When I was pregnant, I was constantly asking friends, Instagram buddies and even clients in the salon, what books I should be reading. In my eyes, knowledge is power and I wanted as much of that as possible! Today I’m passing that knowledge on to you! Here are my top motherhood books to read in pregnancy.
A book to read throughout your pregnancy
Your Baby, Your Birth by Hollie De Cruz
Your Baby, Your Birth by hypnobirthing coach Hollie De Cruz was released 5 weeks before my due date. But it’s a book I wish I’d been able to read throughout my pregnancy.
Hollies voice is extremely calming and friendly, like having someone by your side supporting you, telling you “It will all be ok.”
The books focus is hypnobirthing, but it goes much further than others available. It helped to educate me about the changes in my pregnant body and how to prepare for any type of birth.
Hollie’s latest book Motherhood Your Way, is designed to guide you through the fourth trimester and the first year of motherhood. I wish it had launched when I was pregnant! If I have another, it’ll be top of my wish list!
The best hypnobirthing book to read in pregnancy
I really can’t recommend Your Baby, Your Birth enough. Alongside written hypnobirthing techniques to use in early and later stages of labour, the book is accompanied with MP3 tracks. Hollie talks you through positive affirmations, which you can listen to daily and in labour, plus there is a relaxation track too. I listened to the affirmations the whole way through my labour, and I believe it was instrumental in my positive birth experience.
You can read more about my experience with hypnobirthing and my positive birth story here-
Hypnobirthing : Is it all its cracked up to be? – Flicks and Red Lips
My Positive Birth Story – Flicks and Red Lips
A friendly read from Pregnancy to Motherhood
Giovanna Fletcher has become quite the heroine of mine. Which is funny because I actually worked with her (in my make-up artist day job) in 2015! She was pregnant with her second child at the time, and spoke so openly about being a mum. It was clear to see, even then, that a motherhood podcast would be perfect for her!
Happy Mum, Happy Baby- My adventures in motherhood
Happy Mum, Happy Baby- My adventures in motherhood by Giovanna Fletcher
If you are already an avid listener of the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast , then you’ll be used to Giovanna’s open and honest discussions around motherhood.
Happy Mum, Happy Baby the book, is no different. Giovanna takes you on her journey from miscarriage, first time motherhood and navigating her way into a mother of three boys.
It’s a light read and one that I couldn’t put down. I enjoyed this book during my second and third trimester and Giovanna’s honesty helped to open my eyes into what motherhood (especially to that of an adventurous boy!) is all about!
Letters on Motherhood
Letters on Motherhood by Giovanna Fletcher
A beautiful follow up to Happy Mum, Happy Baby, Letters on Motherhood features warm, honest and often hilarious letters from Giovanna to her sons, husband and many others!
A great book to read in either pregnancy or any stage of motherhood. One to keep on your bedside to dip in and out of! It was by lockdown one sidekick!
Books to keep you sane in early Motherhood
- Your Baby Week by Week : The ultimate guide to caring for your new baby by Simone Cave and Dr Caroline Fertleman was recommended to me more than any others. Each week of babies first six months is broken down into a few pages about feeding, sleeping and crying. Every mother and baby is different. But, I personally found it really reassuring to read about how long it’s ‘normal’ for newborn’s to sleep/ feed/ cry for in those worrying early days. A great night feed read.
- The Wonder Weeks- A stress free guide to your baby’s behaviour accompanies the well known app. The Wonder Weeks tracks your babies developmental ‘leaps’ and explains how baby may react during this time. This book is quite the curveball, and I know many mothers who disregard the Wonder Weeks theory completely. However, for me it helped to know what we were experiencing was normal. My fuss free baby would return soon! You can read more about my experience with The Wonder Weeks here. Coming on Leaps and bounds with The Wonder Weeks – Flicks and Red Lips
- The Gentle Sleep Book by Sarah Ockwell-Smith a 4am Amazon purchase in the early sleep deprived days! But one that is still relevant for me now as it follow through the toddler and pre-school years. I’m not promising you the secret to sleep. But, reading parts of this book helped me understand why our little ones don’t always sleep well. And that understanding helped relieve the pressure of having a ‘good sleeper’.
A book to help you find your motherhood style
Leopard is a Neutral by Erica Davies
As your body changes throughout pregnancy and into motherhood, you can really feel like you’ve lost your identity. Or at least that identity has changed somewhat!
For me, I’ve been transformed from jeans, frilly blouse and blazers to rucksack, wellies and as many snack pockets as possible. Opening the chapter in Leopard is a Neutral where Erica talks about finding that confidence in dressing for the new ‘you’, was like being ‘seen’ for the first time in 2 and a half years.
Another coffee table / bedside table read, of the most stylish variety.
A bedside book favourite in pregnancy and throughout motherhood
There isn’t enough hours in the day for me to tell you how much I love Sketchy Mama. If Anna’s story (which you can read via beautiful illustration here)isn’t enough to hook you to her brand, this book will tip you over the edge.
A collection of illustrations documenting the highs and lows of motherhood. Some will make your heart burst and other burst into over emotional tears. They are raw, precious and heart-warming. Personally I think you should drop everything and order immediately! But if you want a little taster, you can follow her on Instagram here.
I can never thank my sister in law enough for gifting this gem to me in those early newborn days.
My Top Motherhood Books to Read in Pregnancy
I hope you’ve enjoyed this collection of top motherhood books to read in pregnancy, and found some new pages to turn.
Personally, I don’t believe these books to be exclusively for first time mothers. I’ll be reaching for them again if we’re lucky for that time to come again for us.
I would love to hear which books you read during your pregnancy or early stages of motherhood! Which ones do you rate?
Sian x
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