The thing I loved the most about this book was the illustrations. They were very cute and gave the book a nice feel and look. The rest of it was just ok. I didn't think it added a whole lot to what is out there already and I would have liked more information on the process of pregnancy.

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 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.

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.

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.

How to Grow a Baby is an informational book that clearly explains the child developmental process with illustrations and descriptions. I found this very easy to read and understand and would recommend this to readers who are interested in learning about this topic.

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.

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!

I’m not pregnant myself, though I have an 8 month old baby currently. I really wanted to read this to see how it differed from some of the other pregnancy and childbirth books I had read in the past. I am a huge fan of how the author manages to take both a holistic AND a scientific view on the subjects at hand, and I was really pleased with this book.

She covers a lot of anatomical things that we don’t normally read about in pregnancy books, but when we’re faced with them during pregnancy we say, “Why didn’t anyone tell me about this??” I wish that I had read it while I was pregnant because I think it will help a lot of expecting women avoid these moments! The illustrations are also really beautiful, and helpful in two ways: by giving an actual visual of what she’s discussing, and also to make this seem less like a textbook and more like an exploration.

I would recommend this book to anyone expecting or trying to get pregnant, whether they’re on their first or fifteenth child. Every pregnancy is different, and this book beautifully covers so much ground.

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.

I loved this book. It had some really meaningful information that I will continue to take with me through life to live as a healthier mom and person.

How to Grow a Baby has everything that pregnant and new mothers need; it is sweet and informative, as well as validating, comforting, and affirming. As a mother, a birth doula, a lactation educator and counselor, and a sister to two currently pregnant women, this book has SO MUCH INFORMATION that I want women to know! I have read more birth, postpartum, and breastfeeding books than I could count, and still I learned a lot in this book. I kept paper and pen nearby to make notes on things like hormonal health and other fantastic resources that are listed in this book.
One thing I think a lot of women are going to appreciate is that the author is writing from a non-judgmental and compassionate place. I love that she shares the overwhelmingly positive science about natural birth and breastfeeding without alienating women who weren’t able to succeed or meet their birth and breastfeeding goals.
The illustrations were perfect and capture the exact vibe of the chapter. 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 these pictures and feel the shared common experience with other women immediately.
I think things like pelvic floor health, the mouth biome, understanding methylation, and the difference between movement and exercise (to name a few) are topics that women are interested in but do not yet have a manual 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 whether or not kegels are necessary for them and if MTHFR impacts birth, 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.
Overall, wonderful mix of memoir and science. 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. Highly recommend.

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

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.