Pregnancy Literature

If you are a woman, chances are that at some point you'll be TTC - that is, trying to conceive. And if you take a look at the message boards, maybe like me you'll be 100% confused wondering what the hell an DH or LO is. Luckily, there's a website for everything, and so here's your first piece of pregnany literature:

http://www.fertilityplus.org/faq/acronyms.html

I am a huge reader in general, and my first piece of advice about getting/being preggo is to go ahead and read some books. At some point I'd like to set up a list on our blog of recommended reading, but until I figure out how to do that, here were my favs:

• The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy - sent to me by Annie. Sort of corny, but lots of good information.
• My Miserable Lonely Lesbian Pregnancy - I realize the title may not appeal to all people, but really it's about a woman going through a pregnancy alone and it is HILARIOUS. Plus, it'll introduce you to the nasty side of things, which you need to do before you actually get pregnant and are all of a sudden shocked that you've developed uncontrollable flatulence.
• The Jenny McCarthy books Belly Laughs and Baby Laughs (you can save that last one for later, though). Both quick reads, and again they tell the real side of things.

And then there are some books that, once you get pregnant, I highly recommend having available for easy reference:

• What to Expect When You're Expecting (and go ahead and pick up What to Expect the First Year as well). This isn't something you'll sit down with a cup of tea and plow through as it's not the most organized read, but it's good as a reference guide if something weird is going on. Think of it as a pregnancy dictionary - you'll really only use it when there's a word you don't understand.
• Baby Bargains for when you register. I didn't always use their suggestions on what brand to register for, but at least it gave me a great idea about all the things we needed for a baby.
• Pushed: the Painful Truth about Modern Maternity Care - I'll warn you, my mom told me I was "drinking the kool-aid" to read this book and take it so seriously. But, I do feel like it helped me have the birth I wanted, so I'm throwing it in there and just take the suggestion (and the entire book) with a grain of salt.
• Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby. This book may or may not work for you, but regardless you're bound to find at least one good tip re: baby sleep habits.
• Nursing the First Two Months - SUCH a godsend in regards to breastfeeding (thanks again, Annie!). It's super short, so you won't get overwhelmed by the mere thought of reading it, and the info is pertinent and very helpful.

And then this isn't so much a book, but I also recommend watching The Happiest Baby on the Block video. If nothing else, you will learn how to be a SERIOUS swaddle expert. I also watched the Ricki Lake documentary The Business of Being Born, and I think on that one you could go either way - it's ok, but not great, and sort of scary (so all in all maybe not worth it. Plus I got it from the library somehow managed to rack up a $9 late fee. Stupid movie.)

Happy reading!

Being a mom

"Why are you crying?" he asked his mom. "Because I'm a woman" she told him. "I don't understand," he said. His mom just hugged him and said,

"And you never will"....

Later the little boy asked his father,"Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?""All women cry for no reason"

was all his dad could say....

The little boy grew up and became a man,

still wondering why women cry...

Finally he put in a call to GOD;when GOD got on the phone, the man said,

"GOD, why do women cry so easily?"

GOD said....

When I made woman she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enoughto carry the weight of the world;

yet, gentle enough to give comfort....

I gave her an inner strength to endurechildbirth and the rejection that many times

comes from her children....

I gave her a hardness that allows herto keep going when everyone else gives upand take care of her family through

sickness and fatigue without complaining....

I gave her the sensitivity to love herchildren under any and all circumstances,

even when her child has hurt them very badly....

This same sensitivity helps her tomake a child's boo-boo feel better and shares

in their teenagers anxieties and fears....

I gave her strength to carry herhusband through his faultsand fashioned her from his rib

to protect his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know thata good husband never hurts his wife,but sometimes tests her strengthsand her resolve to stand beside him

unfalteringly.

I gave her a tear to shed,It's hers exclusively to use whenever itis needed. It's her only weakness....

It's a tear for mankind....

And Another Welcome!

I'm Amanda, the other new mom. Much like Annie, I'm here because I'm interested in sharing the things I've learned since getting pregnant a year and a half ago. And also, I'm here to tell you the truth. The things that other moms either won't mention at all or will totally gloss over, and then you'll have a baby and think you're going crazy because no one told you it would be like that and it's so HARD, but then you'll realize no - everyone feels that way and everyone thinks it's that hard, and then you'll probably find the first mom you see and nearly strangle her for not warning you, and she'll choke out that even if she'd tried to warn you there's no way you would have believed her. And you know what, moms? It's true. You won't believe us until you've been there, in the trenches, having what feels like early-onset-menopausal hot flashes because you just put the baby down for a nap and you think you might possibly have heard a tiny whimper and he/she CANNOT WAKE UP YET. But even though you won't believe us yet, it's still important to put the information and support out there, because someday you'll realize you need it.

You're welcome.

And also welcome. To our blog.

Welcome Mama's

I'm Annie a stay at home mom to my son Gabriel (21 months old). Thankfully my husband (of over 2 years) Greg has made it his priority for me to be able to stay home with our son. My close friend Amanda and I live far away from each other (she's in NY and I'm in TX) however being that we were the first of our friends to have kids we naturally bonded. Turns out motherhood is an exclusive club and it's just hard to explain it to anyone that hasn't gotten pinned. Amanda's son Charlie is about 12 months younger then Gabe (9 months old) so when she was pregnant I was her go to girl. Combined I think we have read every conceivable piece of literature on having a baby/raising a baby. The one thing that we both agreed on is we wanted to take all that knowledge provided from books/blogs/both of our personal experiences and blog about it from a new mom p.o.v. Separately we have both been avid bloggers for years and after talking a lot about being new moms we decided we wanted to tell our stories and share all our insights with other mom's.

We will both be posting on what we are going through and also what we have been through, as well as tips that we have learned so if you are a young new mom and want a raw perspective on motherhood this is your blog.