Some of These Books

Not all of them.

Welcome to the WTF lists. Being pregnant and being a new mom is super confusing. People tell you that you need a million things. You don’t even need most of those things. Let’s explore what you actually need and what’s a giant waste of money & time.

A few months into my pregnancy, Adam discovered a dad’s thread on Reddit that completely rocked his world. He spent hours reading people’s stories, tips, and advice.

He hid all of this from me until…

A few days later, a giant box came from Amazon.

This feels like a box of weights. I said to him when I tried to lift the box.

Even better. He replied. Books.

He ordered his own personal library of books based on recommendations he got from this Reddit thread.

The thing about books, sort of like working out, is that you have to actually do something in order to get the benefits. I feared this giant stack would sit unread, grow dust, and be donated to our local library in just a few months.

I was partly right.

Out of the books, he’s read three. I have read two.

I love to read but all of this pregnancy stuff is overwhelming. When I flip through pages at night, I can’t fall asleep and my dreams are haunted by placenta encapsulation.

When I read pages during the day, my chest feels heavy and I can’t focus on reading even one email in my inbox.

So because I couldn’t find a time to read, I didn’t read most of these books.

But you might be different and if you are, I want to share with you a list of books that people have recommended because they read these books and loved them.

Don’t read them all. Don’t read most of them.

No person should have that much information stocked up in their head.

Instead, pick a book, or two, and start there.

Okay, let’s read:

• Cribsheet & Expecting Better

  • Everyone recommends these two books. I read the second one and it was okay. I wished I read it before getting pregnant. It would have been excellent.

• The Birth Partner

  • Read this and loved it. Great to read during every stage of pregnancy. It felt like my own personal birth class.

• Pregnancy Day By Day

  • Wish I read this!

• What to Expect When You’re Expecting

  • This is a good guide book to have on hand.

• Bringing Up Bébé

  • A top recommended book from a lot of friends

• The Happiest Baby and Toddler on the Block

  • Currently reading this

• Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads

  • I read this one and loved it.

• The Expectant Father: The Ultimate Guide for Dads-to-Be

  • Adam read this and loved it

• Bumpin': The Modern Guide to Pregnancy: Navigating the Wild, Weird, and Wonderful Journey From Conception Through Birth and Beyond

  • One of top recommended books on Amazon for pregnancy. I didn’t know about it until today or else I would have read it.