by Leslie Schrock
4 stars
A helpful beginner’s guide to the different stages of pregnancy. This book covers so much ground from fertility to birth plans, things to buy to life with a newborn.
This is a completely new topic for me so I found this book very helpful as an overview of what to expect and how to manage those expectations.
The book is broken down chronologically, discussing conception, the first trimester, second trimester, third trimester, and fourth trimester, which makes it easy to start and stop or reference different sections as you need them. This was especially helpful because this book is huge so being able to revisit specific information at different times works well.
Things I really liked:
- This isn’t just a list of what you can’t do/have/eat. Instead Schrock provides explanations of why things aren’t recommended and lets you make a more informed decision about your choices as you weigh the costs and benefits.
- It doesn’t feel like Schrock is trying to sell me anything. She makes suggestions on what to buy, but also notes when things you already have will work just as well and promotes buying secondhand, getting from a friend, and borrowing items as needed.
- There is a lot of information about different decisions to make along the way (midwife, doula, massage, acupuncture, health screenings, epidural, C-section, circumcision, delayed cord clamping, birth classes, breast pumps), some of which I didn’t know much about previously.
- Schrock includes her own pregnancy experiences and doesn’t shy away from her fears and insecurities and when things deviated from her expectations.
The book also includes checklists at the end of each trimester that serve as reminders of what to do and start thinking about at each stage. There are also sections of partners on how they can support you throughout the process.
The book does definitely come from a privileged, heteronormative perspective so various sections may not be helpful to everyone. But I did appreciate the exposure to different aspects and considerations, even ones that I know won’t apply to me.
Scary at times, but a helpful resource on what to expect, different decisions to make, and a general overview of the process. A good place to start if you don’t know much about the ins and outs of pregnancy and childbirth.