(Part 3) Best mental health books according to redditors
We found 1,096 Reddit comments discussing the best mental health books. We ranked the 300 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 41-60. You can also go back to the previous section.
![What to Expect the 1st Year [Rev Edition]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61Jy4OKqZpL.jpg)
Are we looking at the same cover? This woman does not look 75+ pounds overweight to me. She doesn't look overweight at all. https://www.amazon.com/Womens-Bodies-Wisdom-Revised-Emotional/dp/0553386735
I am 23 and just had my first on NYE. Go out and get the book Great Expectations: Your All-in-One Resource for Pregnancy & Childbirth. This was my life saver. It goes over everything from symptoms week-by-week to safe foods and medications during pregnancy, how to talk to family, what to consider in case your families are different religions, what to expect from birthing classes, how a typical delivery/c-section goes, what you need to buy before baby arrives, baby shower game suggestions, etc. Literally EVERYTHING you can possibly think of. I don't think I had a question all year that it didn't cover.
Does she have a doctor? She needs a doctor, and to be on prenatal vitamins. She can get those from a drug store. I like Nature's Choice gel prenatal, they were a lot easier to digest than the solid multi-vitamin style.
Just be there for her. Listen to her problems and concerns. Talk to her about child support.
As far as when the baby gets here, don't worry too much. Babies are easy. They sleep, eat, and poop for the first few months. And when I say sleep, I mean all day. Just stay happy and love her, hold her, talk to her, let her know she's safe.
Woo hoo! Twice the work, but twice the fun. Our girls are 13 months now, and it's been great. We didn't find out genders until they were born, because there are so few fun surprises in life already, and we didn't want to ruin that one. I don't think anyone has mentioned it yet, so check out the book What to do When You're Having Two. Oh, and whenever anyone says "Two for the price of one!" to you, immediately correct them. It's two for the price of two.
I seem to remember that we had something like https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Expect-1st-Year-rev/dp/1847379745
If that's the one, it was a clear, pragmatic book that did what it said on the tin and didn't really dictate what you had to do, or give magical solutions, but had good practical advice.
Mind you - that's 13 years ago now :)
I'm currently reading this book about guilt over c-sections / choosing not to breastfeed.
I think you'd really like it. It's called Push Back: Guilt in the Age of Natural Parenting.
the tl:dr of it is that as long as you and the baby come out alive and you're happy there is very little difference between the outcomes of babies who are delivered vaginally vs. c-section. or Breastfed or formula fed. There is no honour in suffering needlessly if you don't want to.
I'm so glad you're going to see a therapist. That should help. Also, if your son is at the 2nd percentile and he wasn't there before--in other words he isn't just naturally a tiny baby--please give yourself permission to give him formula. Combo feeding (formula and breastmilk) is what most women do and speaking from experience, it is great.
And for some women, breastfeeding itself prolongs the hormonal issues of post-pregnancy--in other words it prolongs postpartum depression and anxiety--so you might want to consider possibly going to all-formula, because babies need healthy, reasonably happy, sane mothers WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY more than they need breastmilk.
I drove myself nuts trying to give my twins all the breastmilk I could--a challenge because I had a massive postpartum hemorrhage, which messes with milk production--and I felt incredible guilt until my mom sent me a recent study that showed that all the supposed long-term health benefits of breastfeeding over formula are actually due to the fact that women who breastfeed tend to be in higher socioeconomic classes than women who exclusively formula-feed. It's called the discordant siblings study and it compared thousands of breastfed kids to their own siblings who were exclusively formula fed from day 1. They compared siblings in order to make sure that the kids had the same socioeconomic class/environment. Turns out absolutely NONE of the 11 health measures (obesity, asthma, etc.) showed an advantage for breastfeeding. Here's a link:
http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/sibbreast.htm
And I'm not knocking breastfeeding--it can be really lovely, and especially given how often newborns nurse, it's a lot easier than having to wash bottles and prepare formula for every single meal. I'm just saying that you are not required to breastfeed in order to count yourself as a good mom.
