One of my favorite things about being pregnant is talking to friends who have been through it before. Not only do I love words of wisdom but I have to admit I enjoy getting hand-me-downs of books and clothing. I think the entire process of having a baby is quite fascinating and reading about that miracle has been another highlight of being pregnant for me. I think in my next life I want to be a midwife and play the banjo (see why here—this band ROCKS the banjo–watch from 3:45-4:45!)
Over the next three months, I am going to share some pregnancy and baby basics that I have learned over the last few years from either my own experiences or from other mamas. This blog is called Be The Difference and I try to write about anything and everything that can make a positive difference in our lives. I thought I would start with my love for reading and the books I found helpful during my pregnancies.
1. Spiritual Midwifrery
This book is for those interested in a drug-free birth. It talks about the origin of midwives in the United States. There are several birth stories in the book and I didn’t have to read it from front to back. There were parts geared towards practicing midwives only that can be skipped.
My doula suggested this book as I prepared for my first birth. It looks at birth in a natural, spritual light. There are exercises to do through out the book and again, would be great for someone thinking about a drug-free birth.
I highlighted so many pages in this book. It is one to be used before getting pregnancy all the way to making your own baby food. I wrote about a class I took that went along with the book here. I learned so much about making smarter and healthier choices for my entire family from this book.
4. Oh Baby, the Places You’ll Go!
This is a fun book to read to your baby while you are pregnant. Babies can hear their mothers voice in the womb early on.
Now that I read books to my girls through out the day, I am not using this book as much! Baby #3 is hearing a lot of Berenstein Bears books and books about using the potty!
This book talks about the role of your partner during birth. Your partner may be your husband and/or your doula. I was happy I read this book with my first pregnancy because there was a detailed chapter discussing breech babies and c-sections. I ended up with both and had background knowledge on it because of my studies.
6. Taking Charge of Your Fertility
My sister-in-law bought me a copy of this book well before my husband and I talked about having kids. I am embarassed to say that I knew little to NOTHING about the female reproductive system and how everything worked before reading this book. It taught me to pay attention to what was happening in my body which came in handy when I had an unexpected emergency surgery due to a medical mishap. I knew something didn’t feel right in my body because I learned to be in tune with my system. My intuition was right!
Have you ever wondered how the French parent their children? This book is a nice glimpse into another culture and how they raise babies. My kids have appetizers for lunch and dinner now thanks to this book. The book called them courses but we like to say appetizers. Our apps are always a fresh fruit or veggie. Served and devoured before the main dish!
8. Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy
This book made me laugh as I read it. Educational, yes. There was an added element of “fun” to the material!
9. Belly Laughs
I think I read this book in two sittings. It was h-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s! A must read to lighten up a mama’s mood before giving birth!
10. What to Expect When Expecting
The go-to book for most moms. I read this book with my first two pregnancies but now I have the app on my phone and am happy with the information I receive from my weekly updates.
11. Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth
Another great guide for mother’s interested in learning about natural childbirth.
Dave read this one book before we had our first child. It had chapters on saving for college educations and all that practical stuff that goes along with having a baby that I never wanted to think about! We’ve passed our copy onto friends having babies since!