If you are expecting a baby, you will want to read as much as you can to help you from bump to birthing pool with as little stress as possible. Whether you're a first-time mum or you're gearing up to welcome your second child, it can't hurt to be well informed.
We have drawn together a lovely selection including pregnancy nutrition cookbooks, memory journals, hynobirthing, pregnancy manuals for first time dads and day-by-day guides for your nine months with a bun in the oven. We've linked our favourite publications from best selling writers like Rebecca Schiller, Emily Oster and Heidi Murkoff, all available for purchase in the UK on budget-friendly sites like eBay and Amazon.
Many of the books in our top ten countdown are standard manuals with broad approaches to becoming a mother. These kinds of books can be really helpful, whether you're anxious about the process or just want to be armed with the facts.
Many are packed with info on how to conceive, what to eat while pregnant, and the various limitations and challenges your body will face. This type of book is often illustrated, perhaps demonstrating the size and attributes of your baby as it develops in the womb, or showing different birthing positions and their relative benefits.
Very often they will also include a personalised perspective from a midwife or mother, so they feel relatable and help you understand your own experience by depicting what others have gone through before you.
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To feel effectively supported from conception to birth and beyond, look out for a book which takes you through the process week by week, or even day by day. This type of book can be especially useful for mums-to-be with a tendency to worry and overthink, as they reassure the reader of what to expect and how to solve problems.
Another benefit of this kind of step-by-step guide is that it can be integrated into your pregnancy routine; perhaps to be read at breakfast or bedtime, giving the reader a heads-up of what to expect in the coming days and weeks.
If having proper nutrition during pregnancy is what you want to learn, get yourself a manual for expectant mothers that centres around food and cooking. You may choose to buy this as a guide to supplement a more general book, or you might feel that a book devoted especially to pregnancy nutrition is simply going to provide more in-depth information than a brief chapter or two.
Either way, when choosing a guide to nourish yourself and your unborn child, take care to ensure that the author is reputable and bases their theory in science and thorough research. There are plenty of myths around food during pregnancy, just as with every other aspect of this hallowed time, so do a little background research to find out how the author reached the conclusions they have.
Though it may not be the kind of pregnancy book that first springs to mind, another option commonly searched for by soon-to-be mamas is a journal in which to note down the ups and downs of pregnancy, all in the name of nostalgia.
This is another kind of book that you may choose in addition to a more typical guide to pregnancy, but what a wonderful addition it will be. As well as learning from pre-existing books, you'll create your own little set of ideas and memories which could be transformed into experience-driven advice for future mums.
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Either way, when choosing a guide to nourish yourself and your unborn child, take care to ensure that the author is reputable and bases their theory in science and thorough research. There are plenty of myths around food during pregnancy, just as with every other aspect of this hallowed time, so do a little background research to find out how the author reached the conclusions they have.
We've saved you some time on this by making sure the authors of our food-focused books have qualifications that make them sources you can rely on.
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For those after a quick look, here is our Top 5:
For a more in-depth look at the comprehensive top 10 selection, make sure to read on to learn more about the different types of pregnancy books available and understand how our ranking was determined.
Image | 1 ![]() Heidi Murkoff | 2 ![]() Marie Louise | 3 ![]() Dr Maggie Blott | 4 ![]() Emily Oster | 5 ![]() Genevieve Howland | 6 ![]() Sarah Ockwell-Smith | 7 ![]() Adrian Kulp | 8 ![]() Jennifer Lang | 9 ![]() Helen Stephens | 10 ![]() Rebecca Schiller |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | What to Expect When You're Expecting | The Modern Midwife's Guide to Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond | The Day-By-Day Pregnancy Book | Expecting Better | The Mama Natural Week-By-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth | The Second Baby Book | We're Pregnant! The First Time Dad's Pregnancy Trimester | The Whole 9 Months | Bump to Birthday: Pregnancy and First Year Baby Journal | Your No Guilt Pregnancy Plan |
Features | An Up-to-Date Revision of the All-Time Bestselling Pregnancy Manual | Super Accessible and Great for Those Interested in Hyponobirthing | A Detailed and Visually Appealing Guide From Medical Experts | An Enlightening Book That Examines and Busts Traditional Pregnancy Myths | Natural Pregnancy Support From a Trusted YouTube Mama | Tips on Pregnancy Number Two From an Acclaimed Author on Motherhood | A Friendly, Unintimidating Guide for Brand New Dads | Nutrition Advice and Wholefood Recipes Tailored to Mums-to-Be | A Best-Selling Journal to Keep Precious Memories Safe | A Straightforward Way to Plan Pregnancy Through to the Early Weeks |
Price | £8.99 | £14.24 | £18.15 | £7.37 | £15.15 | £9.14 | £10.46 | £10.58 | £12.99 | £11.65 |
Book Focus | General handbook | General handbook | Day-by-day guide | General handbook | Week-by-week guide with food and cooking ideas | General handbook with focus on second baby | General handbook | Recipe book | Journal | General handbook |
Content for Fathers | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
Formats Available | Kindle and audiobook | Kindle and audiobook | Audiobook only | Kindle and audiobook(audio CD only) | Kindle and audiobook | Kindle and audiobook | Kindle and audiobook | Neither available | Neither available | Kindle and audiobook |
First Published | Jan 2017 | March 2020 | February 2018 | August 2018 | April 2017 | March 2019 | April 2018 | June 2017 | March 2012 | May 2018 |
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This ranking has been compiled by the writing team at mybest UK via careful evaluation of the points made in the buying guide and thorough research of each product and comparing multiple verified customer reviews across the EC sites used.
£8.99
Book Focus | General handbook |
---|---|
Content for Fathers | No |
Formats Available | Kindle and audiobook |
First Published | Jan 2017 |
£14.24
Book Focus | General handbook |
---|---|
Content for Fathers | No |
Formats Available | Kindle and audiobook |
First Published | March 2020 |
£18.15
Book Focus | Day-by-day guide |
---|---|
Content for Fathers | No |
Formats Available | Audiobook only |
First Published | February 2018 |
£7.37
Book Focus | General handbook |
---|---|
Content for Fathers | No |
Formats Available | Kindle and audiobook(audio CD only) |
First Published | August 2018 |
£15.15
Book Focus | Week-by-week guide with food and cooking ideas |
---|---|
Content for Fathers | No |
Formats Available | Kindle and audiobook |
First Published | April 2017 |
£9.14
Book Focus | General handbook with focus on second baby |
---|---|
Content for Fathers | No |
Formats Available | Kindle and audiobook |
First Published | March 2019 |
£10.46
Book Focus | General handbook |
---|---|
Content for Fathers | Yes |
Formats Available | Kindle and audiobook |
First Published | April 2018 |
£10.58
Book Focus | Recipe book |
---|---|
Content for Fathers | No |
Formats Available | Neither available |
First Published | June 2017 |
£12.99
Book Focus | Journal |
---|---|
Content for Fathers | No |
Formats Available | Neither available |
First Published | March 2012 |
£11.65
Book Focus | General handbook |
---|---|
Content for Fathers | No |
Formats Available | Kindle and audiobook |
First Published | May 2018 |
Written and researched by Annie Hopkins
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