10 Best Pregnancy Books UK 2023 | Rebecca Schiller, Emily Oster and More

There is a reason this book has been translated into so many languages and become a bestseller in so many countries. It's a classic, thanks in part to its all-encompassing approach to pregnancy, recently updated to include current topics of pregnancy conversation like vaping, social media pregnancies and the 'gentle caesarean'.

With advice for the co-parent interwoven throughout, the book now comes with a supplementary app so you can access info on the go and receive updates as your pregnancy goes on. There's plenty of humour and hope in this book, even when dealing with the more stressful elements of pregnancy and birth. A great read detailing every possible aspect of growing a baby.

Loved by mothers-next-door and celebrity 'mumpreneurs' alike, Marie Louise is a midwife and hypnobirthing expert with years of experience and a knack for simplifying the most complex processes into totally accessible, jargon-free text. Her warm yet expertly-written style is a joy to read. 

Endorsed by many well-known mums including mother, popstar and face of babywear Kit and Kin, Emma Bunton, this book is also loved by enthusiastic online shoppers whose reviews urge new mums (and dads!) to try this book which they say is a 'super easy read' with a 'perfect balance' of clear information, honesty and positivity. 

Starting with lifestyle advice for the preconceptual period and guiding you all the way through pregnancy and birth to your post-natal experience, this book spans all 280 (ish) days of pregnancy. As well as the traditional look at the baby's development inside the uterus, you'll also find a guide to physical and emotional changes in the mother. 

This handbook is set out clearly with striking photos and infographics – ideal for a visual person – but also has bags of clear, accessible text keeping the reader informed rather than overwhelmed. There are straightforward facts about diet, sex, exercise and illness during pregnancy; a clear, calming read with bags of 5-star customer reviews to boot.

This book helps mums to understand the roots of conventional pregnancy advice and looks at it with a discerning eye. Emily Oster has bags of respectable endorsers, from Richard and Judy to the New York Times; all of whom hail her no-nonsense breakdown of the medical myths about pregnancy (and which ones we can loosen our grip on) as vital reading. 

Oster's tone is both assertive and reassuring; commanding yet convivial. Parents of all backgrounds will benefit from chapters ranging from conception to the epidural debate, via caffeine, alcohol, deli meats and gardening. It is an easy read and will truly enlighten mothers-to-be while providing cosy peace of mind.

While it can be tricky to stick to a natural approach to pregnancy one hundred per cent, it is something more and more parents are aiming for, and in this informative manual, YouTuber Genevieve Howland coaches you through that mindset without being preachy or pressuring. 

There is a plethora of nutritional advice in this book as well as week-by-week support and food-for-thought from fellow natural mothers, helping a natural pregnancy run as smoothly as possible but with a nod to the potential necessary interventions which often come up. 

Our second pregnancy is never quite the same as the first, and while many books are hives of information aimed at first-time mums, this one looks in detail at how you might experience pregnancy on take two. 

This book has a wide range of useful facts and thought-provoking information that will help you consider how to include your firstborn in your second pregnancy in a healthy way. It has a very personal touch from author and mum Sarah Ockwell-Smith so you really feel like you're chatting to an honest fellow mother who just happens to know her science inside out. 

In order to support your baby mama through this beautiful but often trying time, wise up with the help of this sweet and smart book, packed with specific advice from experienced dad Adrian Kulp. The focus here is not on perfection but on being present, supportive and clued-up on the whats, the whys and the whens.

By using this friendly and unintimidating guide, you'll be able to create a pregnancy plan with your partner you feel truly confident in, set personal goals for your relationship and get comfortable with the different aspects of each trimester. 

To ensure you are nourished and healthy throughout your pregnancy, consider this nutritional guide packed with handy advice on what to eat and when as your baby grows inside you. It can be a nightmare trying to eat 'right' when you're plagued with morning-noon-and-night sickness or having cravings you can't explain. 

This book allows you plenty of freedom and understands that pregnant mothers struggle just as much as anyone else when it comes to choosing and sticking to the best snacks for our body and brain. Here you'll find up-to-date pregnancy nutrition research and 100 tasty recipes, alongside alternatives for when you're feeling fussier than usual. 

If you are looking for a book to help you document your pregnancy journey, search no further. This one has tonnes of effusive customer reviews and is not only smartly bound with a decorative marker ribbon, but also has all kinds of inspiring text and prompts as well as standard science.

There is plenty of space for photos, ultrasound scans, letters and other keepsakes to be fixed in place, turning this from a journal to a precious scrapbook of your little one's early stages. Many customers mention how much they appreciated the prompts to encourage reflection on this exciting and challenging part of their lives. 

What we thoroughly appreciate about this book is the fact that it skips the standard comparisons of your baby to a grape, salt-shaker or football and rather draws attention to how a mother might be feeling physically and how pregnancy will alter her daily life and interactions.

Full of data rather than personalised advice, this book places a guide to breastfeeding side by side with facts about formula. It contains a 40-week pregnancy timeline, a list of questions to address to your midwife and the pros and potential pitfalls of various birthing positions.