For pregnancy and childbirth, try Mayo Clinic's"Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy", recently published in 2004, with very up-to-date information on pregnancy and childbirth.

The book is compiled by a group of doctors at Mayo Clinic, thus are very authorative. It gives you trustworthy medical information that I often use as a guide. I would not have trusted other books so easily. As your pregnancy progresses, it also lists all the common routine tests and exams your doctor might perform on you. So you will be informed and prepared for each of your prenatal appointment. For instance, ultrasound is typically performed at 20 weeks of gestation; cervical exams in the last month is not really useful, etc.

A quick read will give you an idea of what the book layout is. Then you can use it as a reference book when relevant chapters or sections warrant a careful re-read. It also contains a thorough "symptoms" section, that contains a lot of useful information on the common problems moms suffer during pregnancy, such as back pains, forgetfulness, etc. Conservative methods for treatment and prevention are also offered to treat these problems.

This book also contains a lot of the popular childbirth methods that help mothers cope with pain, as well as some prenatal exercises that you should start doing right away (pelvic rock, Kegel, squatting, etc). One line I really like about the book is "Knowledge is a form of pain medication", so true!!!

The book "Complete Book of Pregnancy & Baby's First Year" is an awesom book, but needs an update, in my oppinion.