The bestselling authors of the First Forty Days encourage mothers-to-be to care for themselves—and not just their babies—during pregnancy

There is so much noise surrounding pregnancy and birth. There are countless books teeming with information—what test does what, the “rights” and “wrongs” of eating, and “safe” or “risky” lifestyle choices—but few that hold a woman through the experience, acting as an elder sister, a matriarch, or a circle of women might hold her—with compassion, nonjudgment, and, most of all, wisdom. To the authors of Nine Golden Months, this is exactly what’s needed now, in an era of high-speed living, endless demands, and more than a little anxiety and fear.

A woman needs to feel connected to others, rooted in the knowledge that many have done this before her, and calmed and fortified by time-honored practices that nourish her body, soothe her mind, and hold up her spirit. The (still-growing) success of The First Forty Days showed that women are longing to experience the deeper aspects of becoming a mother. Nine Golden Months shares timeless guidance from the authors’ extraordinary circle of practitioners, guides, and wisdom-keepers specializing in prenatal care; it draws from Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, and features rituals and self-sourced wisdom, so that it addresses all aspects of a woman’s pregnancy experience: emotional, mental, physiological, and spiritual.

Heng Ou is the founder of MotherBees, a food and lifestyle company supporting women through every stage of motherhood. Amely Greeven is the coauthor of the New York Times bestseller Clean. Marisa Belger is a writer and editor specializing in women’s wellness and self-improvement.