What books should I be reading through during these last couple weeks of pregnancy? I have many pamphlets & booklets from my hospital about labor & delivery, but are there any great books that really helped you through the overwhelming newborn stage? I'm ready to put in a little order with Amazon or half.com!!
11 comments:
The ever controversial Babywise is good- but don't take everything as Gospel or be upset if it doesn't work for your child- there's many it doesn't work for. Still there's some good things in it. Secrets of the Baby Whisperer is good also. You may just want to get that from your library. I really liked Elizabeth George's "A Mom After God's Own Heart". I read it when pregnant and it was very challenging. I think the most overwhelming part about the newborn stage is just realizing is the learning curve all first-time moms go through that it's hard to learn flexibility and learn unselfishness in a whole new way. Children are such an integral part of sanctification too. I'm so excited for you. You're going to be a great mom!
Though the book can be anal and unrealistic in a way, I totally recommend "On Becoming Babywise, like Shannon said. The other book I would also really recommend "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer." I didn'y hear about it until Luke was older, but I think it would've been helpful to go along with babywise, and look forward to using it for helpful advice with baby no. 2.
These have already been mentioned but I am a fan of Babywise and having a baby on a schedule. When I gave a baby shower devotional I used Elizabeth George's A mom after God's own heart (10 ways to love your children). I have read it at least 3 times now reminding myself of the important things as a mom.
I'm not a fan of Babywise (but that's just me :)), but here are a few books that I found to be helpful.
If you're planning to breastfeed, I highly recommend "So That's What They're For!" by Janet Tamaro, and/or "Bon Appetit, Baby! The Breastfeeding Kit" by Elaine Moran (I found this one priced pretty reasonably on ebay). Both of those are full of great info. For general info and a good section on the newborn stage, I like "Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn" by Penny Simkin.
The E. George book that the other ladies have recommended sounds excellent, as well--I will have to add that to my wish list!
Happy reading, and at the same time try not to get overwhelmed by all the information out there! You will grow into the role of motherhood quickly and will always be learning and figuring out what works best for you. :)
P.S. I was curious if the Elyse that gave you the shower was Elyse Margraff? She was one of my roommates when I was a senior--she was a freshman. I thought I may have seen her in one of the pictures--anyway, if it's the same one, please tell her hi from me sometime, if you get a chance! :)
Ditto to everyone else's comments - Babywise is a good one. Take it with a cup of salt though. It can be pretty disappointing if you assume your baby will easily go into a schedule and then doesn't. The totally jive with the basic schedule ideas but recommend flexibility.
I've also heard great things about the baby whisperer. I plan to read that one before our bambino arrives.
For me, I enjoyed reading the medical type books to help me know what was going on with baby Chloe. I read Dr. Spock's classic (very interesting stuff), as well was the AAP's newborn guide, and used a Mayo health clinic guide for babies. Those were encouraging to me in their own way because they gave me new-mom confidence.
Also, a fun read (though definitely secular in philosophy so watch out for that creeping through) was the girlfriend's guide to surviving the first year of motherhood. I can't believe I'm actually recommending this one but the sarcastic humor was what I needed during those first exhausting weeks. :) I know, very un-spiritual of me.
While I was pregnant I read the "What to Expect When Your Expecting," then I read the one for the first year, not a bad idea to have on hand.
My two cents about Babywise. A schedule is a good thing, but Babywise isn't the only book out there that encourages that. . .It is a good read, but don't be glued to the book, use what you can and make your schedule work for you!
"Your Baby's First Year Week by Week" and if you're looking for something to skim through before you go into labor, I liked "Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way." I do NOT agree with everything in this book but it did help me stay focused during labor and not need medication.
I read a lot of books mentioned here - I have "Great Expectations" which has a section on newborns, and "by accident" when Aaron was about a month old we "just happened" to stop by a garage sale and found "what to expect the first year" for $1! WOO HOO. But I have to say, my most valuable resource had to be the experienced moms that were my friends and fellow church-goers. I can't tell you how many times I've asked questions and gotten good suggestions from other moms who just went through the same thing.
Also, a great website to check out is kellymom.com. Invaluable.
OOH! I just thought of another thing that was a LIFESAVER! It was a video our hospital had - "The Happiest Baby on the Block" and it had some AWESOME tips for soothing a screaming child. One of them ALWAYS worked for Aaron. I would try to find that video for sure.
Ditto to Jenny's suggestion of the video - it worked wonders with Elijah!
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