Best Pregnancy Book Medical Reference: Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy

If this is your first pregnancy, your head is probably swimming with questions: what’s normal for this week? What should the baby be doing now? Shouldn’t morning sickness be called all-day sickness?

When we looked at all the pregnancy books that aim to be medical reference sources, we found quite a few best-selling books that weren’t written by doctors or nurses.

That seemed odd—why would we take medical advice from someone who doesn’t take care of pregnant women and deliver babies every day? Can we really know what to expect when expecting a baby if the person writing the book lacks a medical education?

That’s why we decided that the Mayo Clinic’s Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy is the best of the bunch here. Written by doctors and nurses from the Mayo Clinic, the advice is here is solid and evidence-based.

What We Liked

• Good summaries of key topics.

• Organized by month and week of pregnancy.

• Details on postpartum care, diet, medication and more.

• Written by folks who went to medical school.

• Affordable.

• Recently revised. Medical advice changes from time to time, so it’s great this book was recently updated.

What Needs Work

• Somewhat repetitive. This is true for many pregnancy medical books, however—that’s because some of the same issues pop up in different trimesters.

• Written a bit like a textbook.

Best Light-Hearted Pregnancy Book: We’re Pregnant! The First Time Dad’s Pregnancy Handbook

First time dads are often an afterthought when it comes to pregnancy books. This book was one of the best ones we found for dads—written by first-time dad Andrian Kulp.

As you might guess from book’s design, this book takes a lighthearted romp through pregnancy, complete with cute drawings. while at the same time emphasizing the importances of being a supportive partner.

What We Liked

• Funny!

• An easy read.

• Explores the “fourth trimester”—that is, what happens right after your baby’s birht!

• Sound advice. We thought the author hit the nail on the head when it came to relationship advice.

What Needs Work

• Frat boy humor. Some of the jokes in here seem a bit dated in the #metoo era.

Best Pregnancy Journal Overall: Pearhead My Pregnancy Journal

After looking at a dozen pregnancy journals and having pregnant moms use them for a month, we think Pearhead’s My Pregnancy Journal is the best overall. Split into seven sections, this journal prompts you to record thoughts by trimester and other milestones. Here’s why we recommend it:

What We Liked

• Cover has space for ultrasound pic.

• Cute design.

• Pockets!

• Pages for pictures to document the changes.

• Spiral binding makes it easy to use.

What Needs Work

• More room for thoughts? Sometimes the space to write your thoughts was a bit small.

• Not many detailed questions. It’s always nice to write to a prompt!

Best Serious Pregnancy Book For Dads: The Expectant Father: the Ultimate Guide for Dads-to-Be

Most books aimed at dads-to-be are of the humor/joke variety. This one aims to be more serious: author Brott gives a month-by-month overview of pregnancy from a partner’s perspective. Basically, what’s happening and how you can be helpful.

What We Liked

• Down to earth.

• Illustrated with cartoons in the style of the New Yorker.

• Detail on topics like multiples, infertility, adoptions and more.

• Advice for dads in the military.

What Needs Work

• Author’s tone rubs some the wrong way. A few critics of this books say it is too patriarchal. And we see the point—this book was last updated in 2015 and some of the pre-#metoo humor seems out of place today.

• Could be more even-handed when discussing controversial subjects like circumcision. This is an issue with many pregnancy books, however. No matter how hard an author tries to give both sides of the story, some bias creeps in! This book does a pretty good job, however.

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability. When we purchase a product for hands-on testing, we do so with our own money. 

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!