Most of us assume that preparing for a baby is something one partner researches and the other gradually catches up on. But the decision to start trying for a child is something both partners are making, even if only one of you is carrying it, and the books you read together before you begin can shape how supported, informed, and connected you both feel through everything that follows.
This list brings together two books that work especially well as a shared starting point: one a practical, evidence-based guide to preparing your bodies and your routines, the other an unflinchingly honest memoir about what the journey can actually look like when it does not go as planned. Together, they offer both preparation and perspective.
Some couples will read these cover to cover before they begin. Others will dip in and out as questions come up. Either way, going in informed, and going in together, is one of the best things you can do for yourselves before the trying even starts.
What to Expect Before You're Expecting
From the author of the iconic What to Expect When You're Expecting, this preconception guide covers everything both partners need to know before trying to conceive, from tracking cycles and timing to nutrition, lifestyle changes, and fertility for men as well as women. Written in Murkoff's warm, reassuring voice, it turns clinical information into something genuinely approachable. For couples just beginning this conversation, this is the natural first book to read side by side.
Every Conceivable Way
A memoir about the IVF and surrogacy journey told with rare honesty, humour, and vulnerability, Every Conceivable Way does not soften the emotional reality of assisted reproduction. Meris writes about hope, setbacks, medical procedures, and the unexpected places this path can lead, in a voice that feels like a conversation with someone who has truly been there. For couples preparing to try, it is a powerful reminder that the journey is not always linear, and that going through it together matters.
Final Conclusion
What makes these two books work so well as a pair is the balance they strike, one practical and forward-looking, the other honest about what can happen along the way. Together, they prepare you not just for conception, but for the journey itself, whatever shape it takes.
Reading them together turns information into conversation. You will likely find things to discuss, questions you had not thought to ask each other, and a shared sense of what lies ahead.
If you and your partner are starting to think seriously about trying for a baby, these two books are a thoughtful place to begin, not because they promise a particular outcome, but because they help you walk into this chapter informed, prepared, and on the same team.
Next Blog
