The new book aiming to stop new mums thinking, 'If only someone had told me'.

After the traumatic birth of her first son, Sophie Walker created Australian Birth Stories to prepare mothers for the realities of childbirth. Seven years later, Sophie is releasing her debut book, The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth which critics and experts are hailing the new What to Expect which sold over 22 million copies worldwide. 

It’s a tale as old as time.

A new mum returns home from the hospital, baby in tow, and thinks to herself, 'Well, I was not prepared for that.'

This was the case for new mum, Sophie Walker. After battling through a 35-hour labour, a cascade of medical interventions and a postpartum haemorrhage, Sophie threw herself into research to ensure she was better prepared for her second birth. It was only then that she realised how heartbreakingly common her initial experience really was.

Watch: The horoscopes as new mums. Post continues after video.

In Australia, one in three women who give birth in the hospital system experience some form of birth trauma ranging from long-lasting birthing injuries to psychological distress. Over the past 20 years, infant mortality rates have remained steady while rates of trauma, intervention, and postnatal depression have skyrocketed. 

Sophie is hoping to help educate and empower mothers so they are not left wondering, "If only someone had told me".

The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth is a mother focused companion that takes readers from pre-conception to pregnancy and labour to birth and the early postpartum period. The book ditches the Instagram version of parenthood in favour of telling it like it is, albeit with hearty doses of warmth and wisdom.

The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth comes at a time of crisis in the Australian maternity sector.

Maternity wards across the country are at risk of closure while in other areas heavily pregnant women have travelled for hours to the closest maternity ward, away from their support networks and, during a cost-of-living crisis, at their own cost. Australia is also staring down the barrel of an obstetrician shortage as younger doctors avoid the inherent risks of obstetrics by choosing to specialise in other areas.      

In this health climate, it’s critical that women have access to evidence-based information to assist them in making informed decisions about the pregnancy and birth they want to have. 

Sophie is adamant that positive birthing experiences encompass more than the birth of a healthy baby. Instead, it’s largely dependent on the mother's ability to make informed choices that are supported by their healthcare provider. The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth serves to empower mothers to get informed and speak up so they can make the best decisions for them and their baby, in collaboration with their healthcare team. 

But The Complete Guide isn’t some stuffy medical manual. If you’ve not read them, you’ve definitely heard of them. The books that insist on comparing babies to fruit and haughtily shame women into a cookie cutter mould of motherhood. Reassuringly, The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth isn’t that. 

After interviewing over 360 women across the whole spectrum of pregnancy and birth, and with a Masters in Public Health, Sophie is the person to help guide expectant mums through the trials and tribulations of new motherhood. 

Sophie understands the importance of storytelling as an educational tool, providing a guide that’s big on support and free of judgement. She recognises that by giving women access to a wide variety of experiences, women have an opportunity to move beyond the advice of well-meaning family and friends. Instead, they can lean into the different models of pregnancy and birth care until they find one that works for them. 

For this reason, The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth makes loads of space for the wisdom of women’s birth stories, alongside evidence-based, expert-led guidance from a range of perinatal health specialists, leading obstetricians and midwives, social workers, psychologists, nutritionists and physiotherapists. 

As a result, Sophie has created a pregnancy and birthing bible that will leave you feeling informed and empowered. You’ll just as likely cry tears of joy at the beautiful (and sometimes heartbreaking) birthing stories as you will find yourself nodding along at her sage advice.

The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth covers a lot of territory and while it’s big, it’s also really readable; there are lots of breakout boxes and dot points. But Sophie’s mission is simple. No longer will tired, mighty mums gaze down adoringly at their new baby and think, 'I really wish I had known...'

Image: Supplied.

The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth is available now.

Feature Image: Supplied.