There are few conversations that don't have me running to my bookshelf or the local library website to recommend books to my friends. Since the same books come up over and over, I'd like to summarize them here, and I hope to get to reviewing my favorites in due time.
Let me preface this by saying that after two unmedicated labors, I am well aware of why epidurals and other pain killers are used during pregnancy. What is the right choice for me is certainly not the right choice for everyone. While there are many books about unmedicated labors, I have yet to read one that doesn't vilify hospital deliveries. I have experienced a hospital delivery where I was respected and well cared for by midwives and nurses who supported me throughout a long, slow labor. I have good friends who have had similar positive experiences at other hospitals.
Mothering Magazine's Having a Baby, Naturally is my favorite pregnancy book. It tells you what is going on with your body in a more relaxed way (there are websites galore that can provide the week-by-week updates, but that is overkill for some of us), and lays the path for a natural birth.
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth was an amazing read. If you only read one book about labor, this should be it! The first half of the book describes personal stories of many women who experienced out-of-hospital births. If you question your ability to birth without drugs, the stories give you many examples of how normal birth can be. The second half of the book shows how powerful the mind-body connection is- what you expect in birth greatly affects how you experience birth.
Birthing from Within: An Extra-Ordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation is about finding the power within yourself to have a positive birth experience. If the first part of the book about birth art is a bit too fruity for you (I, admittedly, learned a bit about myself when I got past my skepticism), there is still more useful information in the later part of the book. This was the book my husband and I actively discussed the most.
Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers can make your first weeks with your baby easier and more rewarding. Roughly half of new mothers will experience difficulty establishing breastfeeding. Every mommy-baby breastfeeding relationship is unique, so I recommend this book for any pregnant woman, even if you have successfully breastfed other babies. For new moms, this book explains why breastfeeding is important, what to expect the first few days and weeks, and what changes to expect over time. It also gives tips for getting past problems along the way. For experienced breastfeeding mothers, I would recommend reading about the first few days and weeks because this stage may be hard to remember, and proper technique can save you a lot of pain. If you EVER experience pain during breastfeeding, please contact a lactation consultant. It is not supposed to hurt!
What pregnancy books have you read? What did you like? Did you read anything you wish you would have avoided?
Update 11 Feb 2010:
I can't believe I forgot to mention Mothering Magazine when I listed Having a Baby, Naturally. It is a great bi-monthly publication with lots of articles for parents and parents-to-be.
24 November 2009
20 May 2009
Bye, Bye Baby Bottle and No Sippy for You
I must admit that my one major reality TV splurge is Supernanny- I love the show, and I agree with 99% of Nanny Jo's child rearing principles. One of the common issues is having to take bottles away from toddlers and sippy cups away from young kids. Goodness, everything seems to get more difficult when the kids have learned how to push your buttons with tantrums and whining!
So, when my pediatrician told me, at G's 9 month checkup, that we should phase out the bottle by 12 months old without using sippy cups, it sounded like a great idea. Then, over the next 3 months, reality seemed to set in. At 12 months, we were using cups much more frequently, but my son was still having 36 oz of formula each day! That is a lot of mess and spills if bottles and sippies are not in the picture. I decided that I loved the idea behind early removal of bottles, but it would have to wait until he was eating more food and drinking formula a great deal less.
At our 12 month check up, the pediatrician asked about the bottle issue. I admitted that we still gave bottles before naps and before bed, and maybe another one during the day. He reiterated the benefits of getting rid of bottles and sippies quickly, but then he offered the key: straws. Why didn't he stress this months ago? It took 2 days to teach G to use a straw, and he only fussed for a few days when we replaced all bottles with straws and cups. No tantrums at all, mind you- just a bit of fussiness!
Along the same lines, we also greatly reduced the formula in his diet- the pediatrician recommended 10 oz each day, but he gets closer to 18 oz. We had to be a lot more imaginative with the food we offered him, but even that part of the transition was not difficult. He does eat practically every hour he is awake, but I'd rather he continue to listen to his body's hunger cues rather than the less healthy clean-your-plate and eat-on-schedule patterns mom and dad learned.
While I took the pediatrician's advice because I trust his opinion and experience, I did ask questions and do research on my own. My pediatrician gives the bottle weaning and no-sippy-cup advice for a few reasons: it is easier to phase a 12 month old off of the bottle than an older child; the child won't carry around the bottle, drinking all day which is bad for the teeth; and sippy cups are just one more thing you need to wean the kids from eventually with no added benefit compared to straw cups.
The minimal research I did online about sippy cups links them to poor linguistic development. Here are a few references:
From WebMD
Mommy Speech Therapy
A Boston News Station's Summary
Tons more information, too- just google 'sippy cup and language'.
