What do you think?
Rate this book
How to Grow a Baby: A Science-Based Guide to Nurturing New Life, from Pregnancy to Childbirth and Beyond
Written by a nurse, this holistic guide for pregnancy and the postpartum experience provides foundational knowledge and intuitive wisdom to help new mothers support the optimal health of their baby and their own bodies.
Get the answers to the big questions about pregnancy:
• What kinds of foods should you eat and how do you prepare your body for labor and birth?
• How does movement impact pelvic health and the baby's position in the womb?
• How does the endocrine system and your brain change throughout pregnancy?
• How does the microbiome influence your and your baby's health?
Packed with practical information and helpful infographics, Amy J Hammer helps you create the optimal environment for growing a baby and navigating the major transitions in a pregnancy—including nurturing pelvic floor health, the fetal and parental microbiome, and the science behind the stages of pregnancy from conception to postpartum.
By providing vital and often ignored information about reproductive science, movement, and nourishment, this book empowers parents to make informed and personal choices about their pregnancy, birth, and beyond.
Get the answers to the big questions about pregnancy:
• What kinds of foods should you eat and how do you prepare your body for labor and birth?
• How does movement impact pelvic health and the baby's position in the womb?
• How does the endocrine system and your brain change throughout pregnancy?
• How does the microbiome influence your and your baby's health?
Packed with practical information and helpful infographics, Amy J Hammer helps you create the optimal environment for growing a baby and navigating the major transitions in a pregnancy—including nurturing pelvic floor health, the fetal and parental microbiome, and the science behind the stages of pregnancy from conception to postpartum.
By providing vital and often ignored information about reproductive science, movement, and nourishment, this book empowers parents to make informed and personal choices about their pregnancy, birth, and beyond.
- GenresParentingNonfiction
304 pages, Paperback
Published September 21, 2021
23 people are currently reading
919 people want to read
About the author
Amy Hammer
2 books20 followersAmy J Hammer is the author of How to Grow a Baby and Cycles. Her work focuses on reproductive health, ethical and delicious food, full body movement, and environmental stewardship. She believes that all people deserve access to healthy food, places to move their bodies abundantly and freely, supportive communities, and a clean, healthy ecosystem. Amy is fascinated by how our bodies function and is passionate about empowering others with well-researched information, powerful stories, and always, humor.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 18, 2021
This book was a helpful overview of the various trimesters, including the fourth trimester. However, it felt very dense and a little preachy at times. Some of the advice didn’t seem super doable but I still appreciated the information. I most enjoyed the recaps and the images / diagrams.
January 29, 2021
First of all I would like to say I was really excited to receive this book as an Arc from netgalley.
As a new mum myself and seeing the word ‘scientific’ in title made me want to read it immediately. What I can see is that it was indeed a pleasant and easy read and as a biologist myself and I found myself nodding along the way while I was reading it.
The facts were there, the humour was there, the personal experience was also there.
Like the author we go through the stages of pregnancy from beginning to end and also a bit about the when the baby is actually out in the real world.
I guess I was a bit of fooled so to speak by the title because I thought this would be a book about from when the baby comes out to when it becomes a toddler, so a lot of it was already stuff that I knew about and had already gone through and read about a lot beforehand.
I did however still enjoyed reading it and I thoroughly enjoyed today illustrations that came along with it. I must also say that I basically devoured the book just one sitting.
That being said I think this was a well written book and there are some nuggets of truth,experience, and science in it that will make some parents love it.
A 3,5 star rating from me.
As a new mum myself and seeing the word ‘scientific’ in title made me want to read it immediately. What I can see is that it was indeed a pleasant and easy read and as a biologist myself and I found myself nodding along the way while I was reading it.
The facts were there, the humour was there, the personal experience was also there.
Like the author we go through the stages of pregnancy from beginning to end and also a bit about the when the baby is actually out in the real world.
I guess I was a bit of fooled so to speak by the title because I thought this would be a book about from when the baby comes out to when it becomes a toddler, so a lot of it was already stuff that I knew about and had already gone through and read about a lot beforehand.
I did however still enjoyed reading it and I thoroughly enjoyed today illustrations that came along with it. I must also say that I basically devoured the book just one sitting.
That being said I think this was a well written book and there are some nuggets of truth,experience, and science in it that will make some parents love it.
A 3,5 star rating from me.
