Well of course I have been reading lots of things online about babies and I got a few books as well. I had to get the classic "What to Expect when you are Expecting." I haven't been too impressed with this book actually. It seems like most of the stuff in there is stuff I've heard or is pretty generic. However it is nice to get a summary of certain symptoms and things I should be expecting from month to month. I actually have enjoyed learning from Andy's Itouch application every month. It gives more details about certain things, and links and movies to learn more where you would like to learn, it also includes some birthing videos that are grossy jossy :). We do laugh at the fruits and vegetables that it says that our baby is now the size of because lots of the fruits and veggies are so foreign to us like a Chinese squash or other veggies like that.
Anyways the other book that I am loving is a book called "Baby Wise". It is basically a book about getting your baby on a sleeping, feeding, napping, and waketime schedule. The thing I like about it is it is researched based about how your baby will be healthiest and happiest if you make them secure with a loving routine. It will also keep mom and dad sane and rested. It talks about the extreme theories of demand feeding (where baby is in control of their sleeping and eating schedule), and the extreme rigid schedule where parents are in complete control. The book "Baby Wise" takes the middle ground and talks about how a regular schedule is very healthy because the baby will get the best nutrition and sleep without snacking every hour and only taking tiny naps. It talks about how you should assess each situation and stage, and be somewhat flexible to your routine. Your schedule should not be so rigid that it doesn't compensate for a baby who is having a growth spurt or is sick, etc... This is a very informational book and would recommend it to any mom with a new baby. Of course I haven't practiced what it preaches yet but I am planning on it. Andy and I love consistency and routine so this book is perfect for us.
Lastly I read a book call "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" for pleasure reading mostly. At first I had a hard time getting into it because the whole book are letters written by quite a few people and I thought I would never remember who is who and who said what, but I kept with it and ended up loving the story. The story is mainly about an author named Juliet from 1946 who wanted to cover a story about the war but didn't want to cover the sunny side or what happened afterwards. She wanted to tell what happened to real people during the war so after she heard stories from people from the island called Guesnsey she literally fell in love with the people there, and actually ended up moving there are marring a man. The story ends up being romantic but not sappy romantic. It was very cute and I ended loving the characters personalities after they were developed. Great light hearted war story.
Hi Crystal, Meg Fogg here! I felt exactly the same way about what to expect when you are expecting, sort of a waste of money when you can find much more up to date information online these days.
ReplyDeleteI also did babywise and it's amazing! Reed was sleeping through the night at 9 weeks and we've never had a problem putting him down for naps or at night, he is a great self soother and sleeper. Focus on those first few weeks, they make all the difference. What seems like commons sense, when you are tired becomes a puzzle. Don't be afraid to talk through things with Andy out loud, it helped us narrow down problems much faster - diaper? tired? hungry? That is what really helped.
Good luck, can't wait to hear about baby LaBlanc!