Nurture: A Modern Guide to Pregnancy, Birth, Early Motherhood—and Trusting Yourself and Your Body Kindle Edition

Full disclosure - I didn’t finish this book, but in the face of overwhelmingly positive reviews, wanted to add some more detail for people trying to decide if it’s right for them. I read up to about month 2, then skimmed and decided to give up.Overall, the book seems like it’s designed for people who would like to hire a “holistic” doula who would provide them with alternative medicine ideas that are sometimes based in science and sometimes based in woo, but who (for whatever reason) would rather get that info in book form instead of hiring an actual person to tell them. If you’re pretty crunchy, yet don’t want to hire an actual doula, then you will probably like this book; I’m not crunchy and I don’t want a doula (at least not if the advice they give is anything like what is in this book), so I didn’t.Some concerns I had with this book, which I think others might share, were:1. The author talks about the benefits of pseudoscience - the most egregious example being homeopathy. Yes, the kind invented by a quack in the 1700s, where they take a plant that would cause your symptoms and dilute it a million times in sugar water (beyond where it has any actual effect) in order to supposedly reduce your symptoms, because... magic? Sorry, but no, I am not okay with that. It really throws all the other medical and scientific information in this book into question for me. (I thought implantation bleeding was a myth, for example?) She also recommended stuff like reiki, Ayurveda, and traditional Chinese medicine - none of which inspires confidence in her scientific and medical knowledge.2. The author does include a month-by-month section with info on what is happening biologically. However, she states that at the beginning of month 1, your fertilized egg has implanted, and at the end of month 1, its heart is beating. As I understand it, the fertilized egg implants around week 2 (assuming you ovulate on cycle day 14, which not everyone does) and the heartbeat wouldn’t begin until week 6 - but no other chronological information is included to explain how she chose the months or how it relates to how doctors date pregnancy. So, to figure out where you are in this book’s months, you have to do some mental math where I guess “month 1” is weeks 2-5, “month 2” is weeks 6-9... etc.? I just wasn’t up for that, and it’s hard to enjoy the book when I can’t be sure it’s accurate to where I actually am right now. Like, if you hired this woman as a doula and told her your due date, then she would be calling you to tell you what month she thinks it is, so it wouldn’t be an issue. But in book form, it’s tough to navigate with zero direction.3. There was a whole section at the beginning where you’re supposed to basically write down a list of the good and bad parts of your life, to help you process and move beyond trauma or something? I imagine some people find that cathartic, but to me it seemed like a way of dredging up stuff I don’t want to think about (and I’ve had a very happy, safe, sheltered life with no trauma to relive, so I can’t imagine how unwelcome that must be to people who have survived real trauma). I’d be completely fine with doing an exercise like that in therapy, with a professional who can guide me through it and make sure it’s done in a healthy way, but I don’t want to go through it alone on my couch.4. There’s one section where she says we should really know our anatomy, and gives pretty detailed explanations - which is fine, except there are no diagrams included. I’m a layperson with no medical training, so telling me that a muscle is attached to my sacrum does not help me to visualize it at all, either in my own body or in the abstract. I just feel like if you’re going to try and teach readers anatomy in a way that will stick, you should include diagrams to help us connect and integrate the new information with what we already know, or at the very least, define medical terminology that isn’t part of the vernacular.My other concerns were much more personal and picky (I hate breathing exercises, the recipes didn’t appeal to me, the self-care suggestions did not seem enjoyable, etc.), but overall, it’s just not a good fit for me. If you want something heavily science-based, read Expecting Better by Emily Oster.

Nurture is the perfect word for this book. That is how I describe Erica's writing to people–because I talk about this book all of the time! No other pregnancy book has made me feel so understood and empowered. I love the way the author/doula takes care of the reader, and somehow touches on every part of the pregnancy process. She takes into consideration how your emotional past may be affecting your experience and shows you how to work with these feelings. Throughout the book the author empowers you to take control with five self-care practices: Mindfulness with meditation prompts, Journaling with writing prompts, Movement with stretching/exercise suggestions for each month, Natural Remedies for all the things we pregnant ladies need to cope with, Nourishment info about what your body & baby needs plus healthy recipes along the way.This reads like a modern book for pregnant women, and I like that about it. She touches on the reality most of us new moms face with totally changing our lives to become mothers. For instance, there is a little section written for freelancers, such as myself, and how to prepare for changes ahead with our unique business situations. I love that it's brought to attention that many of us do not get maternity leave and need to get creative with ways to work with the first few months of motherhood.This article below is what turned me on to Erica's book and message. It's powerful to read even if you don't decide to get this book–though I can’t recommend it enough!

I absolutely adored this book while pregnant with my first child. I read a lot of books and this one was really the only one that empowered me to listen to my gut instincts and follow them. I even took it to the hospital during labor just in case I needed to refer back to it. It has also been helpful these first few months with baby. I’ll be buying this as a gift for all my friends when they get pregnant, I love it that much.

I loved this book. It's fantastic:-It has a month by month guide to pregnancy-Each month has supplements you should take and recipes with those supplements-The end of the book has suggestions on what to buy and it helped me find a breast pump that everyone says doesn't hurt and helps with milk supply (helping me get over my fear of pumping)-This book was published in 2017 so all of the information is new!- It talks about emotional health and even has suggestions for which essential oils to put in baths, meditations, and best yoga positions for comfort each month of pregnancy-Discusses taking care of a newborn, breastfeeding, pumping, burping, ect -and all of the sections are thorough with a lot of information and pictures.-Every section has a ton of information and none of it is dumbed down or sugar-coated. There's no cutesy language in this book. (The section on breast feeding is phenomenal with different approaches and ways of holding the baby - with pictures).I love how real this book is. It is definitely an information overload and i love that. It feels worth it to read! I learned so much and I'm looking forward to trying the recipes! I honestly can't say enough good things about this book. It helped me overcome a lot of fears about becoming a first time mom.

Wonderful book that isn’t patronizing or #girlboss or full of clichés! This book is calming, reassuring and definitely for intelligent grown ups! Only minor is that it’s more for the American public so some advice aren’t applicable to the UK. Other than that highly recommend

A great book. Definitely a must have, although it is not structured like other pregnancy books, but has really useful stuff in manageable chunks. Found it different and non repetitive. A keeper.

I bought this book for a friend who just gave birth. I wish the amazon description told me this was a book more for those who are first time pregnant and for those who are Still pregnant.It does look like a wonderful substantial book. But if I were to keep it and still give it to my friend, will she find it it reached her a bit too late...

This has been my go-to pregnancy book both for my physical and emotional wellbeing. Great for first time mums preparing for this life-changing transition.

So comprehensive and oozing with nurture. Thank you