Short answer
No specific surah for pregnancy is established in authentic hadith. Reading any part of the Quran and making dua is good, especially the Quranic duas for children. Customs such as reading Surah Maryam or Yusuf are fine as ordinary recitation, as long as they are not treated as a Sunnah with a promised result such as a boy or a beautiful baby.
Reciting the Quran and making dua during pregnancy is mustahabb. Attributing a fixed virtue or result to a particular surah for pregnancy without proof is not allowed. Reading Surah Maryam or another surah by personal choice is permitted.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Many families have traditions: Surah Maryam for an easy birth, Surah Yusuf for a beautiful child, Surah Luqman for a wise one. None of these comes from an authentic hadith. The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever introduces into this matter of ours what is not from it, it is rejected. So read them if you love them, but do not claim they guarantee anything or are a Sunnah of pregnancy.
Duas from the Quran that suit pregnancy:
- The parents' dua (7:189): if You give us a good child, we will be among the grateful.
- Zakariyya's dua (3:38): my Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring.
- The wife of Imran (3:35): she dedicated what was in her womb to Allah.
- For the family (25:74): our Lord, grant us from our spouses and children comfort to our eyes.
Beyond these, keep your daily adhkar, read whatever Quran you can, and make dua in your own words for a healthy baby, an easy birth and a righteous child. A woman in nifas after the birth does not recite Quran, so many mothers like to finish a khatm or a set portion before the due date. See dua for children, dua for a new baby and what Islam says about pregnancy.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-A'raaf 7:189
۞ هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍۢ وَٰحِدَةٍۢ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا لِيَسْكُنَ إِلَيْهَا ۖ فَلَمَّا تَغَشَّىٰهَا حَمَلَتْ حَمْلًا خَفِيفًۭا فَمَرَّتْ بِهِۦ ۖ فَلَمَّآ أَثْقَلَت دَّعَوَا ٱللَّهَ رَبَّهُمَا لَئِنْ ءَاتَيْتَنَا صَٰلِحًۭا لَّنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلشَّٰكِرِينَ ﴿١٨٩﴾
It is He who created you from one soul and created from it its mate that he might dwell in security with her. And when he covers her, she carries a light burden and continues therein. And when it becomes heavy, they both invoke Allah, their Lord, "If You should give us a good [child], we will surely be among the grateful."
The dua of parents during pregnancy.
Quran, Surah Aal-i-Imraan 3:38
هُنَالِكَ دَعَا زَكَرِيَّا رَبَّهُۥ ۖ قَالَ رَبِّ هَبْ لِى مِن لَّدُنكَ ذُرِّيَّةًۭ طَيِّبَةً ۖ إِنَّكَ سَمِيعُ ٱلدُّعَآءِ ﴿٣٨﴾
At that, Zechariah called upon his Lord, saying, "My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring. Indeed, You are the Hearer of supplication."
Zakariyya's dua for a righteous child.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2697
Sahih... من أحدث في أمرنا هذا ما ليس فيه فهو رد ...
"Whoever introduces into this matter of ours something that is not from it, it is rejected."
Fixed practices with promised results need proof from the Sunnah.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.