Books and Blogs

historeliza

I read the terms and conditions about how we should post, so I hope that this is appropriate.  If not, I can remove this...or move to another thread.

As most of us are getting somewhat settled into our pregnancies, I thought it night be a good idea to start a thread on favorite pregnancy or parenting books/blogs/websites.

As a ftm, I know I am lost in the shuffle of literature out there.  I figured if people would like to share books or sites that worked for them, they might want to share.  

Again,  this is my first time posting a thread, so I hope I did it right!

calecorvus

A strongly recommended book from a different forum im on is Expecting Better, which was written by a pregnant/new mom statistician, and it goes through a lot of pregnancy studies and break them down so that the reader can make their own decisions based on the information. As someone who always likes to know the "but why?" Behind everything i found it really reassuring and helpful. 

(Edit for typos)

justkeeptrying

For anyone planning on breastfeeding, I found kellymom to be a really helpful site. Also, I think it's called babysleep101 for sleep advice

orbmaker

I've been reading The Philosophical Baby by Allison Gopnik about infant/toddler developmental psychology. Also read Raising Elijah by Sandra Steingraber about raising kids safely and consciously in our sometimes toxic, ever-threatened ecology/environment. 

Recommend both! 

justkeeptrying

Oh I remembered another one! We didn't read the book but we borrowed the DVD from our library - The Happiest Baby On The Block! It had some great tips for those newborn calming stages. 

bettyvonsomethingstein

justkeeptrying said:

Oh I remembered another one! We didn't read the book but we borrowed the DVD from our library - The Happiest Baby On The Block! It had some great tips for those newborn calming stages. 

This one was a life saver for my first, who was colicky.  

savedbygrace1213

I found the best blog on baby food. (Sorry, not really a pregnancy or parenting book, but I found this blog super helpful) I made all my own baby food and this blog was great for walking you through the basics and has a recipe section for 4month, 6mo, toddler and meal plans.  It has wonder ideas of what fruits and veggies to pair well together that I would have never thought of.  I guess if your into baby led weaning, this is probably not as helpful! https://www.babyfoode.com

ksmwalters

Hey @vaewelch! I'm a FTM too, but I've gotten some great books from friends and coworkers. I'll second Expecting Better, although I've only read about half of it so far. It really calmed me down, especially in those first few weeks when I realized I'd been to karaoke (and had a fair share of vodka sodas) before I realized I was pregnant, etc. I've also liked the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy so far. They take you through each month and there's a section for once you come home, too. 

Not as pertinent for the moment but my boss just gave me her copies of The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and Super Baby Food (if you plan on making your own). She and others both said they were great resources for them! 

Also if you have a Half Price Books where you live, GO THERE for baby books!! I got my Mayo Clinic book for $5.99 and it's in perfect condition.

savedbygrace1213

To add to my post... I take that last part back. I was just looking around their blog again and they have a finger food section and talk about baby led weaning well.

wisewitch222

When I was starting to get anxious about labor and delivery, I really liked reading other people's birth stories on Birth Without Fear. 

For pregnancy, I followed the pregnancy calendars on Alpha Mom and Pregnant Chicken each week. This time, there's a short podcast Pregnancy Confidential that I listen to each week. 

I also second Kellymom for breastfeeding, and for sleep I LOVED all the free content on The Baby Sleep Site. 

heatherdubrow

Add Me to the list of those who loved happiest baby on the block! It was a lifesaver!

barrelocarol

Can I derecommend Facebook, random blogs, Scary Mommy and general people's advice?

heatherdubrow

@barrelocarol I always thought scarymommy was so funny...what's wrong with it?

crossfitbabybump

@wisewitch222 - I  LOOOVEEE birth without fear!!

kalawa

@crossfitbabybump Before I bust out the laptop (I don't like reading long blogs on my phone), what exactly is "Birth Without Fear"?

crossfitbabybump

@kalawa - it's a long blog lol I follow them on instagram, too! it's a supportive site that helps empower women to make informed choices on their birth and pregnancy. Here's a brief summary from their site:

"Birth Without Fear began as a simple passion to let women know they have choices in childbirth. It then evolved to become an inspiration and support to women and their families through their trying to conceive, pregnancy, birth and post partum journeys. Pull up your chair and join us for laughs, great conversation, healing and triumphs as we all celebrate birth and motherhood together."

