What Parents-to-Be Should be Reading

What Parents-to-Be Should Really Be Reading

If you have a bun in the oven, chances are there's a copy of What to Expect When You're Expecting somewhere in your house. It's one of the most well-known books in the pregnancy genre – and one of the scariest.

While What to Expect offers tidbits about baby's development, doctor's appointments, and mama's changing body, it also goes into great detail about what could go wrong during each stage of pregnancy. It can create paranoia about miscarriage, preterm labor, gestational diabetes and rare complications. The alarmist tone can make you feel like the worst mother for eating that Hershey Bar instead of a whole grain bagel with organic peanut butter. In short, this book can haunt your days and nights.

Pregnancy is tough. It's important to know how to take care of yourself and what to look out for, but it's also important to enjoy the ride and prepare for your child's arrival.

For the parents who really want to know what to expect from pregnancy, childbirth, and all that follows, the books below offer humor, forthrightness, and legit advice about all things baby, from the women and men who have been in the trenches.

How to Have Your Second Child First: 100 Things That Are Good to Know… the First Time Around

By Kerry Colburn and Rob Sorensen

Worried you're destined to be a high-strung, neurotic parent? You'll easily devour this book full of "second-timer tips" and hard-won wisdom. You'll feel better about not buying all that "baby stuff," learn how to shrug off unsolicited comments and comparisons, and make peace with your very personal choices about everything from nursing to your relationships with yourself, your partner, and your child.

It Gets Easier! …and Other Lies We Tell New Mothers

By Claudine Wolk

Baby will change your life, but a sense of humor and tempered expectations can help you survive once this little person makes their debut. There will be lonely and sad days, but there will be much more joy and happiness. The refreshingly blunt advice and been-there, done-that tips in this book will give you confidence to make the parenting choices that will simplify your life and benefit baby too.

The Mommy MD Guide to Pregnancy and Birth

By Rallie McAllister, MD, MPH and Jennifer Bright Reich

Get the best of all worlds in this guide filled with advice from moms… who are also doctors. Organized week by week, parents learn a little about what baby's doing in there, what they should be considering on the outside, and are presented with humorous, true anecdotes and product recommendations. The tone is calming and reassuring – this book deals with the facts without the fear factor.

Whatever books you choose to skim or devour, whatever magazines you consult or newsletters you subscribe to, there's one important thing to know: Adopt the advice that works best for you, filter out the rest, and celebrate and savor the journey from oven to bun.