So, when my pediatrician told me, at G's 9 month checkup, that we should phase out the bottle by 12 months old without using sippy cups, it sounded like a great idea. Then, over the next 3 months, reality seemed to set in. At 12 months, we were using cups much more frequently, but my son was still having 36 oz of formula each day! That is a lot of mess and spills if bottles and sippies are not in the picture. I decided that I loved the idea behind early removal of bottles, but it would have to wait until he was eating more food and drinking formula a great deal less.
At our 12 month check up, the pediatrician asked about the bottle issue. I admitted that we still gave bottles before naps and before bed, and maybe another one during the day. He reiterated the benefits of getting rid of bottles and sippies quickly, but then he offered the key: straws. Why didn't he stress this months ago? It took 2 days to teach G to use a straw, and he only fussed for a few days when we replaced all bottles with straws and cups. No tantrums at all, mind you- just a bit of fussiness!
Along the same lines, we also greatly reduced the formula in his diet- the pediatrician recommended 10 oz each day, but he gets closer to 18 oz. We had to be a lot more imaginative with the food we offered him, but even that part of the transition was not difficult. He does eat practically every hour he is awake, but I'd rather he continue to listen to his body's hunger cues rather than the less healthy clean-your-plate and eat-on-schedule patterns mom and dad learned.
While I took the pediatrician's advice because I trust his opinion and experience, I did ask questions and do research on my own. My pediatrician gives the bottle weaning and no-sippy-cup advice for a few reasons: it is easier to phase a 12 month old off of the bottle than an older child; the child won't carry around the bottle, drinking all day which is bad for the teeth; and sippy cups are just one more thing you need to wean the kids from eventually with no added benefit compared to straw cups.
The minimal research I did online about sippy cups links them to poor linguistic development. Here are a few references:
From WebMD
Mommy Speech Therapy
A Boston News Station's Summary
Tons more information, too- just google 'sippy cup and language'.
13 May 2009
About me
I am 30 years old (as of writing, of course), stay at home mother to my 12 month old son, Jason, and 6.5 months pregnant with our second baby. I love my son dearly, but I deal with boredom daily, even when I'm in the middle of things, but my friends tell me that when babies learn to talk, it gets much more interesting.
My priorities, right now, are keeping my family fed with healthy, natural food, keeping baby's electronic stimulation to a minimum (no kids' TV, few toys with batteries), cloth diapering (cd-ing) my son and figuring out a cd plan for having two babies in diapers, ensuring Jason gets the sleep he needs, and making sure my husband and I have time alone together and individual time away from the family. Notice housework isn't on this list. Or (non-diaper) laundry.
I have a master's degree in mechanical engineering, and 5.5 years of work experience since my BS, and I'd love to hear from other engineers/techies who are stay at home moms and dads. How do you keep your brain active? Do you miss the problem solving, apart from "Where did Junior hide the keys?" Do you have the energy or brain power to keep up with technical hobbies or publications?
I am writing this blog to exercise my mind, mostly, and hopefully solicit comments and discussion. I'd also like to share wonderful parenting things (products, advice, books) I have found, and answer questions I haven't found: how do you shower when you're home alone with kids? how do you unload the dishwasher when babies try to climb in and on it? When one or all of the kids is off-the-growth-chart big or small, how do you keep yourself and others from constantly commenting about it?
We'll see how it goes. There will probably be some knitting thrown in there.
My priorities, right now, are keeping my family fed with healthy, natural food, keeping baby's electronic stimulation to a minimum (no kids' TV, few toys with batteries), cloth diapering (cd-ing) my son and figuring out a cd plan for having two babies in diapers, ensuring Jason gets the sleep he needs, and making sure my husband and I have time alone together and individual time away from the family. Notice housework isn't on this list. Or (non-diaper) laundry.
I have a master's degree in mechanical engineering, and 5.5 years of work experience since my BS, and I'd love to hear from other engineers/techies who are stay at home moms and dads. How do you keep your brain active? Do you miss the problem solving, apart from "Where did Junior hide the keys?" Do you have the energy or brain power to keep up with technical hobbies or publications?
I am writing this blog to exercise my mind, mostly, and hopefully solicit comments and discussion. I'd also like to share wonderful parenting things (products, advice, books) I have found, and answer questions I haven't found: how do you shower when you're home alone with kids? how do you unload the dishwasher when babies try to climb in and on it? When one or all of the kids is off-the-growth-chart big or small, how do you keep yourself and others from constantly commenting about it?
We'll see how it goes. There will probably be some knitting thrown in there.
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