@Madeleine I LOVE Hollie de Cruz and have her hypnobirthing book, and listen to the affirmations daily. She’s great ❤️ also have the Practical Ways… one too @Charlotte ! I found What to Expect useful with no.1, a lot of info though. I didn’t really use parenting books for post pregnancy to be honest. I relied on my mum network/antenatal group heavily and went to breastfeeding groups or mother and baby groups. I think combining the face to face interaction with support just really helps the isolation and reassures you that you’re not alone. I didn’t have the mental capacity to read once my son arrived 😂😴
Unpopular opinion but books don’t help! No child is text book and no two children are the same. I feel these ‘help books’ put extra pressure on you whether baby has been born or you’re still carrying! Pregnancy is different for everyone whether it’s first time or second time etc x
3 books I found fabulous for tips… hollie de Cruz book on hypnobirthing (as another poster mentioned), milking it for breastfeeding, and raising a secure child for how to manage child’s emotional needs x
First time parent by Lucy Atkins is great and covers all the basics for the first year or so after baby is born. Lots of handy checklists too
Hypnobirthing: Practical Ways to Make Your Birth Better https://amzn.eu/d/cvjIr7g not to do with post natal but found this book so helpful especially with my 1st and even rereading with my 2nd, the 1st time I read it chapter by chapter with my partner so when it came to labour and birth we were both on the same page! The term hypnobirthing initially I was super sceptical but it's not really what you think more so about being able to make informed decisions when it comes to your birth plan and birth choices and also explaining what sort of options you have and could expect should scenarios change during labour! Xx