Best of luck with the therapist and everything. Oh, and PS, whenever you feel up to reading, you might find this book really helpful: "Push Back: Guilt in the Age of Natural Parenting"
https://www.amazon.com/Push-Back-Guilt-Natural-Parenting/dp/0062407341
The Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy was by far my favorite. I thought it was going to be dry and medical, but it had everything I was looking for. I found "What to Expect" to be a little disorganized and kind of scary, but I know a lot of women like it.
We also really like Be Prepared, which is really a dad book but I enjoyed as well. It's lighthearted and easy to read in quick segments, but has a lot of good info.
Online, I really like the Babycenter.com community because it has so many people... almost any question I have has already been asked and answered, so I find lots of answers. If your town has a chapter of the Mommies Network you'll absolutely get great info there, and meet local parents/parents-to-be. Finally, if you're breastfeeding, Kellymom is a must.
Whew! Hope those help!
You should get him these
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0199781559/ref=pd_aw_sbs_5?pi=SL500_SY115&simLd=1
^ this talks about how men became the stereotypical brawny man.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0553386735/ref=pd_aw_sbs_4?pi=SL500_SY115&simLd=1
^ this talks about women's bodies and the changes they go through (I'm thinking of getting this for me)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1570628122/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1417541607&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SY200_QL40
^^^ especially this last one talks about how to have meaning fun relationships
My fiancé says: get him a dildo he'll be happy.
I need to addend eatingaboook's comment. What To Expect does a wonderful job with diet. However, that book is, uh, pretty fear-mongering in general, and written like a teen 'zine. My OB gave me Your Pregnancy And Childbirth, which is not condescending, provides exercise ideas, and addresses issues in a matter-of-fact way without making you terrified or preaching at you.
Just to give you another perspective: I had a planned c-section because I had some prior medical issues that complicated the situation. That being said, my medical issues were not true "reasons" to have a planned c-section (according to whatever medical groups makes the rules), so on the form it says the c-section was because of "mother's choice", which implies that I made a "bad choice", given N. American views on c-sections. So, although I didn't feel upset about the c-section at the birth, I had many negative thoughts prior to the birth. I felt my body had failed me prior to even getting pregnant. I had a complicated pregnancy and continued to feel my body was failing me. But, I had also done cognitive behavioural therapy prior to getting pregnant and knew that these thoughts were not truly valid. One book that helped me make the decision to actually get pregnant in the first place and have a planned c-section was "Choosing Cesarean". It's not a perfect book, but it really helped highlight the fact that there are risks with vaginal birth too! Risks that our society tends to minimize. One question you could ask yourself is if you had known ahead of time that you would 100% for sure have to have a c-section, would it be worth it to have the baby? I'm guessing your answer is yes! Honestly, my answer was adopt; that's how negative a view I had of c-sections from media and other people growing up. But, I educated myself a bit more and realized that there are risks to all birth methods and having a baby was still worth it by c-section for me, in the end :)
I think you will likely feel okay after a few weeks, but if you don't, follow up with a therapist to work through your feelings of disappointment and body failure.
We used frozen sperm from a bank and used the syringe they provided. It worked out fine. Since you have a relatively limited quantity of sperm to work with, timing becomes the big thing (I'd also suggest having your donor's sperm count checked if he's willing). I recommend charting your cycle for some time before you try it the first time. We actually bought a speculum so we could do cervical monitoring, which was incredibly helpful (look up the Beautiful Cervix Project for an idea of how things should look at different points in the cycle, and take photos if you can, since the differences from day to day are much easier to track when you have a visual reference). We found a used copy of The New Essential Guide to Lesbian Conception and found it extremely helpful throughout the process. Good luck!
Sometimes emotional stress can affect our lovely lady parts! I'd recommend Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom for some interesting ideas about how to think about your health.
-signed, UTI/yeast frequent victim... ugh!! good luck!!
I recommend the book Real Food for Gestational Diabetes to everyone I know with GD!
Hi, congrats, and welcome! The anxiety is totally normal. You're in good company here. I have boy/girl twins and a 4-year-old girl.
There are some great resources out there like the Twins Triplets and Quads book (but the TL;DR of that is "eat more. so much more. no really go eat now.") and the What to Do When You're Expecting Two... but I find that seeing, talking to, and hearing from other parents that have been there makes me more confident.
