When it comes to growing a little human, there are so many questions: Is this normal? Can I eat this? When will I start to feel the baby kick? Will I cope with labour? The best pregnancy books answer all of these and more.
We’ve scoured the best-seller lists to find the best pregnancy and birthing books from across the world. From informative yet funny, mindful birthing techniques to eating right – we’ve found the book that’s right for you.
Here are 35 pregnancy books and birthing books to empower new mums on their pregnancy journey.
Empowering you
Your Baby, Your Birth by Hollie De Cruz
Dive in with in-demand hypnobirthing coach Hollie de Cruz for a sprinkle of hypnobirthing magic, empowering you to embrace a safe birth with confidence and calmness.
Glass half full
The Positive Birth Book by Milli Hill
Step into your empowering journey to childbirth and beyond, packing your toolkit with wisdom, laughter and the kind of informed confidence that transforms birth stories across the globe into tales of triumph and joy.
Tech perspective
Bumpin’ by Leslie Schrock
This guide lights up the path to motherhood with a modern flare, guiding you from ‘trimester zero’ through the dazzling journey of pregnancy and beyond, with a tech-savvy twist.
Women CAN
Give Birth Like A Feminist by Milli Hill
Milli Hill’s rallying cry turns the delivery room into a beacon of feminist power, reminding us that in the journey of childbirth, women’s voices and choices shine as brightly as the goal of a healthy baby.
An Aussie pregnancy
The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy by Sophie Walker & Jodi Wilson
Your ultimate pregnancy mate, blending expert advice with heartwarming tales from Down Under, guiding you through every hop, skip and jump on the path to motherhood with kindness and wisdom.
Beauty of the beginning
Before by Tori Bowman Johnson
A heartfelt and unfiltered exploration of pregnancy, this book embraces the joys, challenges and taboo topics with sincerity. Featuring insights from both professionals and mothers across diverse experiences, it truly offers a comforting companion for expecting mothers.
Nurture and nourish
Nine Golden Months by Heng Ou
Offering a sisterly arm and a wealth of wisdom to ensure you care for yourself as tenderly as you will your baby, this book will be your gentle guide to get you through pregnancy amidst a sea of dos and don’ts.
Tell it like it is
Up The Duff: The Real Guide To Pregnancy by Kaz Cooke
Australia’s top-selling pregnancy book with good reason. A no-nonsense read that tells it like it is. With all the up-to-date info you need, some sarcasm, wit and cartoons thrown in for good measure.
Knowledge is key
Childbirth Education for Parents by Laurelle Cacioli
Navigate the waves of labour and early parenting with this trusty compass crafted by a seasoned midwife and mum, ensuring you’re confidently steering through each stage with knowledge and calm.
Mythbusters
Expecting Better by Emily Oster
Debunking the myths that come with pregnancy, this book offers a refreshing sip of truth over tales, empowering pregnant women with real explanations behind the do’s and don’ts, because you’re growing a human, not turning into one.
Holistic guide
From Bump to Birth by Amber Reese
Embark on a radiant journey with this holistic companion for a pregnancy filled with health, happiness and heart, guiding you and your baby with loving wisdom every step of the way.
Serene adventure
Practical Ways to Make Your Birth Better by Siobhan Miller
Unlock the power of calm with the found of The Positive Birth Company Siobhan Miller, where every contraction brings you closer to meeting your little one in an empowering, serene dance, turning birth into an epic adventure of joy and strength, no matter the path it takes.
Deepak Chopra approved
Mindful Pregnancy by Tracey Donegan
Sail through each trimester with grace and joy, as this guide fills your pregnancy voyage with yoga, meditation and natural wonders, empowering you to bloom alongside your bump, and readying you for a serene welcome into motherhood.
Back to the basics
Reclaiming Childbirth as a Rite of Passage by Rachel Reed
Blending history with heart and science with stories, this call to action in the childbirth arena sparks a revolution. Empowering every mother to reclaim birth as her rite of passage, reshaping how we think, feel and support the journey of bringing life into the world.
Take care of you
The Little Book of Self-Care for Mums-To-Be by Beccy Hands & Alexis Stickland
Blending wisdom with warmth and offering nuggets of comfort, joy and calm for the rollercoaster ride of pregnancy, this book ensures every mum-to-be feels cherished and ready for the adventure ahead.
Modern midwife
The Modern Midwife’s Guide To Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond by Marie Louise
Expertly guiding you through the wonder-filled journey of motherhood with eye-opening science, heartfelt advice and the magical bond that syncs you and your baby, this guide ensures you both step into this new adventure feeling awe-inspired and deeply connected.
No BS
The No Nonsense Birth Book by Adele Lawrence
A refreshing, real-talk guide through the wilds of pregnancy and childbirth, where the glossy tales are set aside for the honest, every-mum truths, empowering you to navigate your unique journey with eyes wide open and BS detector fully charged.
Guide to natural childbirth
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
She’s America’s leading midwife with more than 30 years of experience. Detailing what happens during labour, how to create a calm birth environment and tips to try and avoid a medicated birth, this book is aimed at shaking the fear of childbirth.
The whole 9 months
9 Months by Dr David Addenbrooke & Ruby Matley
Answering all those tricky and usual pregnancy questions, this book has been penned by a country Australian obstetrician and a health scientist. Up-to-the-minute advice and explains what’s happening in each trimester.