March 20, 2022
I just finished this book and while I really wanted to love it… it’s really only okay. As others have mentioned in their reviews it is very dense and reads as preachy even as the author consistently tries to remind you that she’s not preaching.
I still found myself putting many tabs throughout and there is information I will reflect on later in life. The illustrations were also beautiful and interesting and I tabbed most of them for later.
So in the end this book is… fine. I wouldn’t not recommend it, but I also won’t be going out of my way to recommend it either.
I still found myself putting many tabs throughout and there is information I will reflect on later in life. The illustrations were also beautiful and interesting and I tabbed most of them for later.
So in the end this book is… fine. I wouldn’t not recommend it, but I also won’t be going out of my way to recommend it either.
May 4, 2024
Recommend to everyone. My personal favorite pregnancy book.
June 21, 2021
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
How to Grow a Baby is a layman accessible clearly explained guide to pregnancy and childbirth written by Amy J. Hammer. Due out 21st Sept 2021 from Roost Books, it's 240 pages and will be available in paperback format.
This is an informative and comforting science-based book on conception, pregnancy, birth, and post-partum recovery/family planning. The chapters are arranged thematically and chronologically around a successful conception and pregnancy. Although it's not an academic work, there are meticulous and abundant annotations provided throughout. The chapter notes and bibliography are full of links for more comprehensive reading for especially curious readers.
The illustrations are clear and understandable and the models represent a wide variety of skin tones. The text throughout is thoughtful and respectful with regard to gender and identity referring often to "birthing parent" and "sperm-contributing parent" as well as adding "chestfeeding" where "breastfeeding" also occurs. Outside of those forward-thinking and inclusive adaptations (which are positive and a good thing) the rest of the book stays far far away from any undesirable outcomes more serious than vitamin D deficiency and to avoid stress. There's no discussion of miscarriage, IVF or infertility (except for some vague talk of sperm motility and counts), stillbirth, or maternal death. It's obviously outside the scope of this book (which is to reassure expectant parents and their partners who are unsure what to expect), but having experienced stillbirth myself, I can't help thinking that despite the vanishingly slim *chance* of it happening even in industrialized nations, it *does* happen and some sort of acknowledgement of the fact would be a comfort to those few of us who are so unlucky as to have experienced it.
This is an updated guide with updated and inclusive language on what to expect from pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery. I also liked that the author made a point of saying "There is no ranking or hierarchy connected to how we birth. What matters is that we feel empowered and that we’re given every opportunity to bond with our babies". So having a C-section absolutely doesn't mean you "failed" in any way, and it's nice to see a healthcare professional saying it in black and white.
Four stars. This would be a good choice for library acquisition, people trying to conceive, or for an expectant parent.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
How to Grow a Baby is a layman accessible clearly explained guide to pregnancy and childbirth written by Amy J. Hammer. Due out 21st Sept 2021 from Roost Books, it's 240 pages and will be available in paperback format.
This is an informative and comforting science-based book on conception, pregnancy, birth, and post-partum recovery/family planning. The chapters are arranged thematically and chronologically around a successful conception and pregnancy. Although it's not an academic work, there are meticulous and abundant annotations provided throughout. The chapter notes and bibliography are full of links for more comprehensive reading for especially curious readers.
The illustrations are clear and understandable and the models represent a wide variety of skin tones. The text throughout is thoughtful and respectful with regard to gender and identity referring often to "birthing parent" and "sperm-contributing parent" as well as adding "chestfeeding" where "breastfeeding" also occurs. Outside of those forward-thinking and inclusive adaptations (which are positive and a good thing) the rest of the book stays far far away from any undesirable outcomes more serious than vitamin D deficiency and to avoid stress. There's no discussion of miscarriage, IVF or infertility (except for some vague talk of sperm motility and counts), stillbirth, or maternal death. It's obviously outside the scope of this book (which is to reassure expectant parents and their partners who are unsure what to expect), but having experienced stillbirth myself, I can't help thinking that despite the vanishingly slim *chance* of it happening even in industrialized nations, it *does* happen and some sort of acknowledgement of the fact would be a comfort to those few of us who are so unlucky as to have experienced it.
This is an updated guide with updated and inclusive language on what to expect from pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery. I also liked that the author made a point of saying "There is no ranking or hierarchy connected to how we birth. What matters is that we feel empowered and that we’re given every opportunity to bond with our babies". So having a C-section absolutely doesn't mean you "failed" in any way, and it's nice to see a healthcare professional saying it in black and white.
