These three books are the best books to read while pregnant. Reading these three books made me a more confident and calm first time parent.
The first year with your new bundle of joy is different than anything else. There are so many memories created and treasured. There is so much joy and laughter. So many tears, sleepless nights, and soul searching to figure out who you even are anymore.
Trying to do it by yourself without any resources or background knowledge can feel overwhelming.
Why These Three Books to Read While Pregnant?
I knew I wanted to have kids one day and then that ‘one day’ came faster than I was expecting! I felt surprised, scared, and excited all at once!
We didn’t know what the future would be like, but we knew it would be a new adventure!
I really wanted to research what to do with my child once they were born. It was important to me to breastfeed, know how to keep him safe while sleeping, and be prepared for birth. These priorities led me to these perfect books to read while pregnant. I recommend all future parents read them while they prepare for their little one!
Before I dive into the books, I want to tell you that I do not own any of these books!
I borrowed all of them from my library as books or audiobooks. Learning from them and supporting my community at the same time is valuable to me!
I have rented them multiple times, in multiple states, because I needed their wisdom. Libraries are truly a blessing. I hope you can use your library to get this knowledge too!
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding Book Review
It was important to me to breastfeed, so I wanted to find a reputable book about breastfeeding. I wanted a book that could guide me through what to expect as my child grows.
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League was what I needed!
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding is a great book for so many reasons.
This book breaks up the first few years a few months at a time and describes what to expect at each stage. It also has some trouble shooting ideas that have helped me solved a few painful problems we had in the beginning.
I loved using this book because it had stories from other parents in it that made me feel less alone!
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding is a great resource for new parents because many doctors and nurses respect it. La Leche League just released an updated version of the book in 2024! Read more about it here and you will find downloadable content too.
I showed it to one of my delivery nurses and she said it was, “an oldy but a goody.” My delivery nurses were professional and knowledgeable. The nurse I showed this book to had delivered my son and taught the birthing class we attended at the hospital, so I respect her opinion!
Lastly, I treasure this book as a resource because it gave me confidence in my ability to feed my son how I wanted to.
I have had multiple pediatricians tell me to change how I was feeding my son. They have told me to put him on a schedule, to night wean him, to introduce cow’s milk, and other common things that just didn’t feel right to me.
Reading The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding helped me have a conversation with my husband about why I wasn’t going to follow the parenting advice given by the pediatricians around feeding my son.
I had this book to help give me the knowledge to discuss with the person I love most about how what I want to do helps the little one I love the most.
Communicating my beliefs in a factual manner has helped me be a confident mother and that is priceless!
Sweet Sleep Book Review
My second priority was researching how to keep my child safe while sleeping. I have learned about sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in school and wanted to know as much as I could about how to prevent SIDS or suffocation for my son.
Sweet Sleep by La Leche League is all about how to keep children safe during sleep.
I love this book for many of the same reasons that I loved The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding.
This book is written by the same group of people and is laid out in a similar way. It has the first few years broken up by months, so you can know what to expect.
There is an audiobook that is easy to listen to as well. Sweet Sleep has stories and troubleshooting guides that all are helpful and make you feel less alone.
The main idea of the book is educating people how to sleep safely with our children. They have created the Safe Sleep Seven Guide, which lets you know how to create a safe space for your baby to sleep anywhere, including in your bed.
Here is a printable version of the Safe Sleep Seven Guide! Read more about it on their website here.
It has a lot of information that I had never read before and has helped me be rested as a new mom. Our first year with our son would not have gone as smoothly if I had not read this book.
Reading Sweet Sleep gave me the confidence to co sleep with my son. I love sleeping with him and I feel more connected to him and well rested too!
Co-sleeping isn’t for everyone, but it has been working wonderfully for our home.
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth Book Review
My final priority was to research what to expect from birth.
I hadn’t really heard many birth stories because I was one of the first people to get pregnant in my family and I didn’t know what had changed since my older relatives had last given birth a decade ago or more.
I knew that I wanted to try to have a natural birth, but I was open to letting whatever happens happen. My goal was to avoid c-section and I succeeded in part because of reading this book.
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin gives so much information to prepare for birth!
Whether you want to have a natural birth or not, this book is full of positive birth experiences even when things don’t go exactly how the parent wanted the experience to go.
Knowing that even if my birth doesn’t go how I planned, it can still be good was so empowering. The birth stories alone make this one of the best books to read while pregnant.
Ina is a midwife and talks a lot about birthing in calm natural places. She has so many tips to help labor and knowledge about pregnancy, that I really appreciated knowing as I went through it.
