Book Review: Pregnancy and Birth, A Graphic Guide By Laura Godfrey-Isaacs and Lilly Williams
Reviewed by: Keren Williams, retired midwife and health journalist
Publication date: 06/11/2025 by Icon Books
Number of pages: 179
Price £16.99 Paperback
ISBN Number: 978 183773133 6
How do you reinvent the ‘Guide to Pregnancy’ when shelves are already full of them? I didn’t think it was possible, but midwife and artist, Laura Godfrey-Isaacs, has done exactly that. Her new book, Pregnancy and Birth, A Graphic Guide is bang on target for Gen Z as they reach their peak parenting years.
Apparently, this digital-savvy generation likes to read physical books and graphic formats are a particular favourite. Laura’s new guide to pregnancy taps into this growing trend at the same time as addressing the sensitive and political issues of inclusivity, that Gen Z are all too familiar with. The introductory chapter delves straight into sexual politics and immediately sets a tone of empowerment, stressing the importance of informed choice. This isn’t a guide that tells pregnant people what to do, it is all about enabling them to decide for themselves. You won’t find a ‘typical’ woman either. The book consciously avoids making any assumptions about who the reader might be.
On first appearance it is deceptively simple, with hand-drawn, cartoon-like illustrations, (noticeably inclusive with pregnant people of all shapes, sizes and colours), but it is packed with evidence-based information to guide readers through the maze of medical decisions they will face.
The illustrations help you navigate sections quickly, including what happens during labour and all the usual medical explanations you would expect in a pregnancy guide. But alongside useful facts, Laura introduces controversial grey areas to help pregnant people consider their options, such as the pros and cons of induction of labour and their rights when breast, (or chest) feeding in public.
It may seem too politically correct for some, but this is not an activist’s rant. Laura introduces ideas around diversity with great sensitivity and balances every point with sound medical and well researched advice.
This refreshing new approach is highly recommended to anyone looking for a more thought-provoking guide to pregnancy and birth.