Free People Dress
When I first found out I was pregnant I made the conscious decision to try (keyword) to not overwhelm myself. If you’re a mom or currently pregnant, you’re probably laughing out loud right now, but I was trying to do damage control before it even started. I’m a planner…an over-thinker…maybe a bit neurotic at times. I can go with the flow on vacations, when flights get delayed, even when home projects go wrong…I try to roll with the punches, but if I know I can better prepare myself for a situation ahead of time, I always try to.
Pregnancy can be a big time of stress and feeling overwhelmed. There’s so much to learn about, read about and prep for. There’s a ton of websites, pregnancy apps, and aisles of baby books for expecting parents. We only bought two books during this pregnancy and a third by accident well before we were even planning on getting pregnant. Here’s what we’ve both been enjoying together…
BRINGING UP BÉBÉ
Let’s start with my favorite, Bringing Up Bébé. We both downloaded this on Audible when we first found out I was pregnant, but since then have ordered the paperback for easy reference. I listened to this on a flight and took SO many notes on my phone. Rob and I have always both admired how there are so many different approaches to parenting, and each time we would travel to Paris we smiled ear to ear watching kids run in the parks and make new friends by the water fountains. This book gave us a look at how you can raise your children to be free spirited individuals with great big personalities, while still maintaining a level of respect for meal time, household rules, and the parent-child dynamic. This book was such a useful tool, while still being entertaining and enjoyable.
THE HAPPIEST BABY ON THE BLOCK
One of the biggest things we have been talking about lately is a potential sleep schedule and how to find a good routine for our future babe. Rob purchased this one after reading a little about Dr. Harvey Karp online. You might have heard of him if you’ve come across that fancy smart bassinet, the SNOO. (We’re slightly obsessed, but still haven’t pulled the trigger on purchasing it yet.) Dr. Harvey Karp focuses on self soothing, sleep cycles and how to better identify what babies want and need when crying or fussing…all about the 5 S’s. I know you can’t plan for everything, and we have no idea what type of baby our baby will be, but it’s been a fun book to read together while we begin to plan for the arrival of our little one and definitely has sparked many conversations.
THE FIRST 40 DAYS
Okay, this book still makes me chuckle, not because of the content, but because Rob ordered it by accident wayyy before we were even serious about having a baby. He placed an order on amazon for a few cookbooks and somehow this ended up in the cart. It always was a joke when friends came over, but now we’re happy it’s part of our bookshelf. I haven’t immersed myself in this one too much just yet, as it’s all about a woman’s first 40 days after giving birth. It goes through how you should nourish your bodies after birth, how to give yourself time to recover, and bond with baby while still making sure you’re making yourself a priority.
I know this list is brief, but (again) we’re definitely on the less is more train this time around. We’ve been more than happy to listen to mama friends who have given us first-hand advice, but Google has been quieter than usual as we try to go into this with a relaxed, open mind. What books or tools were most helpful to you guys during pregnancy/early parenting? We’d love to hear what worked and what advice was most helpful in your experience.
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I love the first forty days book! I buy it as a gift every time one of my friends has a baby. I love encouraging women to seriously think about what life will be like postpartum! Love this round up of books.
I just had my first baby 11 weeks ago and definitely embraced the “less” approach! I really enjoyed “7 Secrets of the Newborn” by Dr Robert Hamilton, who got YouTube famous for “The Hold” (it’s a super cute video) It’s super straight forward and full of common sense advice I just needed someone to tell me was ok. So excited for your new arrival
Sleep deprivation is no joke and the 4th trimester was really hard on me, especially cause I knew nothing about newborn awake time and how much sleep they need and what I could do to help. Find @takingcarababies, she has an awesome newborn course with no crying involved. And when your baby is old enough (at least 16 weeks from due date) you could sleep train if you wanted or needed to. Some babies are great sleepers and don’t need it. PS Cara is aware of meaningful pause from Bringing up Bebé.
Oh, Christina – about those “websites, pregnancy apps, and aisles of baby books”, don’t do that to yourself. Seriously, back when I was paper-pregnant (I adopted), in the days before all of those things, just going to Babies ‘R Us and facing the Wall of Bottles was intimidating enough. You’ll know what to do for your baby, and he/she will teach what you don’t know at first. That was true with me and my daughter even though I didn’t give birth – I *knew* there was something the matter with her hip even after doctors pooh-poohed me, and there was (it was addressed and she’s fine now). Instincts and your laser-like focus on your child kick in, and Mama really does know best. But that “The First 40 Days” book sounds wonderful. I have a Shanghai-born friend who took care of me after surgery based on the medicinal qualities of some Chinese foods, most of which I couldn’t identify, but all of which were delicious and absolutely helped my healing. I’m glad for your sake that was accidentally sent to you!
Love the simple onesie, where is it from?