The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth by Genevieve Howland
Rating: 5/5
As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I searched high and low for natural pregnancy & childbirth books and blogs. This one was recommended by a friend who’s currently pregnant with her little guy, and she couldn’t say enough about it. Of course, it slipped in my Amazon cart and was on its way to me within minutes (oops).
I love this book. I’m currently reading through What to Expect When You’re Expecting, but honestly, I much prefer this one over What to Expect. The format of the book is great––it’s a week-by-week guide, with the first page of each week sharing “What’s up with baby?” and “What’s up with Mama?”. I really enjoy being able to look up each week of my pregnancy, and there are natural recipes (oil blends, healthy snacks, etc.) for each week to help with symptoms like morning sickness and such.
I was really pleased to see the author explain so many different perspectives and methods of childbirth. Giving birth in a pool isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and it was nice that she didn’t seem to push any one method over another. None of the book felt forceful to me, which was a breath of fresh air.
The design of the book is super cute and really well done. Some of the side information was in red text on a red background, which made it a bit tough to see. Other than that, I didn’t find any major issues with the design or layout. I love the illustrations!
Bottom Line: If you’re expecting a little one, I can’t recommend this book enough.
