Books

Awhile back I said I would write a blog on the books that are getting me through this pregnancy! So here they are!

1. What to Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff
This one had been recommended to me by several people including my sister-in-law, Ashly. I kept meaning to buy it but then my sweet friend, Erin, from high school sent it to me in the mail as a gift! Thanks again Erin :) This book literally has everything! From trying to conceive, to the 9 months of pregnancy (with month by month updates and discussions on any question you could ever have!), to Labor and Delivery, to 6 weeks post-partum! It also has a chapter for dads to read. Great resource.

2. Nine Months and a Day by Adrienne Lieberman and Linda Hughey Holt
I just bought a used copy of this one on Amazon for a few bucks. It doesn't go into very much detail. Just a very general outline of the nine months. Talks a little about eating, exercise, and common pregnancy "annoyances." And then a chapter on preparing for labor, and then ends with childbirth and recovery. A good one to read at the very beginning to start "warming up" to the pregnancy and idea of childbirth.

3. Pregnancy Day by Day by a lot of people, haha
THIS. BOOK. IS. AWESOME. It is a pretty hefty hardcover book that I had been eyeballing everytime we went to Barnes and Noble. Tyler ended up surprising me with it as a gift =) It literally goes day by day... Each page is labeled by how many days pregnant you are, and how many to go. Then talks about several issues you may be encountering around that time. So it also covers ANY question I think you could ever have. But my favorite thing about it are the pictures. Every page has an actual 3D picture of the baby. (Every once in awhile there will be a 2D picture) But it goes into such detail on the development of the baby. Amazing book! Not to mention it covers preparing for labor, great info on progression of labor, and then caring for a newborn up to 6 weeks. Also all with great color photos.

4. Nine Months Strong by Karen Bridson
"Shaping up for labor and delivery and the toughest physical day of your life".... this book is exactly what it says.. it is simply exercising throughout the pegnany to be physically fit for D-Day! Nothing about development of the baby, monthly updates, ect. Just working out and preparing the body. It covers cardio prep, strength training, yoga and stretching, and emotional and mental preparedness. The author is a marathon runner and compares it to preparing for a marathon and then getting through the marathon! This was my inspiration book for working out ;) It has tons of pictures for all the individual exercises. And then an excellent section on getting through labor, as well as positions and exercises during labor. Then of course the last chaper is on getting BACK into shape after the baby. I pick up this book the most as I am always referring to it when I workout. (I think it's my favorite) =)

5. The Birth Book by William and Martha Sears
This one is also just as the title says... nothing but giving birth. 257 pages on that one day of giving birth. (a bit overwhelming, haha) I am a little torn on this one. It has awesome, awesome information on giving birth. I don't think you could be more prepared after reading this book, other than actually giving birth. So I have gained excellent knowledge from it. However, in a roundabout way, it also seems to say that choosing an epidural is the most horrible thing you could ever do and that every woman should be able to give birth without one. (Chapter 8 is "Why Birth Hurts - Why It Doesn't Have To") It is very much an "all natural" childbirth approach. And I'm sorry but I don't plan on going without my medicine. No, actually it was very encouraging and made me think that maybe I could do it without an epidural.... but that thought lasted about 7 seconds. hahahaha Anyways, it honestly did prepare me TONS for what to expect for labor and delivery and is a great resource in that aspect. And I certainly will use some of what I learned and try my best in labor, but I definitely want the anesthesiologist ready to go! ;)

(And then of course we have a "100,000 Baby Names" book which we haven't given much attention to yet.) There is nothing like gaining as much knowledge as possible to help feel more prepared!! I plan on continuing to read, read, read. So much for the other (non baby related) books sitting on my shelf!