Four stars. This would be a good choice for library acquisition, people trying to conceive, or for an expectant parent.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
February 15, 2021
Thanks to NetGalley and Roost Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!
Sweet and informative, as well as validating, comforting, and affirming.
Here are some things I liked:
I am a big fan of the illustrations. I am currently 6 months postpartum, and just looking at that postpartum illustration page with the breastfeeding baby, the boppy pillow, the pump, the postpartum pads—all of that imagery captured the experience so well. Women will see their experiences echoed in the artwork throughout the book.
Lots of new information and subjects that I have not seen in other pregnancy and birth manuals. I think topics such as pelvic floor health, the mouth biome, and understanding methylation (to name a few) are topics that women are interested in but do not yet have a resource like this. These topics are what we are asking our midwives and friends if they know anything about, and frequently even our care provider doesn’t have adequate, up-to-date information about the kegels vs. squats debate and if MTHFR impacts pregnancy, for example. I was so pleasantly surprised to see these topics in this book. It makes this book stand out from other natural birth books and I would definitely recommend to pregnant friends and birth clients.
I loved that this was written by a nurse, and yet it feels like any of my closest friends could have been sharing these stories with me.
Sweet and informative, as well as validating, comforting, and affirming.
Here are some things I liked:
I am a big fan of the illustrations. I am currently 6 months postpartum, and just looking at that postpartum illustration page with the breastfeeding baby, the boppy pillow, the pump, the postpartum pads—all of that imagery captured the experience so well. Women will see their experiences echoed in the artwork throughout the book.
Lots of new information and subjects that I have not seen in other pregnancy and birth manuals. I think topics such as pelvic floor health, the mouth biome, and understanding methylation (to name a few) are topics that women are interested in but do not yet have a resource like this. These topics are what we are asking our midwives and friends if they know anything about, and frequently even our care provider doesn’t have adequate, up-to-date information about the kegels vs. squats debate and if MTHFR impacts pregnancy, for example. I was so pleasantly surprised to see these topics in this book. It makes this book stand out from other natural birth books and I would definitely recommend to pregnant friends and birth clients.
I loved that this was written by a nurse, and yet it feels like any of my closest friends could have been sharing these stories with me.
January 22, 2023
Pros: this book shines when it comes to making physiological processes accessible to the reader and pairing its content with beautiful illustrations. It also tends to do a good job using inclusive language.
Cons: the author writes from a pretty privileged stance and the recommendations are often unattainable and lack the necessary nuance needed to make health and wellness accessible for all.
Cons: the author writes from a pretty privileged stance and the recommendations are often unattainable and lack the necessary nuance needed to make health and wellness accessible for all.
September 16, 2021
This book is very informative and I really enjoyed reading it and came to know about many things.
How to grow a baby starts from planning for pregnancy and having a healthy diet. When it comes to pregnancy and baby we only think of birthing partners but the book has also mentioned the importance of an unbirthing partner and explained having a healthy sperm and how the partner's brain to have changed after the birth of the child.
The chapters are thematically arranged from pregnancy, post-pregnancy period to family planning and I liked the way the information was narrated with a lot of illustrations.
The body of the mother changes during pregnancy and after pregnancy and how the baby's circadian rhytm is formed and regulated, how the milk produced has cortisol in the morning and melatonin at the night made me wonder about the creation and the creator. The author has also mentioned the importance of interpregnancy spacing. Overall very informative and I came to know about many things through this book.
How to grow a baby starts from planning for pregnancy and having a healthy diet. When it comes to pregnancy and baby we only think of birthing partners but the book has also mentioned the importance of an unbirthing partner and explained having a healthy sperm and how the partner's brain to have changed after the birth of the child.
The chapters are thematically arranged from pregnancy, post-pregnancy period to family planning and I liked the way the information was narrated with a lot of illustrations.
The body of the mother changes during pregnancy and after pregnancy and how the baby's circadian rhytm is formed and regulated, how the milk produced has cortisol in the morning and melatonin at the night made me wonder about the creation and the creator. The author has also mentioned the importance of interpregnancy spacing. Overall very informative and I came to know about many things through this book.
July 27, 2023
This is a great book for guidelines on getting pregnant and what to do during and after your pregnancy!
