13 Best Pregnancy Books Of 2024: A Gynecologist’s Choices

Prepare to welcome your baby into a happy and healthy environment with the right tools.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Swati Chitnis, MS, DNB
Written by Pratyasha Ray, MA (English)
Edited by Medha Deb, Integrated MA
Fact-checked by Aditi Naskar, MA (English Literature), Diploma In Health & Wellness  • 

Pregnancy is thrilling. But it is also the time when you should be preparing yourself well for the upcoming days. So, you will need the best pregnancy books that provide you with the most valuable information collected from the most trustable sources. These books prep you for your beautiful nine months journey and the next few months as well. Dr. Swati Chitnis, gynecologist and endoscopic surgeon, says, “They also prepare you for the changes your body undergoes during pregnancy and for childbirth.”

They say no two pregnancies are the same, and it is the same for pregnancy books as well. Each book has its special style, and they help you incorporate the changes in your lifestyle. These books will guide you about various topics, such as baby gear safety guidelines, pumping and storing breast milk, baby sleep solutions, and more. To make your pregnancy journey fun and informative, here we have listed the 13 best pregnancy books. Scroll down and pick the ones you like the most!

Top Picks
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Best For Natural Therapy:Natural Pregnancy Guide: Empowering Moms To Make Healthy Choices
Price on Amazon
Best Cultural Context:Oh Sis, You’re Pregnant!: The Ultimate Guide to Black Pregnancy & Motherhood
Price on Amazon
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Best Medical Guidelines:Your Pregnancy and Childbirth: Month to Month
Price on Amazon
Best Modern Approach:The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth by Cynthia Mason And Maura Winkler
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Best Nutrition Tips:Feng Shui Mommy: Creating Balance and Harmony for Blissful Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood
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Best Comprehensive Guide:Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy 2nd Edition by Myra. J. Wick
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Best Healthy Recipes:The Whole 9 Months A Week-By-Week Pregnancy Nutrition Guide with Recipes for a Healthy Start by Jeniffer Lang
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Best For Early Pregnancy:Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide
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Best Humorous Book:The Shit No One Tells You About Pregnancy A Guide to Surviving Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Beyond by Dawn Dais
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Best For First-Time Parents: Pregnancy Day By Day
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What Are The Things To Consider Before Buying A Pregnancy Book?

1. Informative: Any pregnancy book that you buy should debunk popular myths and contain facts backed by accurate scientific and medical information. The details should be through reputable sources and verified by someone with experience in the field.

2. Need: Choose a book that suits your needs. There are books available for twin birth, nutrition during pregnancy, prenatal information, and many more. It is always interesting to read a book with which you can connect.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the best pregnancy books to invest in.

13 Best Pregnancy Books To Suit Your Lifestyle and Needs – 2024

1. Best For Natural Therapy:Natural Pregnancy Guide: Empowering Moms To Make Healthy Choices

4.5
Natural Pregnancy Guide: Empowering Moms To Make Healthy Choices Image: Laurena White Md L.ac.

Natural Pregnancy Guide aims at empowering to-be-moms about a healthy and natural pregnancy term. It advises detoxifying the system and making healthy food choices, traditional oil therapies, relaxation techniques, and exercises during pregnancy. The science-based tips help you get a clear picture of giving birth while creating a healthy environment for you and the baby. This book helps you find just the right plan for you if you’re looking for medicated and non-medicated plans for birth.

Item Weight: 15.2 ounces

protip_icon Did You Know?
Heidi Murkoff, the writer of this book, was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time magazine in 2011. In 2005, she was formally introduced in the Books For A Better Life Hall of Fame.

2. Best Cultural Context:Oh Sis, You’re Pregnant!: The Ultimate Guide to Black Pregnancy & Motherhood

4.8
Oh Sis, You’re Pregnant!: The Ultimate Guide to Black Pregnancy & Motherhood Image: Shanicia Boswell

Oh Sis, You’re Pregnant is a birthing guide by Angelina Ruffin-Alexander focusing on black moms-to-be. Angelina is a certified nurse and midwife who has written this book, sharing her experiences on numerous things during pregnancy. The book was nominated as one of the 2021 International Book Awards in Women’s Health finalists. The tone is humorous and brings in the context of culture. It speaks of the various stages of pregnancy, labor, childbirth, and motherhood for black women. It discusses ways to announce pregnancy, manage hairstyles during maternity, and much more. It is tailored specially for the black population from a millennial black woman’s viewpoint. It includes stories, expert advice, essential reading material, and interviews for a realistic and wholesome reading experience.

