Required Reading

When you get pregnant is seems there's a lot of stuff you have to learn about your body and your growing baby really fast. In a way it's like taking a semester of "Human Growth and Development". Some things you learn right away and some things take time to learn. One way to learn about all this stuff is word of mouth. Your friends, co-workers and relatives all like to tell you stories of when they were pregnant and what happened to their friend, co-worker or relative. Some of this stuff you want to hear and some is rather scary. But you can't always rely on that sort of education. It's cool for baking a pie or making a pot roast but you really want something more detailed and researched for this particular 'bun in the oven'. Here are some books that I have found interesting and helpful.

What to Expect When You Are Expecting
The old stand by - I actually have the second edition which I picked up at a yard sale about 4 years ago. It has been very informative however in the beginning stages of pregnancy progress weekly and this book is laid out in months.

Your Pregnancy Week by Week
This is my favorite book so far. It is laid out in a weekly format with descriptions of how your baby grows and how your body changes. In the early weeks it shows you pictures of what your baby looks like and to-scale drawings.

The Belly Book
I bought this over the weekend. It a book to track your weight gain, belly size and has a place to put weekly pictures. There are places to record cravings and thoughts about the life growing inside you. It's a pretty cute book.

The Complete Baby Journal, Organizer and Keepsake
Found this at Border's over the weekend. So far it is the best baby book I have found. Growth Charts, Milestones, Teeth Charts - it's awesome. There are also some tools for when you hire a baby sitter - Emergency info cards, a list of the babies schedule, likes and dislikes etc. I haven't purchased yet but plan too.

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding
This book is put out by the La Leche League. My mom suggested I get this book since I plan to breastfeed. Have not acquired yet but plan too.

Baby Names: From Aisha to Zander, Mary to Robert...All the Names You'll Ever Need
Picked this up at Border's. It has over 5,000 names with origins, meanings and variations. With tradional and trendy names there are planty to choose from.


I also signed up at Pregnancy Weekly online. They send me tips once a week and a weekly newsletter. The most helpful thing so far has been all the lists they have for you - Prenatal Classes, a Birthing Plan Checklist, Weight Gain Chart - and all kinds of lists for the Organized Mom and Mom-to-be.