The author takes a very holistic approach and shows how pregnancy is a whole body experience, not just something that takes place in your uterus. It doesn’t get as in depth with pregnancy and postpartum as some other books but the information it provides for preparing your body for both of these is well documented.
The author is an RN so sometimes the writing is a bit clinical, but I appreciated this approach. There are times when she does get a liiitttllleee woo woo with some of her philosophies, but the general ideas and practices that she provides are really great places to start a pregnancy journey from.
I started to read this book before I had gotten pregnant and I can’t definitively say that following her advice to prepare your body for fertility helped me get pregnant two months after stopping my birth control, but I can say that following her other guidances made my pregnancy easy breezy.
The author takes a very holistic approach and shows how pregnancy is a whole body experience, not just something that takes place in your uterus. It doesn’t get as in depth with pregnancy and postpartum as some other books but the information it provides for preparing your body for both of these is well documented.
The author is an RN so sometimes the writing is a bit clinical, but I appreciated this approach. There are times when she does get a liiitttllleee woo woo with some of her philosophies, but the general ideas and practices that she provides are really great places to start a pregnancy journey from.
I started to read this book before I had gotten pregnant and I can’t definitively say that following her advice to prepare your body for fertility helped me get pregnant two months after stopping my birth control, but I can say that following her other guidances made my pregnancy easy breezy.
April 25, 2021
What a helpful and legit book for any mamas to be! As someone who read way too many books about preparing for a baby, I often was not impressed. This book covered many topics that other or more traditional books did not. I also feel like the book wasn't "preachy" or like "THERE IS ONLY ONE CORRECT WAY TO DO THINGS", as some other books can be.
Honestly, the part that really connected to me was the after birth/postpartum sections. I felt very seen and like my experience was similar. It was comforting to read about the author's own experiences, because it helped me think about my own experience as a new mom.
Overall, this book was informative and relatable. Definitely check it out if you are on your journey to motherhood and want an engaging read! You'll love the illustrations, for sure.
Honestly, the part that really connected to me was the after birth/postpartum sections. I felt very seen and like my experience was similar. It was comforting to read about the author's own experiences, because it helped me think about my own experience as a new mom.
Overall, this book was informative and relatable. Definitely check it out if you are on your journey to motherhood and want an engaging read! You'll love the illustrations, for sure.
June 16, 2021
This book was received as an ARC from Roost Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
I learned so much through this book including important information I never thought would be important during pregnancy such as the pelvic placement to provide a healthy position for the baby. Amy Hammer does a wonderful job breaking down the different stages of pregnancy and what the healthy option is for each stage. Since all of the books in our collection on the topic of pregnancy is very outdated, this book would be perfect in answering all of those questions and concerns our patrons have on pregnancy and it will sure to be circulated very well.
We will consider adding this title to our R Non-Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
I learned so much through this book including important information I never thought would be important during pregnancy such as the pelvic placement to provide a healthy position for the baby. Amy Hammer does a wonderful job breaking down the different stages of pregnancy and what the healthy option is for each stage. Since all of the books in our collection on the topic of pregnancy is very outdated, this book would be perfect in answering all of those questions and concerns our patrons have on pregnancy and it will sure to be circulated very well.
We will consider adding this title to our R Non-Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
March 7, 2021
This was an interesting introduction to pregnancy books and resources. Although I’m not pregnant, the information in this book gave me information and resources to make that experience more positive, should I choose to have it. It was written differently than I had expected based on the title, it felt less like a how to and more like a memoir mixed with biology textbook. I especially liked the illustrations - beautiful - and the coverage of topics that were previously unknown to me with an emphasis on hormonal changes before during and after pregnancy. I appreciated the gender inclusive language and the acknowledgment of privilege in making decisions for oneself. Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 3, 2023
DNT: This book is beautiful and fun to read! I appreciate the scientific approach even as a Christian— It was awe-inspiring to learn how God has works everything together throughout preconception, pregnancy, and birth. However I wish I had started reading this before I conceived not at the beginning of my pregnancy; there was just too much to catch up on. I think when my husband and I begin trying for our next child I’ll start this book over again. I must say I don’t appreciate the liberal undertones (the authors approach to family and philosophy on parenting) and sometimes lack of gendered language despite pregnancy and birth being a roles only women can accomplish. Just a little too modern for me. If it weren’t for those things I would likely give this book five stars.