Item Weight: 15.2 ounces

protip_icon Did You Know?
Adrian Kulp is a stay-at-home dad and founded the ‘Dad or Alive: Confessions of an Unexpected Stay-at-home Dad’. He was nominated for an award in parenting/lifestyle blog category. His blogs cover the humorous side of fatherhood, which is resourceful for parents.

3. Best Medical Guidelines:Your Pregnancy and Childbirth: Month to Month

4.6
Your Pregnancy and Childbirth: Month to Month Image: American College Of Obstetricians And Gynecologists

Your Pregnancy and Childbirth is a month-by-month guide through your pregnancy. It offers medical guidelines in easy-to-understand language that helps you plan the pregnancy and the baby’s arrival. The book includes illustrations of fetal development over the months, a form for medical history to keep a check on postpartum concerns, and necessary pregnancy information on how viruses can affect the fetus. The information is also a guide for questions you can ask your ob-gyn. It provides all the relevant information on physical health and emotional well-being, pregnancy, planning, labor, delivery, and postpartum difficulties. Keep yourself knowledgeable and up-to-date with this pregnancy guide that has garnered multiple reviews vouching for its research-backed information of the entire phase of pregnancy.

Item Weight: 2.66 pounds

protip_icon Did You Know?
Emily Oster, an author and economist has authored three books—Expecting Better, The Family Firm, and Cribsheet. These books have a data-driven approach to the decision-making process during pregnancy and parenting.

Natural Pregnancy Guide: Empowering Moms To Make Healthy Choices
Best For Natural Therapy
Oh Sis You’re Pregnant!: The Ultimate Guide to Black Pregnancy & Motherhood
Best Cultural Context
Your Pregnancy and Childbirth: Month to Month
Best Medical Guidelines
Weight 15.2 ounces 15.2 ounces 2.66 pounds
Rating
Reviews---
Price$10.39$18.99$16.13

4. Best Modern Approach:The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth by Cynthia Mason And Maura Winkler

4.6
Mama Natural Image: The Mama Natural Week-by-week Guide To Pregnancy And Childbirth By Cynthia Mason And Maura Winkler

The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide To Pregnancy and Childbirth by Cynthia Mason and Maura Winkler is funny and informative. The book sets up a guide for you to deal with pregnancy, labor, and beyond.

Along with a perfect pregnancy diet, the book offers natural remedies for common pregnancy-related symptoms like bloating or acid reflux. You also get answers to common questions related to sex during pregnancy, pregnancy complications, or creating a perfect birth plan that suits your needs. This book simplifies your nine-month approach and helps you ease through this magical phase of your life.

Item Weight: 2.26 pounds

Why We Think It's Worth Buying

There are more than 3,025 Amazon reviews attesting to the quality of the product and endorsing its value.

5. Best Nutrition Tips:Feng Shui Mommy: Creating Balance and Harmony for Blissful Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood

4.5
Feng Shui Mommy: Creating Balance and Harmony for Blissful Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood Image: Bailey Gaddis

The essential pregnancy book, Feng Shui Mommy, helps you follow the path of Feng Shui toward motherhood. It looks at the vulnerability that comes with preparing to have a baby. It aims to calm your anxiety and insecurity during pregnancy. Feng Shui offers a holistic and spiritual outlook on motherhood. It helps you through all the pregnancy trimesters and maternity wellness, supporting the body and mind to align with the cosmic vibes in the uterus. Bailey Gaddis, the author of this book, guides women through the process of pregnancy and prepares them for childbirth. It helps you get through pregnancy discomforts by making the whole nine months a peaceful and joyous experience.

Item Weight: 15.2 ounces

6. Best Comprehensive Guide:Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy 2nd Edition by Myra. J. Wick

Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy, 2nd edition by Myra. J. Wick is written with a very practical approach towards dealing with pregnancy and childbirth. The comprehensive guide includes information from healthy lifestyle habits to the latest technologies in prenatal to postnatal care.

The book features week-by-week updates on the baby’s growth as well as month-by-month changes that a mom can expect. It also provides a 40-week pregnancy calendar that deals with common pregnancy symptoms, safe medicines to use, ways to track your baby’s progress, and general caregiving advice. The guided information will help moms and dads give a healthy start to their journey with the baby.

