Your No Guilt Pregnancy Plan: A Revolutionary Guide to Pregnancy, Birth and the Weeks That Follow

by Rebecca Schiller

Providing you with everything you've ever wanted to know about pregnancy, this is the definitive guide from conception to the first few weeks' at home with your newborn

*** 'I wish there'd been a book like this when I was pregnant. It almost makes me want to have another child. Almost' Bryony Gordon *** Your No Guilt Pregnancy Plan is a revolutionary new guide to pregnancy and childbirth that puts the power firmly in your hands. It won't tell you what fruit your baby resembles week-by-week, but it will cover the huge shifts happening in your relationships, body, work and emotional life right now, giving you practical tools, tips and real stories to help you make a plan that is uniquely yours yet flexible enough to accommodate whatever your pregnancy, birth and life throw at you. ***Further Praise for Your No Guilt Pregnancy Plan *** 'The book has everything a pregnant woman needs ... I'm sure this will be the go-to book for women in years to come' - Helen Thorn host of the Scummy Mummies podcast 'Rebecca is a living, breathing Wonder Woman heroine. In a sea of complicated, important and sometimes angry debate around childbirth, she is a mast to hold onto.' - Cherry Healey, presenter and author of Letters to My Fanny I can't think of a panicky question I had thought of through either of my pregnancies (and I thought of them at a rate of five per second) that wouldn't have been answered by this book. I wish I had had it, in fact. A very empowering guide to becoming a mother.' - Robyn Wilder, The Pool

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Family

384 pages, Paperback

Published May 3, 2018

Reviews

[Lucie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a pity I cannot give this book more stars as it totally deserves millions of it. I've already started reading a few books about pregnancy and even though they were far from bad, they certainly did not fulfill all my expectations. This book did it. It's full of very practical and useful information, it is very well organised, but what I absolutely LOVE about it is its positive, non-judgemental tone. It offers various approaches to pregnancy, delivery and childcare, lists pros and cons of each, but presents all of them as equal choices, each one right and useful in different circumstances for different people. Also, this book is highly inclusive. It takes into account people with mental health problems, disabilities, it does not assume a pregnant woman has to have a partner or that the partner has to be male. It also lets women speak for themselves and we can read about many varied real-life experiences of different women. All in all, this book provides a very coherent and complex view of pregnancy, birth and childcare and I strongly believe it is an excellent choice for any mother-to-be or simply anyone interested in the topic. I really wish this book gets adapted for as many countries as possible because I am yet to see its equal.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally my plan was to read *one* good book about pregnancy and just wing the rest (hahaha) but I kept stumbling across the same people writing about pregnancy and motherhood who I could really relate to. Rebecca Schiller is one of those people. This book had lots of strategies for preparing both body and mind which is the best kind of pregnancy book. I found the 'choosing your birthing goal' exercise to be particularly helpful which meant choosing a goal you can meet whenever and wherever you give birth, with a focus away from "birth plans" and a focus on how you will feel safe and cared for. This very basic reframe changed the entire attitude towards the birth of my child.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the best pregnancy book I read. It covered absolutely everything in a sensible amount of detail. It also included a lot of practical and open minded advice, and quite a lot of hypnobirthing which I was very involved with during my pregnancy and birth. A great all-rounder book for a positive and modern pregnancy.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore this book. And I hate that it is so fantastic, because it is exactly the book I wanted to write one day, and now I can’t write it because Rebecca Schiller got there first. It is open, non-judgemental, and clear. It uses statistics and evidence to discuss decisions, and recognises that each woman has individual priorities and so will make different decisions based on the same information. It includes info on shared parental leave!! It really has everything. Will be recommending this book left right and centre.

Though, one minor thing: in the next edition, I would prefer the babies not to be constantly referred to as ‘it’! ‘He/she’ or ‘they’ would be a bit less weird.

[Giulia Molteni · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tone of this book was very reassuring and i came away feeling empowered and excited - felt like it covered exactly the right amount and didn't leave me with unanswered questions.

[Leanne Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of insights in here and very practical although it lacked something to merit the full 5*!

[Sophie E Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to start with if you’re feeling overwhelmed, bewildered and just completely lost with pregnancy and birth!
I really appreciated the neutral point of view Rebecca writes with.

