The Motherhood Books Recommended By Our Group Chat

Featured image shared with permission Francesca Capone Jones

We count ourselves lucky to be part of a group chat of Portland mamas made up of artists, designers, naturopaths, acupuncturists and somatic practitioners (and many more fascinating women). Needless to say, the collective experience and expertise of this group runs deep. So, when someone asked the group for suggestions on books that would prepare a friend for the first year of motherhood, we knew the list would be worth sharing.

Best for planning a natural (unmedicated birth)

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin

Although one mama reported feeling shamed by Ina May's approach, others appreciated the vast amount of birth stories shared. Reading those experiences prepared one for some of the variety of ways birth could look and was helpful to reflect on in labor.

Best Old School

Hypnobirthing by Marie F. Mongan

A classic guide for facing birth with self-empowerment and confidence, this book focuses on reducing fear in order to release tension and therefore ease the birthing process. For me personally, it was a helpful mindset coach but overall didn't quite prepare me for just how difficult my unmedicated vaginal birth was. 

Best Modern Birth 

Nurture by Erica Chidi

This comprehensive guidebook is an excellent read for lounging on the couch heavily pregnant. Like having a caring and expertly trained doula at your fingertips, Erica coaches mamas-to-be through each week and trimester with holistic and grounding advice.

Best for those who can't stomach a parenting book

Bringing up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman

This one takes a French approach (read: more parent-centered) to child-rearing. Described as a fun, short read that works great in theory but perhaps not practice. Keep in mind that the French approach goes straight to formula and independent sleep.

Best for an honest (if not a little painful) depiction of new parenthood

A Life's Work by Rachel Cusk

Not your average baby book. This yearlong memoir reads like a war diary of early motherhood: a farewell to sleep, freedom, and time. An honest depiction of the life-changing wonders of motherhood, shared without the rose colored glasses.

Best for Fourth Trimester Preparedness

The First Forty Days by Heng Ou

The essential art of nurturing a new mother is, unfortunately, a lost art in the United States. This delicious guidebook to providing postpartum mothers with the nutrition necessary to heal and thrive is an indispensable part of pregnancy preparation. Bonus - the whole family will enjoy the 60 healing meals on offer, especially my favorite gooey chocolate brownie recipe of all time. 


The Fourth Trimester by Kimberly Ann Johnson

How does one prepare for postpartum when becoming a mother is entirely new? By reading a book like this. Written by a yoga instructor who had a rough go of early postpartum (fourth degree tearing, amongst other challenges), this book really covers all the "things nobody told us about postpartum." This book helps guide a postpartum care plan logistically, emotionally and perhaps most importantly, mentally.

Best compilation of motherhood writings

Mother Reader by Moyra Davies

What happens at the intersection of motherhood and creative life? In this tome of memoirs, short stories and essays, mothers describe by their own account the changes brought on by matrescence. By turning the spotlight from the child to the mother, a community of writers illuminate an honest and sometimes socially unsanctioned common experience never before assembled.