When I first found out I was pregnant, one of the first things on my shopping list was… Pregnancy books! Yes yes, there’s a lot of information online, but I love books! I also signed up to BabyCenter, where they send you updates your baby’s weekly development.
So, I decided to review three pregnancy books.. To be more exact, a book, a journal and an organizer!
The Girlfriend’s Guide To Pregnancy
This is not your typical pregnancy book. It takes a humorous twist to the usual serious medical books that are on the market. Is it for everyone? No. Some people find it utterly hilarious, others just don’t agree with what Vicki Iovine has to say. In certain areas of the book, Iovine writes about how exercising during pregnancy is a waste of time, some reasons being that ‘you will get fat anyway’ and ‘exercise will not help you in labor or delivery in any way’. I personally disagree with this, but to each their own.
Let’s take a paragraph from this book that some mums to be seem to have found discouraging and scary. “Having a baby fundamentally changes your body (and your mind, but that is a book unto itself). You can (and will) loose every pound you gained, you can do sit ups until you have the control of a belly dancer, and you can Kegel your insides until you are strong enough to crack walnuts. But you will never be exactly the same as you were before”. In my honest opinion? It’s the harsh truth. At least the way she put it made you chuckle (I know it did!).
The thing that a lot of women seem to be disagreeing with Iovine about most, is natural birth. She seems to be against taking the natural route, and that epidurals are a must have. Obviously, not everyone agrees with this. Personally, I had made sure that my obgyn knew from the start that I wanted an epidural, but a lot of women want to do it the natural way. And, why not! I’m actually jealous of those strong mamas!
I can’t tell you “You HAVE to buy this book!”, cos like I said, it’s not for everyone. If you’re going to buy ‘The Girlfriend’s Guide To Pregnancy’, you definitely need to have a sense of humour and not take everything in this book too seriously. Also, I suggest having another book that’s a bit more serious and medical like, What To Expect When You’re Expecting, Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide and The Expectant Father : Facts, Tips, and Advice for Dads-To-Be (this one’s for the dads to be!)
40 Weeks+ The Essential Pregnancy Organizer
This is my personal favourite! It’s great for staying organised, complete with tabs, and it’s designed to perfectly fit in your purse! This organiser is not packed with the information you find in pregnancy books, although it does have a page at the beginning of each section that serves as an introduction and tells you where to look for specific things. It’s full of helpful checklists detailing the things you should remember, and does a great job in helping you organise and prepare.
And it doesn’t just stop at pregnancy! There is a section to keep a new mum organised too! You can record feeding and diapering, keep track of well baby visits (baby growth chart included), your postnatal checkup notes, etc.
Bump to Birthday, Pregnancy & First Year Journal
This journal is perfect for capturing such a special journey! This beautiful book has week to week information on pregnancy, as well as providing prompts to enable mums to be to tell their own unique story. It also has a section where you can add your baby’s firsts, from first movements to first smile, first Christmas to first birthday. There’s also space for photos and scans! It’s the perfect diary for mums to be!