Item Weight: 1.81 pounds

7. Best Healthy Recipes:The Whole 9 Months A Week-By-Week Pregnancy Nutrition Guide with Recipes for a Healthy Start by Jeniffer Lang

4.3
The Whole 9 Months A Week-By-Week Pregnancy Nutrition Guide with Recipes for a Healthy Start by Jeniffer Lang Image: Dana Angelo White

Proper nutrition during pregnancy has been linked to brain development and proper birth weight in the child. The Whole 9 Months, A Week-By-Week Pregnancy Nutrition Guide with Recipes for a Healthy Start by Jeniffer Lang introduces health-boosting foods for a mother-to-be. This book makes the readers walk through all nine months, guiding them with the health-boosting benefits of the foods that need to be incorporated into your daily diet throughout pregnancy. It is the best for mother and the child, with more than 100 dishes and new recipes, including vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan options.

Item Weight: 1.14 pounds
Our Tester's Experience

"Following the guidelines in this pregnancy book truly nurtured my unborn child's health. My little one was born prematurely but totally healthy, owing to the right foods I consumed."

8. Best For Early Pregnancy:Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide

Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn is a colored, illustrated guide for to-be moms. It has sold over 1.5 million copies and is based on recommendations and medical research. It identifies individual issues instead of treating them with a “one size fits all” solution. The guide helps you make informed decisions to have a smooth and safe pregnancy. It also gives tips for postpartum care. Descriptions of all kinds of situations and variations in solutions give various perspectives of the same situation to the reader. It teaches self-care and reduces pregnancy stress.

9. Best Humorous Book:The Shit No One Tells You About Pregnancy A Guide to Surviving Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Beyond by Dawn Dais

The Shit No One Tells You About Pregnancy, A Guide to Surviving Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Beyond by Dawn Dais is a must-have guide for parents looking for some comedy-backed counseling. The readers will laugh out loud at the author’s eccentric advice and strong opinions on serious pregnancy-related questions.

The book does not deal with scientific data. It is more of a pregnancy memoir with some helpful insights that can help a mother during pregnancy. This book is perfect for first-time parents as it introduces everything in an engaging and lighthearted way for a smooth nine-month journey to the parents-to-be.

Item Weight: 8 ounces
Our Tester's Experience

"I found this informative and incredibly helpful book a refreshing blend of straight-to-the-point advice and humor. The diverse parenting perspectives it offers are a key highlight. While it does express opinions, it respects varied parenting styles. I also gifted it to my pregnant niece; she valued it for its reassuring approach and the chuckles it offered. A worthy pick!"

10. Best For First-Time Parents: Pregnancy Day By Day

Pregnancy Day By Day is an informative read for expecting parents who want to know about the step-by-step growth of their developing baby. It provides a daily countdown of your pregnancy process until the date of delivery.

The book deals with first-time moms as they get to learn about their body and the baby’s development. The author also discusses several options regarding labor and childbirth, enabling the reader to make more informed choices. The illustrations and photos make this book engaging and fascinating to look through. This one is quite a favorite among book reviewers who are impressed with its informative content and pictorial representations.

Item Weight: 4.35 pounds
Our Tester's Experience

"I cherish this book. Overflowing with valuable insights about each phase of pregnancy, it's an easy yet enriching read. It wonderfully balances the perspectives of mother and baby-to-be. I find the daily progression and beautiful illustrations engaging. Ideal for any expectant parents, it also makes an insightful coffee table book."

11. Best Streamlined Advice:Bumpin’ The Modern Guide To Pregnancy by Leslie Shrock

4.5

Bumpin’, The Modern Guide to Pregnancy is written by Leslie Shrock, who spent years in the healthcare industry. If you are overwhelmed and confused with the amount of advice you are bombarded with during pregnancy, this book will streamline your nine-month journey with optimism and confidence.

It guides you right from conception through the postpartum period until you get back to everyday life. This pregnancy book also covers information regarding the truth between age and fertility and the science behind your physical changes and pregnancy symptoms. The author also focuses on vaccination, breastfeeding, and exercise in detail to help you sail comfortably through your pregnancy.

Item Weight: 1.13 pounds
Our Tester's Experience

"In my experience, this pregnancy book stood out for its easily digestible and informative content. I enjoyed the personal touch the author added with her own birth story. It's not preachy, taking a fair stance on controversial topics which was refreshing. The best part? The checklists. They were incredibly handy!"

