my favorite pregnancy and baby books

These are the books that I have kept coming back to during my pregnancies and for baby:

Aromatherapy and Massage for Mother and Baby, by Allison England.

This is the book that I have used the most during both my pregnancies and afterwards. Great information and essential oil remedies for problems during pregnancy, help with labor, common newborn issues and your post-pregnancy body. Also great instructions on massage for both mama and baby.

I love her recipe for anti-stretch mark massage oil. I used it in both pregnancies and no stretch marks! To one tablespoon of sweet almond oil I added two drops of lavender oil and two drops of tangerine oil. Smells wonderful and feels nice to put on!

I highly, highly recommend this book.

Raising Baby Green: The Earth Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth and Baby Care, by Dr. Alan Greene.

This is a great book to read during a first pregnancy. Advice and information on green eating, household issues, clothing and more. I refer back to this book a lot for links and info like what plastics should be avoided.

Natural Baby and Childcare, by Dr. Lauren Feder.

Great book detailing alternatives to traditional medicine. Do you know how to make a poultice, and what they are used for? I had always wondered, and this book did a great job explaining it. I actually made myself an onion poultice when I was sick, and it worked! Very cool.

The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two, by Dr. William Sears and Martha Sears.

Dr. Sears! I love reading about him and his attachment parenting theories.

The one hard thing, for me, with this book is the breakdown of milestones by month that baby should be hitting- not so easy to read when you have a baby that is developmentally delayed.

Other than that, great information on all things baby- breastfeeding, illnesses, sleeping advice, and more.

Cooking for Baby

I received a lot of cookbooks from different people, and each have their own share of great recipes, but I think this is the one that I go back to the most.

Great organic recipes divided into sections (6-9 months, 9-12 months, etc.), with lots of nutrition and extra cooking information. Basic (pureed sweet potatoes) to advanced (roasted red pepper and feta spread). Luna loves!

Happy reading!