Nurturing Yourself and Your Baby: A Book Review of Nurture by Erica Chidi Cohen

If I’m being honest, Erica Chidi’s Nurture, was one of my required coursework readings that I was excited to dive into. As I anticipated, it quickly became one of my favorite birth books. Nurture is an excellent guide to help mothers navigate such a vulnerable and sacred journey. What sets this book apart from many other “baby books” I’ve come across is the holistic tone. It is clear that Erica wanted to incorporate a lot of self care and mindfulness in order to help families focus on not just the physical aspect of pregnancy & labor but also the mental and emotional. This is a concept that I’ve always felt passionate about not just as it relates to maternal & child health but to our overall health & wellness too.

I was already somewhat familiar with Erica’s role in birthwork due to her social media presence. She has spent many years educating others on the importance of advocacy and self-care and the role they play in both sexual & reproductive health. She began her journey as a doula providing support to one of the most forgotten groups of mothers; incarcerated mothers. Erica then continued on to open a private practice in LA and later launched LOOM, ‘a company cheating education, services, and community for expectant and new mothers. with the mission to empower women through inclusive, anti-racist, and trauma-informed knowledge about their sexual and reproductive health.

Another key aspect of this reading is the tone in which Chidi speaks and the design of the book itself. Instantly I recognized her use of ‘you’ as if she is speaking directly to the reader. This creates a more impersonal tone which is rare and unexpected from authors writing about pregnancy & birth. Oftentimes there is a very cold, clinical, indirect tone that can make it feel almost intimidating for the reader. Chidi writes in a tone that feels like it’s coming from your open-minded best friend who just happens to be a health educator. I even noticed that she designed the book in a way that flows effortlessly and is welcoming yet still very informative. The theme, layout and color palette also seem intentional and complement the content beautifully.

Nurture will be a book that I recommend not only to my clients but to family & friends as well. I truly believe that all mothers can learn so much from this book, regardless of how they decide to approach pregnancy, childbirth and mothering.