The doctors will already be keeping close tabs on your wife's health, and your babies' health, especially towards the end. There will be so. many. visits. But that's good, because nothing will be likely to get by them. They'll likely be getting a level 2 ultrasound, NSTs, blood work, ultrasounds up the wazoo, the works.
I'm about five feet tall and I grew 'em to 13 lbs together. It wasn't fun from about weeks 28 onwards when they passed average singleton newborn size, but it wasn't unhealthy per se. I got all the medical attention I ever needed - including iron infusions, mega vitamins, protein shakes, antacids - and I took all the opportunities I could to rest - and I may have ended up a bit healthier than when I started.
Your wife is in great hands. Your babies are in excellent care. Give your amazing wife and son all the support you can muster! You're going to be a wonderful family.
That right there ought to be the cover page picture of those "What to Expect the First Year" books.
Instead of this
Source: Father of two
It sounds like you need to some more learning about what parenting could look like for you and then decide with your new knowledge whether that is something you really want. I recommend a few things.
It sounds like you just need to get a better sense of how this could all take shape. Once you have more info you will be better able to tell what path is for you.
I am going to read Making Babies and do an Amazon review (to link) and host a TFAB book club, where I will facilitate a discussion about it on an agreed upon date in TinyChat. I will be submitting a post today to invite people to join the book club.
A lot of these questions are answered in the book called, The Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy.
The Positive Birth Book UK based, but it's awesome!
Type of giveaway (OPKs, HPTs, other): Book giveaway
Title: Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility
Willing to ship to (US only? other country? anywhere?): US only
My favorite so far in terms of helpful information has been Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn by Penny Simkin
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1501112708/ref=dp_ob_neva_mobile
pregnancy sucks by Joanne Kimes. This one is a really refreshing read. Less on the clinical side, more for the 'you don't have to feel guilty if you don't love every second of your pregnancy'. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000EHTAZA
I recommend the book Choosing Cesarean to give you some additional information/ammunition before you talk to your doctor about this. There are some doctors who will refuse elective c-sections and others who are happy to provide them, and the book will help you make your decision. It covers fear/anxiety around labor and goes into a lot of detail as to what happens during a c-section, so you can learn more about it.
I've had one emergency section and will be having a second medically-indicated/elective c-section (I could argue for a VBAC, but honestly I'm not interested). I don't know what my doctor's opinion is on an elective section, but I know that she is most interested in delivering my babies safely (for both mom and baby) so if there is a medical indication for you, I imagine most doctors would be open to a c-section for you. And it sounds like you are not pregnant yet (?), so you have time to start asking questions and find a doctor who will work with you.
I think that PCOS is one of those "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" disorders. The actual causes are somewhat of a mystery right now. I've gone back and forth on what I want to blame for why I developed PCOS, but the important thing is understanding how our hormones function (or dysfunction lol) and how we can have a bit of control over them. What we eat is definitely as important as how much we eat.
I don't know of readings specific to PCOS but a book on hormones in general is really helpful. One that helped me was "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom." The author is a doctor but also has a down to earth/motherly approach to understanding our bodies.
https://www.amazon.com/Womens-Bodies-Wisdom-Revised-Emotional/dp/0553386735
I honestly founding reading the posts in babybumps here really helpful. Anytime I worried about something, I could just go to the search reddit search field, check limit to /r/BabyBumps, type in a word, and normally someone would have already worried about something I was stressing about lol. I also was given a sort of straight forward book about what to expect week by week. Probably not the best book out there, but it was easy to read and to the point, which I find works for my ADD addled brain lol.
Anyway, I dunno how much this helped, but I hope you can find some comfort here like I did.
I'm sure you're getting advice from a million directions now, so I'll keep this short. But totally feel free to message me if you ever want anybody to commiserate with or ever have any questions. I spent a lot of time on our registry, so I may be a good resource for that, too. :-)
I LOVE this book but still, I don't see how menstrual paintings are helping any cause.
I really liked, "So That's What They're for" (http://smile.amazon.com/Thats-What-Theyre-For-Breastfeeding/dp/159337285X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404586460&sr=8-1&keywords=That%27s+what+they%27re+for).
