I want to start this post by saying that the majority of the books I’m reading before baby have absolutely nothing to do with pregnancy or babies. I just finished this thriller from Greek Hendricks and I’m (finally) about to start Where the Crawdads Sing. Reading has always been a source of pleasure for me and I’m trying to keep it that way. There’s a lot of information out there about pregnancy and parenting and I’m realizing that sometimes too much isn’t always a good thing. Just trying to keep the anxiety in check here, you know what I mean?

With that said, there are definitely books I need and want to read before the baby arrives. I’m just choosing to be very selective about the ones that make the cut. I’ve done my research and narrowed it down the following four books: Expecting Better, Bringing Up Bébé, Moms on Call, and Nurture.

So far, I’ve read two of the four. I finished Expecting Better a couple of months ago. It was the first books I read after I found out I was pregnant. I found that it calmed a lot of my anxieties about pregnancy. While the author definitely challenges some of the traditional medical advice, she’s done her research and I found her insight valuable. More than anything, this book is a just a great reminder to use common sense and listen to your gut. The second book I’ve finished is Nurture. Written by a doula, this book offers a modern month-by-month guide to pregnancy. It includes everything from tips on healthy food (with recipes!) to important information about birthing plans and more. I found it easy to read and understand. Most importantly, there’s not one once of judgement in the entire book.

Now, onto the final two! Once I’ve read those, I’ll report back.