Some people choose to just wing the whole parenting thing while others like to be as prepared as possible. At the end of the day, nothing goes as planned and no one’s experience is a true “text book” experience.
For me, I wanted to be prepared. It made me feel less anxious about bringing a new life into this world. For my sister, a mother of three, she admitted to not preparing at all. She just felt that her motherly instincts would kick in and that she could lean on friends and family that had been here before.
I am a firm believer in there not being a right or a wrong way to prepare for baby. My super laidback sister is an amazing mother and she never read any expectant mother books and she didn’t attend prep classes offered by the hospital. For those of you more like my sister, rock on! For those of you with a little pent up anxiety about what is to come, consider checking out some of my recommendations below.
*I have to admit one thing upfront. I am not much of a reader these days. Between working fulltime and volunteering in my community, I don’t take a lot of time to settle in to a good book. With that being said, I commute about two hours a day for work, so I get a lot of my “reading” done via audiobooks and podcasts.*
Podcasts
Settle into your commute, your getting-ready-routine, or a good cleaning session with these podcasts. I soaked up information about pregnancy as well as newborn care while I was waiting for my little man to arrive.
Preggie Pals
“We educate and entertain expectant mothers and those hoping to become pregnant. Each episode features a panel of pregnant women, at various stages and trimesters, as well as experienced moms and experts. Together they explore topics aimed to embrace pregnancy and encourage women to pursue their individual childbirth choices. The show is part of the Parents On Demand Network.”
My recommendation:
I popped in and out of topics that interested me. I recommend skipping the intro and any current events discussion they like to do at the beginning to get down to the meat and potatoes of the topic.
Newbies
“Newbies is an audio podcast guiding new mothers through their baby’s first year of life. Episodes feature newly postpartum moms as they celebrate the excitement of becoming new parents, as well as the emotional and physical struggles of recovering from childbirth and caring for a newborn baby.”
My recommendation:
Newbies shares the same creator as Preggie Pals. I skipped the intro and current events discussion on this one too.
The Boob Group
“The Boob Group is an audio podcast supporting parents who are passionate about providing breast milk to their babies. Each week, a group of experienced moms openly discuss their success, their struggles and society’s impact on how they feed their babies. The show helps guide listeners by providing an honest, natural and judgment-free approach to breastfeeding, pumping, milk sharing and more.”
My recommendation:
Like Preggie Pals and Newbies, The Boob Group share the same creator. I’m not sure why the shows take so long to get to the topic, so just skip past the intro and current events discussion if it is not your cup of tea.
Books
There are a ton of books on the topic of pregnancy and parenting. My husband read his fair share of expectant father books. I focused more of my time on podcasts, but I did find the books below to be helpful.
Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth
“Dr. Marc Weissbluth, one of the country’s leading pediatricians, overhauls his groundbreaking approach to solving and preventing your children’s sleep problems, from infancy through adolescence. In Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, he explains with authority and reassurance his step-by-step regime for instituting beneficial habits within the framework of your child’s natural sleep cycles.”
My recommendation:
I know I said that I don’t have time for books, but let me tell you that I make time to learn about how to get my baby to sleep! I do actually own this book and have combed through it cover to cover. The wisdom I have learned from this book has made all of the difference in me being able to understand what my baby needs as well as get him on track to great sleep. I highly recommend that you throw yourself into all resources available to educate you on infant sleep! Trust me, you will thank me later.
The Awakened Family: A Revolution in Parenting by Shefali Tsabary, Ph.D.
“New from the New York Times best-selling author of The Conscious Parent comes a radically transformative plan that shows parents how to raise children to be their best, truest selves.”
My recommendation:
I listened to The Awakened Family as an audiobook on my commute. I found this book to introduce a lot of ideas that were worthwhile discussing with my husband to make sure we were on the same parenting page before we were knee deep in the throws of parenthood.
On-line Community
My FAVORITE resource during this whole adventure has been the vast online community that has formed around motherhood. I love being able to ask other mothers questions and getting a variety of answers to consider. The community that I focused on was based on Facebook.
Mommy2Mommy
My recommendation:
There are a number of Mommy2Mommy communities on Facebook that connect moms in their local areas. I love that this group will answer any and all pregnancy and parenting questions as well as local and general questions that are not baby related. Just search for Mommy2Mommy on the Facebook search bar to see if there is a local group for your area.
Respectful Sleep Training/Learning
My recommendation:
Like I mentioned earlier, I have a huge interest in learning how to help my baby get the best sleep possible. This group has amazing recommendations and its files on various sleep techniques are pure gold. I love that so many people are willing to share their schedules as well as give you recommendations for your own.
Breastfeeding Support Group
My recommendation:
Breastfeeding is a journey. It is hard work to start, so surrounding yourself with as much support and resources as possible will help you get through the dark early weeks. Having direct access to other mommies that are also up at all hours of the night is super helpful when you are in a pinch and need questions answered.
Have other pregnancy resources to recommend to help moms make it through this journey? It takes a village, so let me know what you have personally found helpful!
Mommy Tribe 