I’m a reader. I am also a planner. I try my best to prepare myself for future events. Before going to college I read about how to be a successful college student. Before getting married I researched and planned for the wedding, went to pre-marital counseling and studied many books over marriage. And, I know that I can’t be prepared for EVERYTHING, but the extra preparation and time I put into being prepared helps keep me from worrying. And, if you’ve met me, you would certainly know that I need help to keep from worrying.
Anyways, I’ve been working on preparing myself for pregnancy, birth and the upcoming years of being a first time parent. I thought I’d share some of the books I’ve been reading and my insights on them. If you have any books that you’d suggest I’d love to know about them!
The “What To Expect” books:
What to Expect Before You’re Expecting, What to Expect When You’re Expecting and
What to Expect the First Year
What to Expect the First Year
The “What to Expect” series is a great, straight-forward set of books that help in the step-by-step planning process. I found that I could easily skip around in these books to find out the information I needed the most. These were recommended to me by many people and the First Years book was suggested as a good source book from a pediatrician.
by Armin Brott & Jennifer Ash
Now, I’ve only read bits of this book because I bought it for my husband… but, so far it has been a GREAT resource for him. The chapters are organized by the months of pregnancy. It gives some fun suggestions for how the dad-to-be can deal with his partner’s pregnancy as well as some items that the father-to-be may want to begin thinking about.
by Alice Bradley and Eden Kennedy
Okay, so this book isn’t a book with practical advice. It isn’t one to prepare you for pregnancy or having the baby. It isn’t a book for those who LOVE being pregnant. And, it isn’t a book for someone who doesn’t have a sense of humor. Which means… it IS a book that made me laugh out loud and helped me think about pregnancy differently. I know there are a lot of other people out there that love being pregnant… but, I have NOT enjoyed it. This book let me think about pregnancy in a much different way and probably saved my sanity at just the right time.
by Heather Armstrong
I devoured this book. It is such an honest memoir about pregnancy, postpartum depression and dealing with being a new parent. It made me laugh and it made me cry. One of my biggest fears is going over the edge after the little one gets here (family history of bipolar disorder and depression make me worry about this as a possibility). This book prepared me for the signs and the triggers. It also made being pregnant MUCH easier… it is always nice to read about someone who had it worse. 😉 kidding.
Oh, and this fantastic author is a pretty famous blogger of the blog dooce.com.
*Read more and check out bump photos from the past two weeks*
by Harvey Karp M.D.
You hear about the babies that CRY all the time and the parents who can’t handle it. I fear that… I think most soon-to-be moms do. This book is mainly for colic babies, but the tips the author shares seem to make a lot of sense. Hopefully I can utilize these tips to calm future Baby Bost when he seems to be doing nothing but crying.
by Penelope Leach
I’ve baby sat before. I was even a nanny for few years to three precious little ones. But if you asked me how to bathe a new born or the best way to get a baby to latch for breast feeding, you would probably see me begin to panic. I plan on taking birthing and newborn classes… but, I wanted to have a general resource book. This book is GREAT for that. It provides information on feeding, sleeping, bathing and all the important milestones along the way through the first year.
by Dr. Jenn Berman
This is the latest book that I’ve picked up and I’m finding it extremely informative and useful. The author is a family and child therapist who also wrote the national bestseller, “The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy, Confident Kids.” She focuses on different ways to interact with a child to best benefit the child’s development. I’ve really enjoyed the advice she gives about communicating with a child, creating security and promoting language development. I don’t subscribe to everything in the book, but find most of the advice I’ve read so far very smart.
Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think?
Any other books I should pick up?
5 Comments
Hi Jenni,
Got a good giggle about “Let’s Panic About Babies”. Defintely will keep that in mind for my future. Thanks for stopping by blog today– appreciate the well wishes. Following you now on Google Connect- love your blog.
~Kelly
You are so beautiful! I am so blessed to have you as my daughter!
YOU: Having a Baby: The Owner’s Manual to a Happy and Healthy Pregnancy by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz (Dr. Oz) is a good one full of information. It starts from day 1 all the way until a few days after birth.
If you need a laugh Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth by Jenny McCarthy is fast read and will just make you giggle.
Belly Laughs by Jenny McArthy is a good read. Definitely good for a laugh when you just can’t take it anymore.
Also try “Babyproofing your marriage.” It’s a quick, easy read and has lots of good advice for parenting and still being an awesome spouse.
Dustin and I are finding ‘Baby 411’ VERY helpful. It sounds comparable to ‘The Essential First Year’, just a great general resource book. It’s organized in to practical chapters and uses a question and answer format; I just love it.