"How to Grow a Baby" - Review

You may remember that last week I bought some pregnancy books.  I've already made my way through the first one so here's my review!

I'd read a snippet of this book for free on the Kindle and it sounded like exactly the kind of pregnancy book for me.  I didn't realise until today that this book was only released a month ago, so I imagine not a lot of people have read it yet (unless you're pregnant at the moment).

Clemmie Hooper provides an informative, humourous, no-nonsense guide to pregnancy, birth and the first few weeks of being a new mum.  As a midwife, she has a great insight into the medical aspects of pregnancy and as a mother of four girls, she has plenty of personal experience to complement her knowledge.  

The book is split into sections relevant to the stages of pregnancy with cute illustrations of what size fruit/vegetable your foetus is likely to be at that stage - it's a little scary when it's a fully grown pumpkin by the end!

Alongside Clemmie's writing, she has excerpts from various other writers covering all sorts of topics.  There's articles about hypnobirthing, pregnancy massage, diet, exercises and doulas - to name just a few.  Scattered throughout the book are quotes from real mums covering everything from sex to postnatal depression, which makes everything feel a little less alien and a little more comforting.

Possibly my favourite part of the book is the birth stories.  Towards the end of the book there are stories written by women who have experienced all kinds of birth, including C-sections, natural delivery, epidurals, induction and home birth.  Hearing from people who have experienced these scenarios brings a real personal touch to the book.

Overall, it was a great read.  It was informative but entertaining at the same time.  It didn't throw pages and pages of statistics at you and it always explained every option.  I've heard a lot of complaints about books that push natural delivery without medication or that make you feel guilty if you choose not to breastfeed, but this was not one of those.  Everything was clear and concise with enough detail to help you make informed choices, without telling you what you should be doing or confusing you with too much unnecessary information.

I would highly recommend How to Grow a Baby (and Push it Out).  You can also check out Clemmie's writing on her blog (where it all started).