*They have topics on EVERYTHING! Give it a quick skim if you ever have time. I found it extremely helpful being a FTM!

muggle621

I've had 3 friends tell me to get the book "On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep" because it worked so well for them! 

kalawa

@crossfitbabybump @wisewitch222 I started reading the "Birth Without Fear" blog. I am addicted. It also has given me some options for my 3rd birth I didn't know were possible. Thanks!

barrelocarol

heatherdubrow said:

@barrelocarol I always thought scarymommy was so funny...what's wrong with it?

Maybe you're more discerning than I was! I took it as truth and it made life sound horrible and not something to look forward to. 

LaurenAnn0405

@barrelocarol like @heatherdubrow said I always took Scary mommy to be funny, not a real source of information.  I can see how taking it as truth would make parenting look very scary because I do feel that there are exaggerations on there. 

kalawa

@barrelocarol I think it definitely is supposed to be funny. I alwqys take what it says with a grain of salt. I think the point of it is to just show us that we need to laugh at ourselves sometimes, and just let things just be. But if you read it seriously, I can see how it seems negative and actually...scary.

historeliza

Thank you for the tips, but you don't have to tag me.  I meant for this to be a resource page for everyone.  I always thought scarymommy was funny too. Checking out Birth without Fear now.

gazelle319

Echoing what others have said, The Happiest Baby on the Block was great.

I've heard mixed reviews on any books that say you have to do things a certain way or with a certain schedule. What always worked best for me were books that explained baby's physical and mental development and baby's needs at certain stages of development (like growth spurts or sleep regressions), and then I gathered "tips" from books/blogs and figured out what worked best for the baby based on his particular needs/personality, kind of combined approach of using suggested methods but also customizing them for us. 

The sleep book I liked the best is The Natural Baby Sleep Solution, the author has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and she explains baby's brain development and how baby's natural sleepy/alert cycles work, it was very helpful and worked great for us. I've heard good things about The Wonder Weeks for general baby development, and they also have an app. I know there are great books on breastfeeding out there, but in the end I wish I had just taken a class or watched a video ahead of time, the complexity of breastfeeding was one thing I wasn't prepared for. 

Once baby was born, the BEST resource I had was a local breastfeeding/new moms group. It was at our local hospital, once a week, run by a lactation consultant and you could go and breastfeed (or bottle feed) and ask any questions about breastfeeding, baby, being a mom, etc., and it has a separate private online group where you can post questions and other moms will answer. It's great for both getting information and getting support, I learned so much more there than I did in any book. Ask your hospital or doctor's office if they know of groups like that in your area, I can't recommend it enough. 

Everycol0r

I think I saw this mentioned but I'm not 100%, but I really loved the website Pregnant Chicken with DD. They even have a Pinterest board with lots of product recommendations, etc. 

ashleyf911

For a funny book, I really liked Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth by Jenny McCarthy. I'm not a huge fan of hers normally... but I read it when pregant with my DS, and the book is honest and funny and made me laugh. 

Other books I enjoyed were:
Bringing Up Bébé
Guide to Childbirth by Ina May (side note: she is a huge hippie so some of the birth stories are kind of cringeworthy if you're not into that whole thing)
The Wonder Weeks (another side note: there is also a Wonder Weeks app that correlates to your babies due date, and tells you week by week what's happening with babe and when they might be more fussy or learning new skills, etc. It's amazing and was dead on for my son).
The Wonderful Art of Breastfeeding

notthefather

PSA: I created a registry on Amazon and noticed today that they give you a promo code for a free pregnancy/newborn book! They have several options, a couple have been mentioned above! 

ETA: I chose On Becoming Baby Wise.

Moosey17

I loved that book with my first pregnancy! Sooo funny and true! @ashleyf911

pregobeth

@calecorvus I love the Expecting better book too! I went through college as a stats major, so her approach really spoke to me. 
Also, Pregnant Chicken is one of my favorite pregnancy blogs. 

bettyvonsomethingstein

I don't follow Pregnant Chicken, but that site name always makes me think of Beyoncé the metal chicken "Knock knock motherf***er" Bloggess post.  Please tell me someone knows what I'm taking about.  I don't think any blog post ever in the history of life has made me laugh so hard.  Anyone?