at Rs.1,914 for paperback and Rs.5,623 for hardcover, The Working Woman’s Pregnancy book is available at amazon.in.

With so many bookstores and online shopping portals where you can go book hunting, looking for an appropriate and interesting read on pregnancy or a book that’s more light-hearted and endearing on what to expect through the next 9 months of being pregnant can be a daunting task for a Mom-to-be. In addition to the best sellers that have been highlighted in this article, here is some more must-read from the non-conventional genre that is a mix of funny & information, and are bound to leave you much more confident and truly excited about being a parent.