Pregnancy Reading

As soon as I found out a little baby was on the way I of course started perusing Pinterest for all the different links related to pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and baby's first year. I also wanted to get some good books to read to try to prepare me as much as one possibly can.  

I picked out a couple of books that were recommended to me from friends or from other blogs that I follow and I was gifted a few. 

All of these books were great reads and I would also recommend them to any mother-to-be. 

1. What to Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel: This book is a cliché buy and probably the first book any first -time expecting mother takes a look at even if they don't end up buying it. I liked this book because it was a nice reference to have on hand and I liked to follow along with the weekly growth and changes of the baby and of my own body. It also has diet and exercise suggestions and talks about different birthing options and what to expect in the first couple of weeks after delivery. 

2. The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karpp This book talks about different calming techniques which are known as the "5 Ss" (swaddling, shushing, sucking, swaying, side/stomach). The theory is that babies are born 3 months too early but of course women can't give birth to a 3 month old sized baby and so our job is imitate the womb as much as possible. Interestingly, it also says that some cultures don't even have a word or concept for colic. 

3.  Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman This is the first book I started reading since it seemed the most light-hearted. And it is. It's a funny personal story of how an American expat living in France learns the ins and outs of french baby culture. It isn't necessarily a "how-to" baby prep book but it has some interesting parenting suggestions and it was a fun read especially being an expat myself. 

4. Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Sarah J. Buckley This book was definitely the most "scientific" which referenced many studies. It was nice because it gave the pros and cons for the different approaches to pregnancy, birth, and mothering. It has an all-natural approach and explained how much pregnancy has become medicated over the years. 

5. On Becoming Baby Wise by Robert Bucknam and Gary Ezzo. This has been our guide on how to structure T.'s days. The theory is that babies need to be parent- directed in their activities through out the day; so not  completely baby lead and not following a strict schedule but shaping the day into a routine which is sleep, eat, "activity".  It claims that by 2 months your baby should be sleeping through the night, however each and every baby is different. 

6. The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League International. This book was my guide in the first weeks of trying to navigate the ups and downs of breastfeeding. This book also has an all-natural approach to mothering but also has lots of advice and tips on how to breastfeed and offers different resources.