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

This book is absolutely wonderful for expecting mothers. It covers everything from pregnancy to birth and early motherhood in such a warm, informative, and empowering way. The writing feels like guidance from a trusted friend rather than a clinical textbook. I loved how it encourages trusting your own instincts and body throughout the journey. Highly recommend to any expecting mom!

For people pregnant or planning to be pregnant. This book covers pregnancy, birth and postpartum but is written in a way that you can read each section as you approach that chapter so it is not overwhelming at all. I loved how each trimester was broken down, explaining what to expect, methods to cope with each phase and made me feel supported. I loved the recipe suggestion to help navigate and maintain a healthy diet. I loved this book and will reread it with each pregnancy. Pros: checklists in the back (hospital bag, baby registry, birth preferences, etc.), recipes to optimize the vitamins and minerals needed in each trimester, mindful writing prompts

I delivered at UCSF, one of the preeminent women’s hospitals in the country. The nurses, doctor, and midwife who helped with my delivery utilized MANY of the techniques described in this book. The fact that it is embraced and practiced by some of the best medical professionals in the country says a little something about the idea that the contents of this book are "woo" as a previous reviewer states. My mother-in-law is an LVN and recently she started working in labor and delivery. She borrowed this book, some of it she had already learned but she found a lot it incredibly helpful! This is the most approachable, easy to digest, least judgmental, and most comprehensive book out there. It's broken down into sections to help you understand what's happening with baby, your body, AND has recipes PLUS things you may want to check off your "to-do" list... I mean she covers it all. I made it to 6cm dilated before going to the hospital, in large part because I had the tools I needed. You won't use everything in this book, but you'll be glad to have a full toolbox. I had pages bookmarked for newborn care and breastfeeding that my husband and I referred back to several times in the early days. The glossary in the back makes it very easy to find what you're looking for. The images are so beautiful and very helpful, and who doesn't love a good chart?! The staff at UCSF was so grateful for my clear birth plan (thanks to this book) and I felt so EMPOWERED during my labor. I'm now expecting my second and am looking forward to revisiting this book.

Looking for an insightful, educational and practical book that can guide you through this novel journey? This book seals the deal. Read it for know-how on pregnancy, self-care during and after giving birth, tips to breastfeeding and more. It even contains massages for your baby and recipes for regaining perfect health during the post-partum journey. It will keep you grounded as you strive to maintain your sanity while coping with your new-born. Perfect to give as a gift husbands. Give it a read today!

Highly recommend this book for expecting mothers. When I first purchased this in the first trimester I skimmed it and was sort of unimpressed. But after that I kept coming back to relevant sections as our pregnancy went on and it felt like having a knowledgeable doula. I also had an amazing doula who was not familiar with the book but gave a lot of similar information to what was in the book. It felt like an incredible resource. My favorites were the yummy recipes and the “best items/ must have items” at the end. The birth preferences were also comprehensive and reasonable. I also loved the labor positions and exercises. I supplemented this with spinning babies exercises. This book is definitely written from the doula’s perspective and should supplement your “hard science” reading such as the American college of obstetrics and gynecology book, and medical care by on/gyn or midwife. I think as a holistic medicine in pregnancy book, it is an invaluable resource. I am an allopathic trained pediatric physician (MD) and see great value in alternative/integrative methods especially in pregnancy and childbirth. I felt like the sections of the book on homeopathy and naturopathy were reasonable and balanced. In general counseling open communication between allopathic/conventional medicine practitioners and your naturopathic/alternative medicine providers. Other books I read in pregnancy included Mindful birthing, Ina May’s guide, and the ACOG book.

I have nothing but great things to say about this book! I’m pregnant for the first time and through this book Erica has done an excellent job of educating me on what my body is going through/will go through. She incorporates both the science of what’s happening and will happen as well as relaxation techniques and guiding me on the spiritual journey of pregnancy. I have been using her recipes for safe meals, smoothies, infusions and natural remedies for the nutrients my body needs and to combat symptoms I’m experiencing. She explains how the ingredients benefit your body and baby! She also gives you safe exercises and workouts to aid your body in the different stages of pregnancy as well as preparing you for the birthing process. I can be a high stress person and tend to read more online then I should. She gives me the information I need and packages it so nicely. I learn what I need to learn about the science and the concerns to be aware of but mostly the amazing abilities of my body and how to aid in keeping my body and mind strong while it does what it instinctively knows to do. If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would. ❤️ Oh and did I mention I’ve only just entered the second trimester of this book! I’m so grateful to have her with me on this journey.

I am really enjoying this book as I prepare for labor and delivery. Hopefully the information is helpful when the time comes.

I’m about halfway through this book (and currently 25 weeks pregnant) and am not sure I will finish it, because every time I pick it up and start reading I find myself frustrated or annoyed by something that it said and I put it down again. I bought it on the glowing recommendation of my OB/GYN and had high hopes for it, expecting it to be a fusion of qualitative information about pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood with science/medicine-based information. It is by far more of the former and less of the latter. It also comes across as presumptuous, judgmental and dismissive at times when it clearly intends to do the opposite. It subtly scorns medicines known to be helpful and safe during pregnancy in favor of homeopathic treatments (some of which are unsubstantiated), or overly-involved alternatives (some of which are expensive). It goes into excessive detail about some things and not enough about others. The way it talks about nutrition and food often feels infantilizing and unsympathetic. Like “hey, that ice cream you’re craving, how about you eat some broccoli instead? Or if you’re craving sweets, how about some horseradish?” Oh, wow, thanks! What a helpful suggestion, to simply substitute something I don’t at all feel like eating in the moment! I’ve been struggling a lot with anxiety about weight gain during pregnancy and this book has absolutely made that anxiety worse. I had a tearful meltdown about it on the way to my most recent prenatal appointment and my husband was shocked and sad that I was fixating so terribly on something that, to an extent, is an inevitable part of pregnancy. During that appointment, my doctor confirmed my weight gain was well within the normal range, much to my surprise. This book has been playing a big role in my growing sense that the way I’m managing my diet/weight is inadequate, even though it actually isn’t. Feelings of frustration and inadequacy are not something I want from a pregnancy book. I assume my doctor recommended it because it’s meant to be encouraging, relaxing, and appeals to “wellness”-focused people, but I really just wanted factual information laid out in an orderly and easily digestible way. There’s too much stuff about writing in my diary (really not my thing) and overall the book feels like it’s appealing to a different kind of person than who I am. That’s fine, it just means it’s not for everyone and I wanted to post this review for other folks out there who fall more in my end of the spectrum.

It covers more than what you expected. I felt like someone was talking to me and teaching from the subtle and intuitive to the solid and physical aspects of being pregnant and early stages of motherhood.

The book is just useless. And if that’s not bad enough, it’s filled with “facts “ that are not scientifically backed. Just save your money.

Good book

Great book! Complete with everything we need to know pre-natal, labor day, post partum and lactation. And much more. 100% recommended

When i found out im pregnant i decided that i will only purchase one book about pregnancy to avoid information overload that will stress me out further. Im reading each chapter with each month of pregnancy and i love it, it is not stressing me out and making me look forward to each month. It is very well written with a personal tone and the book design is just beautiful and minimal. As is the Typography easy to read and not jammed together.