Recently, a newly pregnant friend asked me a question that had me stumped. Not that I'm an expert on pregnancy at all, but I can usually be relied on to recommend a book on the subject – most subjects in fact.
But the world of having babies has moved on considerably since I was a soon-to-be first-time mum. Although it was 14 years ago that I proudly sported my first bump, it feels like light years away.
Not only have buggies got funkier, but the pregnancy section in my local bookshop is positively bulging with weighty tomes on the subject. So, what are the best pregnancy books?
I find it hard to believe, but I worked my way through my pregnancies with just one book. It's still sitting on the bookshelves, I don't think I could ever part with it.
Just flicking through the pictures of Conception, Pregnancy and Birth by Dr Miriam Stoppard transports me back to that time when I would pore over them to find out what Baby was looking like at 16 weeks and then 20 weeks, and so on.
There's the thing though. Mums-to-be these days expect more information, a weekly guide rather than a monthly one so the book has got mixed reviews on Amazon. Perhaps I won't recommend that one.
A quick look at the Pregnancy and Birth section in the bookshop reveals there are bibles, week-to-week guides, a dad's guide and even a Rough Guide to this magical and perplexing time.
Of course, it all really depends on what you like. If celebrity watching is your thing, Myleene Klass' "honest" account entitled My Bump and Me might be just what you're looking for. Presumably all the other books are dishonest and say labour won't hurt.
The one book I did wish I'd bought, but just never seemed to get round to it, is Penelope Leach's Your Baby and Child, which I borrowed from a friend once and which seemed to suit me better. Although, never having owned it I'm not sure I could recommend it.
So what pregnancy book do you love and could recommend? Have you read any that you disliked?