Some people decide to share their horrible birth experiences when they find out you’re pregnant, so having positive stories to read really put my mind at ease. I wanted to hear about how this huge experience I was about to have, could be a good one, because I was terrified.
The first half of the book is all positive birth experiences, but the final half is all tips and knowledge about the child birthing process.
I wanted to know what my body was going to do and was going through to create this new human. I am still fascinated by all the amazing things that female bodies do to sustain the life inside them.
Giving birth is an awe inspiring experience that changes people. I wish all people could have the birth experience they desire. I think having the support to go through this experience is what makes birth a good experience.
My husband was with me during our son’s birth. He still randomly tells me how proud he is that I created our son and gave birth to him. It was a transformative experience for both of us!
I am proud of myself and have been reminded how powerful I really am. I wish that every mom has a birth that makes them feel powerful even if it isn’t the one they planned. This book helped me feel informed, powerful, and confident in my birth.
I hope that if you are thinking about becoming pregnant, are pregnant, or are a new parent entering this wild ride that you will pick up these books to read while pregnant too. Then you too can feel confident about how you want to parent your new little bundle of joy!
Other Books for Pregnancy and New Parents
Write in the comments below books you recommend for new parents or pregnant people.
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These books sound like a lifesaver for first-time parents! I can totally relate to feeling overwhelmed and excited all at once when expecting a baby. The idea of breaking down the first few years into manageable stages is brilliant—it makes everything feel less daunting. I’m curious, though, did you find any advice in these books that surprised you or went against what you’d heard before? Also, how did you manage to stay consistent with reading while juggling all the other preparations? I’m impressed by your dedication to learning and supporting your community through the library. Do you think these books would still be helpful for someone who’s not a first-time parent but wants a refresher? I’d love to hear more about your experience with “The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding”—did it change your perspective on breastfeeding in any way?
These books had advice that went against the advice I received from many people including my pediatrician. Sweet sleep talks about how to bed share if you choose to or can (read the safe seven list above). The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding gives real advice for woman who are breastfeeding. I was so grateful that I had that book with me while my son was nursing on demand.
For example, your pediatrician will probably tell you that your baby only needs to eat every 3 hours, but that isn’t realistic for breastfeed babies on demand. My son was nursing every 30 minutes for quite a while. My pediatrician told us that we should just ‘refuse to negotiate with babies’. That hut me and felt like I was abandoning everything I believed in, until I remembered that I was the parent and could decide for myself and these books gave advice that was in opposition to that sentiment.
Our culture seems to believe that children are manipulating beings here to control us and make us do things we do not want to do. As parents we do have to give u large parts of who we were when we become parents. It is hard, but we choose to have children so of course our lives are going to change. I do not believe that children and babies are somehow great masterminds trying to manipulate us. I think they are beings who are helpless in everyway trying to communicate that they have needs.
Reading while getting everything else done is hard, but reading becomes more difficult after the baby is born, so read now! Also, if reading is too in the way than see if your library has audiobook versions of these books! I listened to these books the first time and then when I needed to look up specific things I rented the books and read one or two chapters. Make yourself a goal! Read 5 pages everyday or 1 chapter or 40 pages, setting a goal is super helpful for me when I am trying to read a book.
YES! If I am able to have more children in the future I plan to return to these books over and over again to remind me of what to expect in the very beginning. I recommend these books to any pregnant people whether or not it is your first time.
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding gave lots of great advice about breastfeeding and was a consistent resource I could reach for when I had a question. It gave me a more realistic perspective on wheat breastfeeding would look like in the beginning and that was so valuable to me. It gave me more confidence in myself and my body than any other resource has.
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What an insightful and heartfelt read! I completely agree that the first year as a parent is a whirlwind of emotions and experiences. It’s inspiring to see how these books helped you navigate such a transformative time with confidence. I’m curious, though—what specific challenges did you face that these books helped you overcome? The emphasis on community and libraries is so refreshing; it’s wonderful to see resources being shared and valued. I also appreciate how you highlighted breastfeeding, as it’s such an important yet often overwhelming topic. Do you think these books would still be helpful for parents who aren’t planning to breastfeed? Your passion for these resources is contagious—it makes me want to pick them up right away!
You are so kind!
These books helped me overcome the normal challenges of a new parent. They helped me get good sleep, feed my son, and prepare myself for birth.
I think that parents who are not planning to breastfeed, but are planning to pump would find The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding useful still! The other books are great no matter how you plan to feed your baby.
Thank you for commenting!