March 25, 2021
I really enjoyed this pregnancy book. There was a lot of information given in an intriguing narrative. I loved hearing about her own personal experiences and how she put a lot of emphasis on pelvic floor health. I was able to learn a few new things, which is typically a difficult feat with how many pregnancy books I have read throughout my pregnancies (and when I'm not pregnant). The illustrations are great! I loved the detailed diagrams and the simple, yet modern design. Overall, I liked this one a lot!
July 7, 2023
I really enjoyed the overview of the physiological process of pregnancy and birth that this book provides. It is like Julia Rothman’s book, Nature Anatomy, or Salt Fat Acid Heat’s artwork by Wendy McNaughton, with all of its charming drawings to illustrate the central points. It is lovely to look at.
One critique I would offer is that this book is very notably *not* dispassionate or objective, considering that it is subtitled "A Science-Based Guide to Pregnancy." One example is when she spends a significant amount of time claiming that our understanding of sperm penetrating the egg is a biased and inaccurate understanding of conception based on our cisgender sterotypes. Apparently, to suggest that the sperm is active in swimming towards the egg means we are devaluing the woman’s role in conception. ("Despite the requirement of mutual involvement, both mainstream media and scientific literature fall into gendered descriptions and fairy tale stories to describe this event. The sperm, in this telling, is a superhero or a knight in shining armor. Meanwhile, the egg is a damsel in distress who is waiting for her sperm to rescue her from demise.") However, thankfully, she was able to provide examples of writings that do not make a hero of the sperm and a passive victim of the egg, so we could have a more progressive narrative of conception. Perhaps older textbook accounts may have neglected to understand or elaborate on the complexity of the female gamete's role in conception, but it seems like some kind of desperation to be offended to suggest that this is an example of cisgender heteronormativity and its cultural oppression. Additionally, in one passage on page 83, the author laments that the verb "shedding" is used to describe the menstrual cycle, as if "shedding" is an inherently negative word, and also laments that ovulation is often described with lackluster vocabulary, while sperm is discussed with "celebratory language." Pardon me if I'm struggling to feel outraged. I also found it highly amusing that she used the same verb to describe the mucus plug on page 160 ("[the mucus plug] sheds either before or throughout labor and this shedding is described by medicine as the bloody show") and when she describes the placenta ("the placenta is named decidua, as it sheds like a leaf after birth, marking a significant change in the season and landscape of our lives"). Apparently it's ok for certain people to use the verb while others need to check their privilege at the door.
Other non-scientific inclusions are the phrase "chest feeding" and "pregnant person" because apparently science hasn't helped the author to understand that only biological women are capable of bearing children from their bodies.
BUT, those obnoxious faults aside, I enjoyed the rest of this book and the artwork, and think it provides a nice overview of pregnancy and childbirth in an engaging mix of textbook and narrative form.
One critique I would offer is that this book is very notably *not* dispassionate or objective, considering that it is subtitled "A Science-Based Guide to Pregnancy." One example is when she spends a significant amount of time claiming that our understanding of sperm penetrating the egg is a biased and inaccurate understanding of conception based on our cisgender sterotypes. Apparently, to suggest that the sperm is active in swimming towards the egg means we are devaluing the woman’s role in conception. ("Despite the requirement of mutual involvement, both mainstream media and scientific literature fall into gendered descriptions and fairy tale stories to describe this event. The sperm, in this telling, is a superhero or a knight in shining armor. Meanwhile, the egg is a damsel in distress who is waiting for her sperm to rescue her from demise.") However, thankfully, she was able to provide examples of writings that do not make a hero of the sperm and a passive victim of the egg, so we could have a more progressive narrative of conception. Perhaps older textbook accounts may have neglected to understand or elaborate on the complexity of the female gamete's role in conception, but it seems like some kind of desperation to be offended to suggest that this is an example of cisgender heteronormativity and its cultural oppression. Additionally, in one passage on page 83, the author laments that the verb "shedding" is used to describe the menstrual cycle, as if "shedding" is an inherently negative word, and also laments that ovulation is often described with lackluster vocabulary, while sperm is discussed with "celebratory language." Pardon me if I'm struggling to feel outraged. I also found it highly amusing that she used the same verb to describe the mucus plug on page 160 ("[the mucus plug] sheds either before or throughout labor and this shedding is described by medicine as the bloody show") and when she describes the placenta ("the placenta is named decidua, as it sheds like a leaf after birth, marking a significant change in the season and landscape of our lives"). Apparently it's ok for certain people to use the verb while others need to check their privilege at the door.
