I decided I would compile a list of my personal pregnancy must-haves, in case any of you other pregnant mommies out there are interested. I'm going to break this up into a series so that it isn't so massive and overwhelming. I know there are plenty of pregnancy blogs, websites, and forums out there, but these are just some things that have worked well for
me.
Today I'm going to share some of the resources I've used for information and preparation during pregnancy.
Resources:
I'm the type of person who wants to be as informed and prepared as possible. Some women prefer to just "wing it" and take everything as it comes. Not this mama! I've been all about reading, researching, and watching videos to prepare. Here are some of my favorites:
There is a newer edition out, but this is the one I read, thanks to my awesome friend Stephanie who loaned me a bunch of her pregnancy books. I felt this one was the most comprehensive and easy to follow. There is information on everything in this sucker!
I admit when Stephanie gave me this book, I was skeptical. It sounds really weird, right? Well, it's not. I mean, there are some parts that I was like...come on! I don't see myself doing that during labor. But for the most part, it was very informative about what happens to your body during labor, why certain things we do may make the pain worse (i.e.: tensing up or feeling afraid), and why most medical interventions are simply not necessary. And of course it's full of awesome techniques to actually help you through labor and delivery (some I think I will use, some I know I will not.).
We all know about this one, right? Your moms and their moms and probably
their moms read this book! My doctor gives it to all his newly pregnant patients, which is awesome. I like that this book breaks down what to expect by months and weeks, and it includes FAQ's for each. There isn't much beyond the simple, straight-forward symptoms and expectations. I don't find it to be particularly helpful in preparing for anything, but it has been reassuring to read that all the fun (and not so fun) things happening to my body are normal! What I hate about this book is all the kitschy comments throughout, intended to be funny or cute I guess. They are unnecessary and usually make me roll my eyes and quickly move on.
This documentary is super informative and empowering. Be prepared to see a lot of women give birth, though. It definitely has the agenda of enlightening you on the process of birth and how interventions are unnecessary, so if you 100% know you don't want to go natural, maybe this isn't the best video for you. But I honestly think you should give it a shot either way! It's still worth understanding the process. And seeing all the women give birth helped me feel more prepared and helped me believe that if they can do it, so can I! You can watch this on Netflix instant streaming for free. There is also a sequel called
More Business of Being Born which I also recommend. I didn't watch all three parts, but I did enjoy the part where they interviewed celebrities about their birth stories. And if you didn't already think Alanis Morrisette is crazy, you will after watching that! ha!
I have loved being on Babycenter! You can find articles to answer just about any question you may have about pregnancy, there are videos for each stage of pregnancy as well as labor and delivery, and there are birth clubs that you can join so you can connect with other pregnant mamas who are due when you are. At first I liked this feature but I quickly realized that many of the women posting on this forum stay at home and are clearly bored because they all just seem to want to cause drama or complain. There are also a LOT of uneducated women posting on there, so definitely don't take anything read in a birth club to be fact! But my very favorite aspect of babycenter is the weekly emails. You can sign up to receive an email every week that outlines what's happening with your baby and you. It compares the size of your baby to some sort of produce, which is always fun, and has other great resources embedded in the email, like articles to read and coupons and special offers. I get excited every Wednesday to get my next email. :)
My doula!!
But I intend to dedicate a full post to doulas in the future.
I think that's about it for resources! There are other things I have read or watched, but these are the ones I've found most helpful. Enjoy!
~Christy~
No comments:
Post a Comment