My Pregnancy Week 5

I am now quite a few weeks into my pregnancy! I promise I won’t drag you through the minute details of pregnancy. Just a few fun things to share with you…Right now I know this body is definitely hard at work. How do I know? Because I am exhausted!!!  All I want (more than anything in the world) is a Venti Caramel Frappaccino and my nice comfy bed.  

It’s definitely amazing to think that my now lime of a baby has only 28 more weeks ahead to go (or at least I am crossing my fingers for nothing more than that time span). I haven’t outright started planning  for the arrival of our little one, merely gathered thoughts in my head; even though we have known for two months now, I am still trying to process this new life. What are the steps I need to take at home? How much and how hard of exercise should I be doing? What and how much should I be eating? I am a candy-holic, and after all – this isn’t going to be an easy road.  I think I will have to sneak a candy bar or two- hmmm maybe Chocolate Pattie in Rockford, IL will be a cohort in that evil scheme and send me some yummy chocolate?! 😉

I have started reading the “key” books and have downloaded great applications on my iTouch – What to Expect When You’re Expecting and Pregnancy 411 by the Bump. These two great apps are really getting me through these long weeks. I am also surfing http://www.letop-usa.com/ and dreaming of all the clothes that I will soon be dressing my child in! Ooooh temptation!

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Are You Ready for a Year of “Firsts?”

There is one similarity with all recessions – when it is over a baby boom hits!  I have 8 friends expecting and Jamee is waiting for 14…so I would say “It’s beginning to look a lot like …the end of a recession!”

This new ‘generation’ of post-recession parents has their own set of ideas.  We have a legion of moms that want to do the right thing, and to achieve that goal they are diving into a pool of information that is limitless.  It is easy to get lost in a sea of books that tell you everything you ever needed to know about child rearing.  I decided to narrow down this vast list of books on parenthood because it seems overwhelming to a new mom-to-be (I’m not there quite yet, but it pays to plan ahead!)  I sat down with a group of my “mommy” friends to quiz them about the books they have read, and which ones ended up on their ‘recommended reading’ list.  Here is the list and their reasons why they are their top choices.

Belly Laughs, by Jenny McCarthy: All the mommy readers of this fabulously funny book agreed on three things:

1. It will make you laugh

2. It presents the ‘real life’ details of pregnancy

3. AND…NOT TO READ THIS BOOK UNLESS YOU ARE ALREADY PREGNANT OR YOU MAY NEVER WANT TO HAVE CHILDREN!

Two books tied as a weekly guide to pregnancy:  What to Expect when you are Expecting (Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi Eisenberg Murkoff, Sandee Eisenberg Hathaway) and Your Pregnancy – Week-by-Week (Glade B. Curtis, Judith Schuler).   Both of these books feature the week-by-week detailing of pregnancy and are written with short chapters for the mom in a hurry.

Rachael (expectant mom to Amara) says about “What to Expect…”: “My favorite part is once a week I read what stage the baby is at with my husband, to see how much she has grown, along with what symptoms I may look forward to for the month”

On Becoming Baby Wise (Gary Ezzo, Robert Bucknam) has become a very important tool for a couple of my closest mommy friends; they ALL swear by its teachings, and go “by the book”.  Baby Wise teaches parents to schedule their new baby’s routine around the parent’s daily schedule as much as possible.  This book points out that the baby is coming into your life, not the other way around.  Regarding Baby Wise Erin (mommy to Emma) has this to say:

“Baby Wise is great for getting your baby to sleep through the night within 8 weeks.  It is very important to stick with it and to be consistent with the scheduling.  It provides a method of feeding on a schedule, but also lets you be in control.  It creates an “eat, play sleep” routine and helps your baby to thrive.  It has worked wonders for me as a new and first time mom and I love the structure it has instilled in my daughter.  She doesn’t need to be rocked to sleep for naps or at night, all I do is lay her in her crib and she is asleep with in 5 minutes- no screaming or crying. I love it- but you have to stick with it!!!”

Val (mommy to Spencer and Grace) said this about “Baby Wise”:

“One book I swear by, Baby Wise (and all the books in the series,) is truly a routine we followed to get both kids to sleep, on their own, at a VERY early age. Most people who come over to our house are stunned and amazed at how our kids take naps and go to sleep with little or no fussing.  We literally lay them down when it’s time (this is key), and they fall asleep on their own.”

Things have changed from the days of Dr. Spock, but one thing seems to ring true throughout all of these books- scheduling is your key to a quiet first year and beyond.  What books have helped you survive this wonderful, but challenging first year?  I am sure all those expectant moms out there would love to have feedback from you ‘pros’ – after all…it IS the end of the recession!

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