“You’re glowing!” "Enjoy this time." "Is it a boy or a girl?" "You’re carrying high." "You’re carrying low." "It’s OK, you’re eating for two." "You sure it's not twins in there?"
These are just a few of the many colloquialisms you hear on a daily basis once that bump starts showing. If you are pregnant or have been, you are well versed in, what I like to call, pregnancy small talk. Everyone is bombarding you with advice, suggestions, questions and more questions. As a first time mom and someone who enjoys her personal space bubble, I was overwhelmed by the intrusion and the barrage of information coming at me. But, as all type A personalities do, I put on my big girl librarian pants and got to work!
My go to books during my pregnancy were ones that laid out what to expect on a week-by-week basis. I also really wanted something that was written by both doctors and parents. One of the books I really liked was The Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy. This was a great resource with week-by-week overviews as well as chapters on symptoms, getting pregnant, decision making, and more. I really liked that I didn't have to read everything at once. I could read along as the weeks progressed and consult other chapters as needed. You also can't get through a pregnancy without at least browsing What to Expect When You're Expecting.
Books like Pregnancy Day by Day and The Pregnancy Encyclopedia were more to my taste, but there are a whole lot of great books out there if you are more interested in a holistic approach to pregnancy. Books like the popular, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, The Mama Natural Week-By-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth, and other natural pregnancy books can be really great resources.
That being said, books were not actually my go-to resource for this pregnancy. From the very start, from trying to get pregnant through the pregnancy process, I relied on a variety of apps, forums and discussion boards. Apps like Glow and What to Expect were full of on demand resources and tracking tools that were literally at the tips of my fingers. I loved logging my symptoms and feelings each day and being able to see my digital baby grow each week.
I also used registry apps and researched advice from fellow moms on discussion boards on websites like The Bump, What to Expect, and The Baby Center. I even signed up for weekly emails from Parents Magazine online. Many of these resources have followed me beyond my pregnancy and now give me weekly baby development updates and suggestions.
No matter your preferences, one thing is for sure. Your pregnancy is and should be all about you! Take the journey you want to take and do it in the way that makes you feel good. And above all else, practice that nod-and-smile because when it comes to pregnancy advice, everyone will have something to say.
-Maranda S.
P.S. Don't forget to listen to MCPL's latest Library Matters podcast, where librarian Adrienne Miles Holderbaum and I talk about our experiences as expectant and new mothers, as well as the pregnancy and new baby resources MCPL offers.
Some additional resource from library staff members:
For Conception:
For Pregnancy:
For Dads & Partners:
Labels: Books, Health, Research
That being said, books were not actually my go-to resource for this pregnancy. From the very start, from trying to get pregnant through the pregnancy process, I relied on a variety of apps, forums and discussion boards. Apps like Glow and What to Expect were full of on demand resources and tracking tools that were literally at the tips of my fingers. I loved logging my symptoms and feelings each day and being able to see my digital baby grow each week.