Modern pregnancy
Nurture by Erica Chidi Cohen
A pregnancy companion that covers everything from the very early stages to pregnancy right through to the baby’s first few weeks. There are self-care and mindfulness exercises as well as nourishing recipes.
Week by week
The Mama Natural by Genevieve Howland
Hugely popular on YouTube, Genevieve Howland’s videos deliver empowerment to navigate a natural pregnancy and parenting with a hint of humour. Now she’s translating those same messages through her week-by-week natural pregnancy book. There are weekly tips for a healthy pregnancy including nutrition and natural remedies.
The holy grail
The Baby Bible by Bec Judd
She’s juggled a career, a professional AFL player hubby and four babies – there isn’t a lot that Bec Judd doesn’t know about pregnancy. She teamed with an obstetrician, a midwife, an ultrasound specialist, a women’s health physio and a paediatric sleep specialist to pen this month-by-month guide through pregnancy.
No-nonsense
How To Grow A Baby and Push It Out by Clemmie Hooper
What To Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff
The world’s best-selling pregnancy guide, and one of the most influential books of the last 25 years, it’s packed full of must-have information, advice and tips for mums and dads-to-be. It answers all of the questions running around our heads when we’re pregnant.
Namaste
Mamaste by Lori Bregman
A holistic guide to becoming a balanced, authentic, and joyful mother. Written by a celebrated doula, healer, yoga teacher, and parenting coach, the book explores five styles of mothering and offers a nonjudgmental approach that honours and supports every woman’s unique journey through motherhood.
Tick, tock!
The Pregnancy Countdown Book by Susan Maggee
Starting on day 280, this book counts down the major milestones until the big day. There’s a page of info for each day of pregnancy with tips from doctors and midwives. It’ll tell you everything from when you need to stop sleeping on your back to when you should have the nursery done.
Clear-headed
Mindful Birthing by Nancy Bardacke
Drawing on groundbreaking research in neuroscience, mindfulness meditation, and mind/body medicine, Bardacke offers practices that will help you find calm and ease during this life-changing time, providing lifelong skills for healthy living and wise parenting.
Plant-based pregnancy
Your Complete Vegan Pregnancy by Reed Mangels
The benefits of a vegan diet can be passed down to your baby by following a healthy, well-rounded diet that incorporates the proper nutrients and minerals.
Let’s get technical
Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy by Dr Myra J. Wick
A reference manual for parents-to-be from experts at America’s number-one ranked hospital. There’s info on how to stay healthy during pregnancy, week-by-week baby growth updates and the month-by-month changes that a mum-to-be goes through.
Eating your way through pregnancy
Real Food for Pregnancy by Lily Nichols
Knowing what can and can’t be eaten during pregnancy is a huge learning curve for mums-to-be. This book gives clear answers on what you should eat and why, with up-to-date research.
All in the mind
Mindful Hypnobirthing by Sophie Fletcher
Hypnotherapist and experienced doula Sophie Fletcher unlocks the secrets to having a positive, natural and safe birth through mindfulness and hypnobirthing techniques.
Counting down
The Day-by-Day Pregnancy Book by Dr. Maggie Blott
A daily countdown to the big day, with images illustrating each stage of your baby’s development. There are Q&As with experts and also details of what will happen in the 12 hours after you have your baby.
The right oil
Essential Oils for Pregnancy, Birth & Babies by Stephanie Fritz
A reference guide for mums who want to use essential oils during pregnancy and birth.
A complete guide
Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn by Penny Simkin, Janet Whalley, Janelle Durham & April Bolding
A book for parents who want to be well-informed about pregnancy, birth and beyond it details nutrition, birth plans, types of births and how to reduce stress in pregnancy, the perfect comprehensive guide.
Table for two
Eating for Two by Annabel Karmel
She’s the guru of first and toddler foods, but Annabel Karmel also knows how to feed you and your bump during pregnancy. Tips on what to eat and what to avoid, the best nutrition to combat sleepiness and heartburn and things to cook ahead for those manic first days of parenthood.
Yoga and pregnancy
Pregnancy Health Yoga by Tara Lee and Mary Attwood
Continue the yoga journey from pregnancy to birth and beyond with this easy-to-read guide. There’s also a guide to postures that are helpful with back pain, swollen ankles and breathlessness in pregnancy.
Know a Pregnancy book to add to our list? Contact us and let us know, we’ve been curating Australia’s best baby products into helpful lists for over 16 years and we’re always happy to support new brands and businesses.
Looking for book recommendations and still not sure if any of these are right for you? Join the huge Grapeviner community in one of our private Grapeviner Due Date Groups and ask thousands of other mums due at the same time as you which ones they recommend. Join today!
We want you to know
We’re Mum’s Grapevine, a team of mums who’ve been there and done that (we have a combined 19 kids, so we know a thing or two about parenting!). We’ve been writing about all things baby and parenting for over 16 years, and we’re passionate about helping new mums find the best products for their little ones.
Sometimes, we do include paid inclusions in our reviews, but we promise that we only recommend products that we truly believe in and have either used or personally seen. Our goal is to give you, our Grapeviner mums, the inside scoop on the latest and greatest parenting products, and we’re always striving to maintain our high standards of quality and honesty. See our Disclosure Policy.
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