Mindful Pregnancy: Meditation, Yoga, Hypnobirthing and Natural Remedies for You and Your Baby - Trimester by Trimester

by Tracy Donegan

Are you a yoga-loving, mindful mum-to-be looking for sound advice on how to enjoy a natural, stress-free pregnancy? If so, this is your go-to guide. Organised trimester by trimester, the book offers safe yoga, meditation, natural remedies, nutritional and hypnobirthing advice and techniques to match your stage of pregnancy and the development of your baby. Encouraging, practical advice will help you to embrace change, understand your body, relish your pregnancy and prepare you for becoming a mum. Troubleshoot pregnancy aches and pains with appropriate exercises, quell morning sickness with natural remedies and food, bond with your baby through meditation and movement, and prepare your body and mind safely and healthily for childbirth using strengthening exercises and hypnobirthing techniques. Feel empowered to deliver your baby with strength and confidence. And after the birth, continue to use these natural techniques and resources in those first few days and weeks as you recover, bond with your baby and embrace your life as a new mum.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Parenting, Self Help, Personal Development

224 pages, Hardcover

Published February 6, 2020

Reviews

[A reader somewhere · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings about this book. On one hand it is a beautiful looking book and contains some good info on yoga poses, nutrition and mindfulness practices, yet it also came across as preachy and at times dangerous. To recommend lotus births and not mention how they can be risky (and was known to have caused the death of a baby in Australia) is irresponsible.

I also found the mindful eating advice of asking yourself whether "eating this will contribute to having a healthy pregnancy?" to be annoying - obviously it's best to eat natural, healthy foods especially when pregnant, but in the real world sometimes morning sickness or cravings or just being a normal human can result in you eating something with sugar or fried or anything that's not kale. Much more mindful to not judge yourself or other women for being less than perfect at what can be a trying time.

[Kim McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has some helpful tips and meditations to prepare for labor and birth, but still felt a bit lacking somehow.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Het boek is gemakkelijk te lezen en toe te passe of een manier wat in jou leven past. Het staat vol met mooie yoga oefeningen, en houdingfn voor als je het even zwaar hebt op het ijnde en tijdens de bevalling.

Ook tips voor voeding, en andere kguiden tips staan er genoeg in. Maat boven alles, tips om het moederschap en het wonder in he buik mindful te omarmen. 💕

Ademhaling is wel echt het hooft onderwerp in alles, en je moet er voor open staan. ✨

[Giang đọc sách · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 sao cho sách đẹp các bạn ơi. Sách đẹp rụng rời luôn và vì mới nữa nên rất hợp trend zen :DD

Đọc cũng dễ hiểu và dễ nhớ, không bị quá nhiều kiến thức y khoa nặng nề mà chưa kể còn hướng dẫn step by step, chia ra thành các column dễ đọc dễ nhớ. Mà sách đẹp lắm, cái gì đẹp cũng dễ đi vào lòng người hết :)) Đọc xong thấy nhẹ nhàng, dễ chịu, không sợ hãi.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook which I found very helpful for the parts with instructions such as stretches or meditations. The author has a lovely accent and soothing voice.
This book has great advice for natural remedies and emphasizes boosting your body's natural healing powers through diet, movement, and rest. One section references homeopathy which I don't personally buy into but it was minimal.
I'll be referring back to this book for guided meditations. I'd download them as standalone files for labour if I could!

[Cassie Bhogal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so informative! I borrowed it via Libby and as I’m only 8 weeks along, some of it didn’t pertain to exactly where I’m at but either way so good! I can see myself purchasing a physical copy to refer back to as I progress through my first pregnancy! Only my immediate family, close friends and now my Goodreads friends know 🤪

Reading this has definitely helped put me at ease and was exactly what I was looking for! God willing, I am choosing a natural water birth in birthing center and this really helped me feel more prepared!

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some useful tips but light on a lot of detail. Apparently quite a pretty book, but as an audiobook was pretty meh.

[Elizabeth Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a beautiful book with some good advice. Definitely not fully comprehensive and would not replace a birthing class, but I learned things I didn’t know before. The audio version would be nice for the meditation parts.

[julesy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some helpful hints, but nothing you couldn’t easily find online or from a few pamphlets. Better pregnancy reads out there.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who has read many other mindfulness books and those centred around hypnobirthing, I found this book to be on the more basic side. If you have any experience with mindfulness yoga or meditation, you may find this too basic for you. Overall, it is beautifully designed and laid out but not what I was looking for.

[Ana Karen Cardenas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book if you’re interested in meditation, yoga, natural remedies and in spirituality. It’s very easy to read and gives lots of good tips.