Other non-scientific inclusions are the phrase "chest feeding" and "pregnant person" because apparently science hasn't helped the author to understand that only biological women are capable of bearing children from their bodies.
BUT, those obnoxious faults aside, I enjoyed the rest of this book and the artwork, and think it provides a nice overview of pregnancy and childbirth in an engaging mix of textbook and narrative form.
January 13, 2024
One of my fave pregnancy books but it's definitely not for everyone - the recommendations come from a place of privilege and the writing is very heavy on the science (with cute illustrations scattered throughout). I related strongly to this author - we even both backpacked the TCT while pregnant (which is not a typical pregnancy activity) and many of the pregnancy-related lifestyle recommendations already align with my lifestyle choices. However, if I were to recommend only one pregnancy book to a friend I don't think it'd be this one
January 30, 2021
This book talks about all the stages of pregnancy, from the pre conception to after birth. There are lots of nice drawing to complete the texts, there are shopping lists, information about changes in your body, labor stages and positions. Part three talks about growing your baby on the outside, postpartum, recovery, and other tips.
I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review
I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review
October 26, 2025
I really enjoyed the stories with the science. I didn’t find it boring or dry at all. My one snag (4 instead of 5 stars) is some of the food recommendations for pregnancy and the fear it may produce for those who don’t have access to the recommendations. We are conventional cattle producers and I feel corn fed beef is just as safe as pasture raised! Other than that, I really liked it!
November 20, 2021
Of all the birth and postpartum books I’ve read I found this one to be so very useful, engaging, relevant, and relatable. I highly recommend it and will keep it on my shelf and buy more as gifts.
September 3, 2023
A bit meandering and also very obviously privileged at times, but overall really liked the science behind it all.
December 3, 2025
easy to read without treating you like an idiot
August 15, 2024
Annoying terminology for the word "woman".
January 26, 2024
This felt like two different five-star books smashed together by three-star editing. It's funny to see so many people call it "preachy" because I think a certain amount of prechiness is good, it's what you came for when you picked up a book written to tell you how best to be pregnant, but I think it was actually the mix of (likable) personal narrative with (likable, if verbose) scientific background that created an unlikable read. I'm okay with being told that I should be getting more movement and eating healthier, that makes sense. I also enjoy hearing other people's pregnancy and birth experiences, it's helpful. However, mashed together they create a kind of obnoxious tonal whiplash.
It's like, "Ideally, you should be doing dynamic movement rather than Kegels, especially squatting as that is what you will be doing a lot of in labor. I, for example, was out in my garden on my beautiful land because I feel so refreshed by being minimally employed and spending a lot of time in nature." And I know that's not what the author was doing and I know that's not how she probably comes off in person, but reading about all of the things you should be doing because You Are Your Baby's Whole Environment And Their Whole Future Hinges Upon Your Choices it can be kind of stressful to have so many cutesy little stories of someone's fun and charming pregnancy mixed in with factoids about how if you don't Consider the Gut Biome you are Doing Your Child a Disservice. All the watercolor pictures in the world cannot save you from the anxiety of this.
And maybe this is a personal thing, but I was really put off by Hammer's use of "pregnant person" and "chest feeding". Especially in a book that is framed in a scientific way already, those phrases make me feel like I'm a heifer on the factory floor. This book usually avoids feeling too clinical, but being called "the birthing person" instead of "the mother" left me chilly. Felt like, "yes, the pregnant person must consume the correct organ meats for the proper bacteria to colonize the intestines. Gotta take care of those good bugs! :)" Just unsettled me during a read that I already found pretty alienating.
Anyway, I'd love to go through this book with a pair of scissors and a marker and create a five-star book out of it, because I feel like it has the potential to be a real banger, but I don't want to crack it open until after my totally mid baby is born from my body of poorly-considered guts.
EDIT: I reluctantly change my review to four stars because I cannot stop referencing this book. I checked it out from the library two more times and finally bought a copy because I kept thinking things like "wait, what is a good way to get more B6 in my diet during the first trimester? Didn't that annoying book have a whole page on that?" Yes, of course it did. This book's practical advice and whole foods-based nutritional guidance just really stuck with me. Putting it on my baby rec short list for people.
