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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
BR: Books???
I am looking for suggestions on good pregnancy books to read. Anyone got any favorites?? TIA
So far I am looking at belly laughs, girlfriends guide to pregnancy, pregnancy week by week, and what to expect when your expecting
Re: BR: Books???
Ditto and pregnancy week by week...except they had info in Week 32 (example) that should have been read in Week 12...kind of odd. It was like that though out the book. I would just read each week though.
I've read those four. I liked The Girlfriend's Guide b/c it's written from one woman's personal experience and is more conversational. Plus, some things I experienced were similar to hers and I couldn't find much substantive info on them in more "informative" sources. Pregnancy Week by Week and WTEWYE are packed with info, but sometimes I felt overwhelmed by the amount of information and the random way it was divided up throughout the chapters. Belly Laughs is a funny, quick read... and she's very "honest" about the ups and downs of her experience.
I actually borrowed most books from my local library. I didn't really feel the need to own many of them, but that could just be me. Plus, I think everyone is different in what they find helpful or reassuring, so you might want to check each one out for yourself first before you buy.
For my hubby, I bought "The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips, and Advice for Dads-to-Be" and "DadLabs Guide to Fatherhood." The first is factual and informative (I even prefer it to some of my books!), and the second is funny and toilet-bowl type reading about the whole baby experience... I started DH with the goofy one so he wasn't overwhelmed!
Any week by week info was in the babycenter.com emails I signed up for (highly recommend!!). The rest came from the Mayo book.
The Mayo Clinic one is great - esp b/c it tells you for each month what to be worried about/when to tell the dr (immediately, next day, next appt) if you have certain symptoms. It also gives a lot of information on decision making for testing, etc.
Girlfriend's guide was awesome b/c it's conversational - and that just reminded me I need to check what she said about what to pack for the hospital!
Belly Laughs was a gift from a friend - hysterical! But it's a quick read - if you don't want to buy it, you can always check any of these out at the library first to see if you think they'd be useful. I'd prob borrow this one from the library or just read it in B&N/Borders or something.
Baby Bargains is another must have for when you're looking at "stuff" you'll need for the LO.
HTH!
I have:
Mayo Guide - it's pretty good. Good: well organized, the index has always helped me find what I am looking for, very direct (includes the info without commentary). What I didn't like: didn't give me any advice on what is medically necessary, what are the pros and cons of certain tests, and what to ask a health care provider. Also didn't like it's stance on homebirth.
Week to Week: (bought current edition at a thrift store). Good: (almost) weekly pictures are interesting. Bad: it is sooooo out of order I would never use it to find a specific topic I was really interested in. Pictures and weekly updates can be found online so I would skip this one if it wasn't super cheap/checked out from the libarary.
Simkin - Pregnancy Childbirth and the Newborn - probably my favorite (but would still couple it with the Mayo Guide). It is arranged by trimester and seems to have really applicable info where it should be. Gives lots of medical advice regarding the testing pros/cons and also has good tips on questions to ask your healthcare provider. Because the topics are so nicely arranged (and pretty short) MH has actually read this one the most - I usually just point out the section with the info he was asking about or I want him to know.
Birthing from Within - LOVE it. Not so much a pregnancy book and I didn't get much from the "birth art" discussion I really liked the conversational nature and the discussion on preparing for birth. It made me really think about the birth process and how to mentally prepare. I also relied heavily on it to mentally come to terms with the fact I won't have a homebirth.
Simkin - The Birth Partner. This book is LONG - it can't really be DH friendly (although it says for husbands, doulas and other labor support ppl). But I was able to skim it and find some good parts for him to read. I don't think he was excited about it but he knew he needed to read up so we could discuss what we wanted out of a childbirth class. I think he has gotten quite a bit out of it.
Other: Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth, Spiritual Midwifery (Ina May), Pushed.
I did read Belly Laughs (also found at the thrift store for $1). It was funny but a really quick read, wouldn't purchase it myself but would read if I could get it free/cheap.
Those are EXACTLY the four books I got! They were great. Here are some short reviews of the books on my blog...
http://growinglimabean.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-were-reading.html
I also got "Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers," which I TOTALLY recommend. I actually didn't read that until AFTER baby was born and I was already nursing, but I wish I had read it earlier. Great book if you want the low-down on nursing.
And instead of getting "The Happiest Baby on the Block" book, I would recommend getting the DVD instead... MUCH easier. The book is so slow and took me forever. There's no way I would have got DH to read it in time. The DVD was plenty and we learned all we needed from it!
And when you go to purchase baby gear... "Baby Bargains" is a MUST!
Malia & Dave & Alexa
Happily married since 2-17-08! Three since 9-9-09!
Baby Blog
I have Mayo Clinic and also have The Pregnancy Bible (I flipped back and forth between this and Your Pregnancy Week By Week, but the Bible was more comprehensive AND still had the week by week guide).
I got The Expectant Father and My Boys Can Swim for Ben, and he likes them both - especially My Boys Can Swim, which he read in one day (it's a thin book) and laughed all the way through.