“Preggers” by Chelsea Johnson

“Preggers” is the new book from Chelsea Johnson. It’s a straightforward, informative, candid, relatable, laugh out loud guide to pregnancy, from trying to get pregnant all the way up to labor and delivery. Read all about it here!

Today I am so, so excited to share with you guys all the details about “Preggers,” MY BOOK!

What is “Preggers” about?

First of all, you’re probably wondering what “Preggers” is about. “Preggers” is a straightforward, informative, candid, relatable, laugh out loud guide to pregnancy, from trying to get pregnant all the way up to labor and delivery. I included some of my popular (updated) blog posts in the book, but most of “Preggers” is new content. There aren’t very many (if any) pregnancy books that are actually fun to read and still informative, and the ones that are informative have way too much information and are too medical (at least in my opinion). I wanted “Preggers” to be funny, helpful, and honest, and I wanted it to cover everything you could possibly think about that is related to pregnancy. I didn’t want it to be overwhelming, and I wanted to make sure that it was actually useful and had good tips in it. I wanted pregnant mamas to read it and be like “that’s exactly how I feel!” I wanted to prepare them for what to expect, and help them know that there are a lot of weird and totally normal things that happen during pregnancy, and they aren’t the only ones who experience them (like vaginal varicosities!). I also wanted it to be helpful whether you’re a first-time mom, or a third-time mom, and there really is something for everyone to enjoy in “Preggers.”

A little history…

In August 2015 my husband was in Texas for the month and I was driving with Little J and Little A from Idaho to Utah to visit my sister. I was listening to my favorite podcast all about pregnancy, Pregnancy Perfect, and the thought came to me that I should write a book. I’d been blogging all about pregnancy and babies for two years, so I knew I would want it to be about pregnancy, but that was about it. I dismissed the idea (because it was crazy) and tried to move on. But I couldn’t get the thought out of my head!

In January 2016 I decided to go for it. I sat down at a little table in our rental house in Rochester, Minnesota and made an outline. I decided how to split the book up, and then got to work on an outline. I wrote the section headings on different pieces of paper and then wrote down different topics for each of those sections. Eventually, I had ten pages of notes and I was all set to go!

Over the next few months I began writing, and I got through the introduction and first two sections. In May 2016 we moved from Idaho to Texas, my husband graduated from medical school, and at the end of the month, we found out I was pregnant with baby #3! I lost all motivation to do anything with that pregnancy, and my book got put on the backburner.

Little R was born in January 2017, and life with three kids under four provided little time to write. We moved again in July 2017 to Minnesota, and I decided that it was time to get moving on my book. My husband’s schedule was a lot less rigorous for a few months, and he took the kids to the park and to the movies several times so that I could have some uninterrupted time to write.

In October 2017 I finished the first draft. I went back through, made some changes and a lot of edits, and then decided it was ready for other people to test-read. I knew I loved my book, but I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just me! My best friend, sister, and two more friends read it, made some edits, and reviewed it for me, and then I went through again and made MORE edits! In December 2017 I sent the book to my editor (one of my college roommates!) and she finished it and sent it back in early January 2018. One more big edit and “Preggers” was officially done!

I should also mention that I knew very early on what the title was going to be, and what I wanted the cover to look like. When I was pregnant with Little R, I painted a big wooden board bright pink and had a good friend come over and take some pictures of my pregnant belly kneeling on the grass in front of it. I used that picture and designed the front and back covers as soon as I knew how many pages my book was going to be (because it determines how big the spine is going to be!).

Since I am self-publishing “Preggers,” there has also been a lot of formatting and designing that I’ve had to do, as well as more businessy (yes, businessy) things like filing a copyright, getting a Library of Congress number, and getting the ISBN numbers. It’s a lot of work to self-publish a book, but I wanted to be 100% in control of all the little details, and it’s paid off!

When and where can I get it?

“Preggers” is available in an ebook and as a paperback book, and it will be published on March 6th, 2018. March 6th is my oldest child’s birthday, and he’s the reason I started my blog, the reason I fell in love with motherhood, and the reason I am where I am today. He has no idea, but I owe him a lot. So he will forever share a birthday with my book!

You can preorder “Preggers” now over at www.PreggersTheBook.com, and if you order before March 6th, you can get the paperback version for 50% off! I wanted to do that as a special thank you to everyone who has supported me and followed this long journey!

I’m also hosting an amazing new mama giveaway with a few friends for a paperback copy and some of the best mom and baby items from my favorite stores (like Sweet N Swag, DockATot, Tubby Todd, and Bamboobies, just to name a few). Make sure you’re following me on Instagram because the giveaway is happening the week of March 6th and you definitely won’t want to miss it!

Thank you!

I’ve worked so hard to get to this point, and while my hard work isn’t over yet, it has already 100% been worth it! I am so grateful to everyone who has helped me, who has read my blog over the years, and who has supported me as I’ve worked to achieve this goal! I have had some serious blessings along the way and lots of answered prayers to make this dream a reality. My ultimate goal is to get my book into a national bookstore, so here’s to that (I’m coming for you, Barnes and Noble). But for real, every copy I sell means so much to me! I am so, so excited, so grateful for everyone who has already ordered their copy, and I can’t wait for everyone to read my book! Thank you!