I'm a fan of attachment parenting, so I probably wasn't on alert for stuff. Still I found it very helpful in understanding the process and what to look for. No shame or guilt inducing sections.
wellllllll if we're delving into it, the diagnosis stems back to Hippocrates too-- the "father of medicine" knew so little about the female body that he claimed the uterus literally wandered around, into her stomach or even her throat, causing erratic behavior -- "hysteria". This was the Father of Medicine, so people bought it for a long time. ( More info in this book, but the wiki article covers it too.)
so it was a legit diagnosis until a century ago, but women also couldn't vote until a century ago; the context is incomparable. That'd be like saying "look at all the racist people! oh, and dont get me STARTED on slavery." We're just not there anymore. It doesn't mean racism's gone, and it doesn't mean women aren't still patronized or belittled (I'm a woman, I been there). But people who pull out dusty old facts to support anecdotal conjecture, instead of modern scientific studies to support actual social trends, aren't just a part of the problem, they are the problem.
Here is a concise list from the FDA of what types of fish are recommended while pregnant. Fish (low in mercury) is great for your baby's brain!
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/Metals/UCM400358.pdf
FDA and Mayo Clinic are great sources for information on a variety of pregnancy-relates issues. All facts, no fluff like you'll find on commercial sites like "what to expect", the bump, etc.
I really like the book The Pregnant Body. It has amazing illustrations and information about what is going on with you and your baby. It doesn't tell you what to do like a lot of other pregnancy books. It just provides information.
https://www.amazon.com/Pregnant-Body-Book-DK/dp/0756675596
Ah shit. I had that one in my hand today but went with this one instead.
They're definitely di-di, but I guess that doesn't necessarily mean they're fraternal? Apparently if the embryo split early enough, they can still develop in their own sacks.
And thanks for the rec, I'll definitely check that sub out. Someone over there should know how the heck to feed two babies simultaneously.
GDM researcher here :)
Check out Dr. Eddie Ryan's website http://diabetes-pregnancy.ca
Dr. Ryan is a world leading expert in GDM and has dedicate his life to helping women manage GDM. He's also a really nice guy haha. Likes cycling.
Also read check out this book if you can: Real Food for Gestational Diabetes: An Effective Alternative to the Conventional Nutrition Approach https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00S33XOH2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_LaMLzbXCZ4A7Z
The books are dumb. Sorry they're making you feel bad. Fortunately, pregnancy is not all that hard to understand, so arguably you don't need a book at all. If you want a book, I'd recommend The Pregnant Body Book, which is mostly glossy pictures of developing embryos and fetuses. I found it pretty cool.
As for TTC, you don't know you're infertile yet. If you turn out to be, try r/infertility. Since you have PCOS, you may need the help of a doctor, but I'm sure you already know that.
It's a good one, but tbh, I didn't get around to reading it all because I started with another book and went into labor before I got around to the Mayo Clinic one 😓
I started with this one: Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501112708/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_cDYRzbYW81FQF
My husband and I took the labor and childbirth class offers by the hospital and it was really helpful. He got to learn/practice swaddling and diapering hands on and learned all about what to expect throughout labor. We aren't going to have a doula and he'll be my support person, so it was very important to me that he knew what to do and expect. I'm not sure he would've enjoyed doing a dad boot camp solo, I think doing the generic class together was our best option, and that way we were both getting the same information.
I also got him this book from the library. He said its been an ok and easy read, but I think the class already covered most of it. The pregnancy/labor stuff can be learned through a book, but the more hands on, after-the-baby-arrives stuff might be more helpful to look up YouTube videos.
These are all great! I would also add Push Back: Guilt in the Age of Natural Parenting, by Dr. Amy Tuteur. It's like the opposite of Ina May, which just helped me balance out the idea of "natural childbirth" with the scientific obstetrics side. Those two are polar opposites but I find reading two starkly different opinions helpful in making up my mind.
Also, Mommy.LaborNurse on Instagram has a natural birth course that is $39 that I really liked. Follow her or just watch her stories and she frequently posts a link for 20% off.
We did:
Four-week "comprehensive childbirth" class at our hospital, which I really liked and am glad I took. The instructors were all either nurses or former nurses at our hospital and were familiar with our hospital's policies and standard practices, so I now feel very comfortable with what might happen during our birth; also, it turns out our hospital is pretty awesome. It was also actually some nice bonding time with my husband, especially when we practiced having him coach me.