[Aljona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the design and the general concept of this book. It includes many meditations, yoga poses for the different stages of pregnancy and also a few other tips and tricks. Nevertheless, it stays a little bit superficial. Even though there are quite a few meditations I was interested in trying out, it was a little difficult to do so as they are only written out, it would be great if a recording would be provided with the book.

I don’t regret buying the book, but there are definitely better choices. To actually prepare for birth I think it would be more helpful to have less exercises but practice those in-depth instead.

I‘d give it a 3/5 ⭐️

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helpful and useful advice and tips. The breathing and meditation techniques have been really beneficial for me, as are the easy to follow yoga/birthing postures for each trimester. Although I know I am having a c-section, the hypnobirthing and breathing exercises are still useful. Some great natural remedy recipes too such as herbal teas for insomnia, foods for milk supply and nurturing postpartum foods.

[Lauren Depina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is aesthetically BEAUTIFUL. However, it’s not that substantive.

I could see this being used in a labor bag as something to grab to be pretty to look at while you or your partner goes through a labor meditation.

The prenatal portions listed in the book, however are not very helpful. I could see this as an outline for someone who has absolutely no idea about birth to then go research further the list of things mentioned.

[Kaitlyn Whitten · Rating 3 out of 5]

3🌟

Read this with a newly pregnant friend, a nice concept with some good suggestions. It didn’t have as much to it as we were expecting, though. A lot of the book is exercises, mostly yoga, and meditations. It felt a little more like a foundation of information than a deep dive, probably best for someone looking for more varying applications of the topic instead of information on the topic itself. Overall, it was an interesting quick read.

[Karla Vann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook and found it to be very disorganized and hard to follow. Very few pieces of advice were novel, but some of the mindfulness walkthroughs were actually sweet and helpful. My biggest takeaway is probably the exercises for delivery and overall training your body to calm down in stress. Also, I felt very hippie reading this lol, so be aware that it’s pretty crunchy. ☺️

[Meg · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sure this book is pleasing to page through, given the publisher, but I just didn't think this was the best presentation of the information. It could work better as an e-audio course or online course, perhaps, but I didn't think it was great as a book-- interactivity is really limited when you're trying to read a meditation. Nutritional and other information was not in-depth at all.

[Love · Rating 2 out of 5]

i didn't love this one. i liked some of the yoga and visualization advice, but wish it didn't come along with a hefty dose of shame. there is a judgmental tone throughout, in regards to occasionally eating a treat, or having a medicated birth. i did find it a bit harsh and not inclusive. mindfulness can be practiced in pregnancy no matter the circumstances of the individual mama.

[The Nashville Bookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect book for the busy, expectant mama! It is an easy, efficient read that covers many topics for each trimester that ultimately prepare you for labor, birth, and postpartum bonding with your baby!

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books mentions a lot of useful topics but nothing in depth, if that makes sense. I am hoping to use a few meditation techniques and some yoga poses from the book though. Overall a good and quick read (there are a lot of pictures so you could probably finish in an evening or two)

[Aubrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book to give you relaxation techniques that aren’t bonkers. Some things I was skeptical of scientific proof, but I liked the meditation sections and all the yoga poses they walk you through. I will continue to read through this during my pregnancy and prepare for a mindful birth!

[Julia Fisher · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m confused how one would read this as a physical book vs audiobook? Even as an audiobook, I couldn’t follow along with the exercises. The material probably would’ve been better conveyed through video format.

[Ilaria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely book with easy-to-follow exercises and meditations for your pregnancy. If you’re looking for mindblowing fixes or remedies, this is not the book. See it more as a gentle guide to stay in the here and now during this challenging time.

[Annika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is great for women who feel like they already have a decent understanding of pregnancy and labor. There are many great tips and meditations in a very easily, aesthetically pleasing, digestible format

[Ratih Cahaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bagus, penjelasannya nggak terlalu panjang. lebih didominasi oleh gambar-gambar, seperti pose yoga, ilustrasi, foto, dan kutipan.

[Amy Call-Linz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book with lots of great wellness tips, would highly recommended

[Arleta Blackley-Wiertelak · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not very advance read, its bice light book to look through. Have all the basics which you would get from other saurces, such being mindful ;) breathing, walking etc.

Would not buy it again as it was too basic for me. But it might be perfect for someone who is new to mindfulness.

[Becs Hardt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely little books of simple guides and meditation or breathing exercises. Light weight version of other books.

[Brit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful book

[April Gain · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5... helpful info and exercises but content was a bit limited. Useful overview.