It's like, "Ideally, you should be doing dynamic movement rather than Kegels, especially squatting as that is what you will be doing a lot of in labor. I, for example, was out in my garden on my beautiful land because I feel so refreshed by being minimally employed and spending a lot of time in nature." And I know that's not what the author was doing and I know that's not how she probably comes off in person, but reading about all of the things you should be doing because You Are Your Baby's Whole Environment And Their Whole Future Hinges Upon Your Choices it can be kind of stressful to have so many cutesy little stories of someone's fun and charming pregnancy mixed in with factoids about how if you don't Consider the Gut Biome you are Doing Your Child a Disservice. All the watercolor pictures in the world cannot save you from the anxiety of this.
And maybe this is a personal thing, but I was really put off by Hammer's use of "pregnant person" and "chest feeding". Especially in a book that is framed in a scientific way already, those phrases make me feel like I'm a heifer on the factory floor. This book usually avoids feeling too clinical, but being called "the birthing person" instead of "the mother" left me chilly. Felt like, "yes, the pregnant person must consume the correct organ meats for the proper bacteria to colonize the intestines. Gotta take care of those good bugs! :)" Just unsettled me during a read that I already found pretty alienating.
Anyway, I'd love to go through this book with a pair of scissors and a marker and create a five-star book out of it, because I feel like it has the potential to be a real banger, but I don't want to crack it open until after my totally mid baby is born from my body of poorly-considered guts.
EDIT: I reluctantly change my review to four stars because I cannot stop referencing this book. I checked it out from the library two more times and finally bought a copy because I kept thinking things like "wait, what is a good way to get more B6 in my diet during the first trimester? Didn't that annoying book have a whole page on that?" Yes, of course it did. This book's practical advice and whole foods-based nutritional guidance just really stuck with me. Putting it on my baby rec short list for people.
August 10, 2024
⭐️: 3.5 stars
📚: kindle ebook - I own this book
🧑🧑🧒: I read this alone
I think a lot of the appeal of this book is the beautiful illustrations and artsy formatting, which was lost on me with an ebook. If you’re going to get this book, just get the physical copy. Another reason that a physical copy would be better is because it’s full of information and stuff that it would be nice to be able to easily refer back to and look at again.
This book is full of information and at points can be really boring. In fact, I tried to read this while I was pregnant but it was too boring and I didn’t finish it until I forced myself to at 9 months postpartum. At the same time, there was stuff in here that definitely made the book worth reading! In fact I think if I owned a physical copy, the artwork and ability to flip around easily to different parts would have probably made me overlook some of the things I didn’t like about this book and I would have given it 4-5 stars.
I consider myself a fairly “crunchy” woman, but there are many different kinds of crunchy, and the author of this book is a mix of two of my least favorite types of crunchy: fearful/restrictive crunchy + weird spiritual crunchy. That said, I do still agree with a lot of the points she makes and conclusions she comes to, even if she comes to them in a different way than I would.
📚: kindle ebook - I own this book
🧑🧑🧒: I read this alone
I think a lot of the appeal of this book is the beautiful illustrations and artsy formatting, which was lost on me with an ebook. If you’re going to get this book, just get the physical copy. Another reason that a physical copy would be better is because it’s full of information and stuff that it would be nice to be able to easily refer back to and look at again.
This book is full of information and at points can be really boring. In fact, I tried to read this while I was pregnant but it was too boring and I didn’t finish it until I forced myself to at 9 months postpartum. At the same time, there was stuff in here that definitely made the book worth reading! In fact I think if I owned a physical copy, the artwork and ability to flip around easily to different parts would have probably made me overlook some of the things I didn’t like about this book and I would have given it 4-5 stars.
I consider myself a fairly “crunchy” woman, but there are many different kinds of crunchy, and the author of this book is a mix of two of my least favorite types of crunchy: fearful/restrictive crunchy + weird spiritual crunchy. That said, I do still agree with a lot of the points she makes and conclusions she comes to, even if she comes to them in a different way than I would.
March 2, 2023
Made it to page 120. It was… one persons perspective on things. Didn’t go in depth too much, which was nice.
April 22, 2023
I don't think this book knew what it wanted to be, or it wanted to be too much. A bit self-righteous at times, as well.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews