Knowledge is Power

So like most newly pregnant girls, one of the first things I did when I saw that positive test was run out and buy some books. And then check a few more out at the library. Books on planning, pregnancy, diet, exercise, infant care, labor and delivery, and more. Then there was the internet. You name it, I read about it. Luckily I only actually purchased four out of the bazillion that I read. Otherwise, I would have been in the hole for about $200 worth of material that I could just find out online. Thank goodness for my county library card, the "free" section for my Kindle, and the millions of web pages out there just bursting with information. Here's a listing of the books I found helpful:

I absolutely bought the standard "What to Expect..." like everyone else and actually found it very helpful and full of interesting information. Now I've read lots of blog book reviews out there and know that lots of women find it boring, scary, or full of information that doesn't pertain to them. But I like to read E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. And no, it didn't make me nervous or fearful of the "what ifs". The index made it easy to look up what I needed and the week by week synopsis and month by month Q and A were pertinent to what was going on with my body at the time.

Jenny McCarthy is HILARIOUS. I bought this book for my Kindle as a light-hearted read and it was definitely worth it. Many times I would be reading this in bed and burst out laughing, with Sean sitting next to me wondering what the heck was going on. Obviously this book is not meant to be scientific in any way and a lot of her stories are outrageous and never happened to me but I can still relate and laugh my belly off. She breaks down each chapter into symptoms or stages of pregnancy and has a great way of making horrible or gross situations laughable - everyone should be able to laugh at themselves like she does. I read this within my first trimester and had yet to experience a lot of what she discussed so I may just have to re-read it. And I'll probably laugh even harder.

I bought this pregnancy planner the day I found out I was pregnant. I was in Target shopping for something for Sean as a fun way to tell him the news when I passed by the book section and couldn't help myself. I bought this along with the "What to Expect..." And to my surprise it actually has been a great book to have. It's not the best resource for information as it just lightly touches on things week to week but there's a great journal section, spaces to list questions for your doctor, to-do lists, registry checklists (I actually used this when registering and it was great), question and answer to prompt journal entries, and spaces to record symptoms, etc. I LOVE planning and making lists so this was perfect for me.

Thank you to my brother-in-law, Eddie, for gifting this book to us! Baby Bargains was helpful to have not only to find the best deals but just as a starting point to sort through the TONS of baby products, gadgets, and gizmos that are out there. When we started to thinking of registering, it was absolutely overwhelming. Not just in the sense of "what crib to choose" but just what do I need or not need in general. And the great answer is, you don't need a whole lot of the junk that's out there. A place for baby to sleep, things to keep them clothed and warm, fed, diapered, cleaned, and occupied are all you need. This was an awesome resource for navigating through all those resources and we found that we truly were able to get the best bang for our buck.

Now for the Negative Nancy part, materials not that helpful:

Anything on diet and exercise. Waste of money, glad I used the library for these. This is simple information that you can find online. I think that in my early pregnancy "need to know everything" state of mind I thought these may be helpful or enlightening, but really it's not hard. As far as excercise I just followed what my doctor suggested as well as found some great prenatal workout videos on Amazon. Follow a healthy diet and avoid foods on your doctor's "avoid list". Simple.

Another thing to watch out for is information that you find online. All of the websites such as thebump.com, babycenter.com, etc. are very helpful when the articles are actually written by medical professionals; what's not helpful are the community blog portions of those sites in which people ask for medical advice and random moms-to-be are answering their questions. Honestly, it is scary how dumb and misinformed some of the answers are and I pray that no one really follows the medical advice of some random stranger from who knows where when it comes to the health of their baby. If you have questions, consult your doctor. And if you are reading articles, be sure to research who wrote them and what legitimate authority they have on the subject.

Now, this is not to say that everything that people post is garbage. There are some great blogs that I read for advice on registry items, places to find maternity clothes, nursery ideas, etc. And it's nice to read posts and blogs from other women who are experiencing the same things you are - you are not alone in your discomforts, worries, and excitement.

Now, off to find some books to read on how to get baby to sleep through the night...

Attempting to keep it together 24/7,

Elizabeth