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really useful no nonsense book on what to expect throughout pregnancy, during labour and beyond. I was attracted to this book as it doesn’t tell you that one method is better over another. I found the snippets of personal experiences really useful, and each section is split into your body, mind, and decisions, all of which are equally important. I have crossed down several pages with helpful exercises to do alone and with a partner. It will really help create a bespoke birth plan and I know I will be picking it up again when baby is here.

[Irene Calera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! This book empowered me and gave me lots of knowledge. It has several stories with a good balance between good and bad which made me feel positive. It includes more things than you could even think of. The harder chapters to read (for me) were "The Unexpected" but it's good to know!

If I have to point out a problem, it wouldn't be the book's fault, is that reality differs sometimes... It made me feel the power I have over my pregnancy but I seem to lose it in front of the healthcare professionals who seem to forget that I am the baby carrier that it is my baby, my body, and that it should be my choice how to take care of it. Finally, I am learning to fight back, but there is something wrong in the system when I have to fight so hard for my rights.

[Ana Frutuoso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being pregnant for the first time, I wanted to read a book which would walk me through the main steps and hurdles of this new phase in my life.
I found that the book delivered good unbiased advice, enough info for me to make my own (guilt free) decisions and to feel more confident to standing up for them.
Not living in the UK, some of the references were not valid for me (support group links and contacts, etc). But regardless, very much worth the reading.
I feel now better prepared to get through the rest of my pregnancy, (still don't look forward) to childbirth, but I am now less scared knowing that there is plenty of help and that I'm not alone.

[Sagar Doshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute winner. Amazing to read a detailed book that doesn't speak down to you that was actually about the UK system of birth. This is the book above all others that I turned back to again and again leading up to our kid's arrival, because it was just so specific and accurate and meaningful. And best of all, it didn't talk to the reader like we were idiots. This might be my top rec for anyone about to become a parent in the UK.

[Chloe Paton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked up from Bedford Library, and read most of this sat in A&E 😅
But it did manage to keep me calm instead of my usual hospital hating range of emotions.

A focus here on rights during birth which was insightful, and the first one that really got into more detail on after labour (that whole baby thing).

Didn't think I'd be that person reading a million pregnancy and birth books, but it's keeping me pretty chill if nothing else.

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ok book to read about pregnancy, full of relatively balanced information. I still found myself skipping huge chunks on natural birth and breastfeeding, and still a little bias towards bottle feeding and c-sections, but alot more informative about the process as a whole from pregnancy, birth and beyond.

[Nat May · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book I will recommend to future pregnant friends and family. Full of orecise information, its direct and covers everything you need to know. I learnt so much and would not hesitate to recommend this book!

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I've read about pregnancy so far. I appreciated its warm, non judgemental tone and how it presented each birth and newborn care option objectively without trying to sway the reader towards a particular ethos like so many other pregnancy books do.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borrowed the book from the library and before I had finished it I went and bought my own copy to scribble all over, I have been so anxious during pregnancy, mainly about babies health and this was just what I needed!

[Hanna Douaud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!👌

[Lenka Whitehead · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was good but the for ten referred to extra resources on the author's website are no longer there. Maybe I just couldn't locate them, but I tried everything.

[Hester Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super thorough, very useful and judgement free.

[Crina Boros · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you need a break from all the "musts" you're inundated with once pregnant, this is a good read. It will list everything you might have already heard, as well as alternatives. It also includes tips and tricks re: pay, forms, rights and a non-judgemental approach to pregnant behaviour. It does, however veer towards too much chill-outness, I found. I would not totally disregard personal responsibility and proven science. This book is useful in that it offers information on a wider range of options, without enforcing a hospital’s policy on you. It does, however, lack a more international perspective – the care for mother and foetus in many other countries is different – i.e. monitored and supported much better – than an average hospital’s policy grants non-risky pregnancies in the UK.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5th June 2021

I listened to this as an audio book while driving around with work. It gave me so much to think about, as being a first timer at this pregnancy business it’s very alien and well daunting. It has helped me gain an understanding of what to start thinking about and What important aspects to discuss with my partner to decide what we both want our ideal plan to look like. Would highly recommend to anyone regardless of where you are in your pregnancy journey.