I love a good book but when I found out I was pregnant, I was so overwhelmed with the idea that I had to give birth to a whole, entire human, it took me a while to feel up to researching all of the changes my body was going to go through, how to raise a child, etc. The thought of all that I “needed” to learn and know before embarking on my journey to motherhood was intimidating and daunting so I didn’t even read many books until I was past 20 weeks pregnant. Can you relate? I really thought I would be the opposite and want to read everything right away.

This was the first way that pregnancy showed me things were going to be changing about myself, so I embraced it and went with the flow. The books I did read I selected carefully and thoughtfully and they, in turn, positively impacted my experience. I really tuned into how I was feeling during my pregnancy. I did only what I felt like doing – and I hope to hang onto that way of being postpartum. So read and research away if you want to – or don’t. It’s whatever feels right to you that matters.

Here is a list of my favorite + most impactful reads:

• The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children by Dr. Shefali Tsabary
  • One of the most groundbreaking books I have read since “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. This book offers a conscious approach to parenting and offers the readers an invitation to put an end to negative family cycles.
• Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
  • Ina May is the birth guru in my opinion. I started reading this book because I wanted to surround myself and fill my brain with positive birth stories. I was so afraid of labor! This book changed my perspective on birth and allowed me to look forward to mine. The first half of this book is filled with real and positive birth stories and the second half of the book dives into more technical advice on labor and delivery.
• The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother by Amely Greeven, Heng Ou, and Marisa Belger
  • THE book for everything you need to be eating postpartum. This book is steeped in wisdom and ancient tradition. Beautiful insights into getting the rest you need and honoring your body postpartum.
• The Fourth Trimester: A Postpartum Guide to Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality by Kimberly Ann Johnson
  • Truly the manual for life postpartum. I loved the author’s insight into her own postpartum and the struggles she encountered. This book intertwines spirituality into practical teachings.
• Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood by Karen Maezen Miller
  • This was the first book I read after finding out I was pregnant and it was such a good place to start. The whole book is one teaching after another about living in the present moment with your baby and that perfection is NOT the goal. The author tells the story of her experience through the lens of Buddhist teachings. You do not need to be a Buddhist to read and enjoy this book.
• Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman
  • This was a fun, light, and easy read. I enjoy learning about the way other cultures parent and find the French to be doing something right. I credit my baby’s amazing sleep schedule partly due to this book’s advice, and the lesson on “le pause” is something we will continue to use as we raise our daughter.

What books have you found valuable?

xx