12. The Scientific Approach:The Pregnancy Encyclopedia All Your Questions Answered

The Pregnancy Encyclopedia, All Your Questions Answered is a query-based book with tons of information and illustrated diagrams. It is an easy read for all the ladies who want to prepare their bodies and minds before the event happens.

If you are already pregnant, it will help you learn and understand what is going on with your body and what is best for your baby. The book contains pregnancy essentials and uses well-explained scientific terminology with graphs, timelines, and anatomy to explain different stages of your baby’s growth and your own maternal health. Each section deals with well-presented questions and answers.

Item Weight: 4.55 pounds
Our Tester's Experience

"My journey with this book began during my 18th week of pregnancy and it's been an enlightening companion since. It provided me answers when my body's changes puzzled me. From conception to postpartum, the subjects it covers along with illustrations, provided an in-depth understanding. It even addresses special needs and assisted deliveries. While it is detailed, it didn't feel overwhelming. Thorough, informative, and well-structured, it's a helpful resource, especially for first-time parents."

13. Best Self-Care:Your Best Pregnancy Ever by Jen Torborg

4.6

Your Best Pregnancy Ever is written by Jen Torborg, a passionate pelvic floor physical therapist. The book empowers a pregnant woman to understand her mind and body better. As a therapist, the author helps you deal with concerns during pregnancy and postpartum.

This book is an easy read for all pregnant mommies with guided information about developing healthy habits. The author emphasizes listening to your body and shares researched pregnancy tips with insights from clinical experience. The book also focuses on some breathing and pelvic floor exercises that help you during labor and delivery. It is a complete self-care book that prepares you from birth to recovery.

Item Weight: 5.1 ounces
Our Tester's Experience

"Taking my own journey as a hopeful future mother and a DPT, this book offered practical and relatable knowledge on pelvic health not taught in PT school. The details and layout appealed to my doula instincts and the personal birth story at the end truly touched me. It's a short read but brimming with impactful information - from easy-to-follow exercises for your pelvic floor to insightful tips for new moms. It left me feeling confident during my first pregnancy, rather than overwhelmed with too much information. Great recommendation for expectant mothers."

The Bottom Line

Pregnancy is one of the most important phases in a woman’s life. However, it can be intimidating as your body goes through many changes. If you are going to be a mom and want some tips on healthy eating, exercise, or breastfeeding, you should buy the best pregnancy books with added practical insights. Opt for the Natural Pregnancy Guide: Empowering Moms To Make Healthy Choices for comprehensive and holistic advice on maintaining a healthy pregnancy. And the Oh Sis, You’re Pregnant!: The Ultimate Guide to Black Pregnancy & Motherhood offers a unique and culturally relevant perspective for Black expectant mothers whereas the Your Pregnancy and Childbirth: Month to Month provides a month-by-month guide for a smooth pregnancy journey. These books will make your nine month journey even more beautiful and memorable. With pregnancy books, you can incorporate the necessary changes in your lifestyle. Ensure that the books are informative and fulfill your needs before investing in them. Additionally, check what reviewers have to say about the books and consider investing in the ones that offer first-hand knowledge of the concept.

Why Trust StyleCraze?

We have compiled this list of the best pregnancy books after conducting thorough research. We checked online discussion forums and review to understand the contents of the book and topics that they cover. The list includes books that are informative, can act as a handy guide for pregnant women, and cover all pregnancy-related information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to read pregnancy books?

A woman is both excited and nervous during pregnancy. Reading a pregnancy book will guide you through the process and help you learn more about your body and the changes ahead. They also contain useful information about sleep solutions for parents, childproofing your home, and other newborn essentials.

When should you start reading to your baby in the womb?

Babies start responding to sound between weeks 23 and 27. So, reading valuable stuff to your baby helps in stimulating their emotions. It is said that a baby in the womb can hear your thoughts. Hence, a good book will always be beneficial for their growth.

Does reading books during pregnancy make the child smart?

Yes, reading to your child in the womb stimulates brain function and can enhance linguistic and early literacy. That’s why it is important to consciously choose your maternity literature to enhance the baby’s development right from the womb.

What books should I read when trying to conceive?

You can read books that cover niches such as fertility, ovulation, and pregnancy.

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