The learning curve for pregnancy is pretty steep for something that is only going to be a very small part of your life. I, personally, tried to learn just about everything I could. Gathering a varitable library on the subject, I read the better part of around a dozen books. Here are some of the books I would recommend:

• What to Expect When You’re Expecting- Tried and true. More than a page-turner, this is a good reference book. You can look up just about anything.
• The Pregnancy Book – There is a whole series of books by Dr. Sears and his wife (who went through this a few times) and I found them all to be a very good overview.
• The Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy – Casual and easy to read, it will answer some of the less “technical” questions about this wild process.
• Belly Laughs – This is just a funny personal account by Jenny McCarthy.

Then there were the childbirth books, which I was very interested in because I had decided to try to have a natural childbirth (more on this later).

• Birthing from Within – A little to artsy fartsy for me, but an interesting approach to the childbirth process.
• The Bradley Way – About the Bradley method of childbirth. It was a good overview and I think it would have been interesting to take a class about it. Bradley classes are 12 sessions, and that was a bit overwhelming so I didn’t end up going this route.
• Hypnobirthing – Recommended by my midwife and a family member, but unfortunately I couldn’t find a class.
• Hypnobabies Home Study – If you decide to go the hypnosis route, I preferred Hypnobabies to Hypnobirthing. I felt that they gave you a clearer understanding of how to achieve the goals of hypnosis and how to practice.
• Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth – This is an amazing book by a very famous midwife and her immense wisdom gives so much information that is NOT in any of the other books I read. Her book gave me a whole new perspective on childbirth.
• The Birth Book – Dr. Sears again, this book had very good suggestions for pain management techniques and very good overall information.

The last 2 books are definately my favorites. Happy reading!