One night breastfeeding class, also at the hospital. Informative, but not necessarily anything I couldn't have learned on my own. It was good to hear about the breastfeeding support that my hospital offers, but I suspect I would have found out about all of that anyway during my stay.
Watched the DVD series Laugh and Learn about Childbirth. It was nice to have a second perspective, and there is so much to know about childbirth that there was material covered in the videos that wasn't covered in our class. The instructor has an interesting style which we found to be hit or miss, tonally, but overall it was a good use of time. We also have Laugh and Learn About Breastfeeding, but haven't watched it yet.
I also read (I've been to the library more in the past two months than in the previous two years...):
My husband is reading The Birth Partner, Third Edition: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Doulas, and All Other Labor Companions, and likes it so far.
I still have HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method: A natural approach to a safe, easier, more comfortable birthing; The Birth Book: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Safe and Satisfying Birth (Sears Parenting Library); and Natural Hospital Birth: The Best of Both Worlds on my reading list. About three weeks to go; we'll see how far I get.
You should check out this book.
This one is (somewhat) queer & trans inclusive and had a lot of really good information, covering conception + pregnancy and physical + emotional + partners as well. A bit dated, but found it surprisingly comprehensive.
New Essential Guide to Lesbian Conception, Pregnancy, & Birth https://www.amazon.com/dp/1555839401/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_DVQRCbAN0Q46S
http://www.amazon.com/Your-Pregnancy-Childbirth-Month-Edition/dp/1934946893
I used What to Expect when You're expecting for my first 2. I personally prefer the one that I linked. I got a copy "free" from my OB at our first visit. Its pretty cheap on Amazon so I highly recommend it.
My favorite was the Big Book of Birth by Erica Lyon. It's easy to read and full of practical information to prepare you for the stages of labor (and managing each of them) and the various paths labor can take. It also addresses the many scary things that can happen during childbirth but in a way that is more reassuring and informative rather than frightening. Also there are a ton of birth stories included throughout. Besides driving home the "be flexible" approach to childbirth, these stories also gave me a very wide perspective on can happen during labor. For example, I might have been a little freaked out by all the shaking my body was doing in between contractions if it had not been for the fact that I had read a birth story that mentioned it. So when it happened to me I understood that it wasn't a problem and that is just one of the things that may occur.
I also enjoyed reading Homebirth in the Hospital by Stacey Marie Kerr for more great birth stories and tips for attempting natural childbirth and Pregnancy Sucks by Joanne Kimes who gives us permission to not love every second of growing child and showed me how really good I had it during my own pregnancy. Finally my week by week guide and general information book of choice was Great Expectations by Sandy and Marcie Jones. Happy Reading!
My husband did not read any books when i was pregnant with our first. He did enjoy me telling him what sized fruit the baby was, though, and interested in tidbits about development. However, when we were deciding about circumcision, I sent him a bunch of articles and told him to research it and he did, so we could have a discussion. The nastier aspects of pregnancy, I was happy to let remain a mystery, as was he. We did do a birth class, though, and that was more helpful for HIM than it was for me, because I don't think he knew much of anything about childbirth.
A few people gave him pregnancy books for dads, but he did not really read those much. But this time around, I found a great book on support during labor and delivery which we both read: http://www.amazon.com/The-Dads-Playbook-Labor-Birth/dp/1558326723/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371492764&sr=8-1&keywords=dad%27s+playbook+labor+and+delivery. I have been recommending it to everyone under the sun.
You are not very far along, and maybe he does feel disconnected. Although stating that pregnancy is "your thing" sounds kinda harsh to me, give him the benefit of the doubt, anyway. It is early days yet, and as your body starts to change, the pregnancy will be more real for him.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Baby-Book-Revised-Edition/dp/0316198269
All of the Dr. Sears books are great. They treat you and your baby like people, not projects to schedule or manage.
http://www.amazon.com/Thats-What-Theyre-Definitive-Breastfeeding/dp/159337285X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397570127&sr=1-1&keywords=so+thats+what+they%27re+for
This is kind of old, but a funny way to learn to succeed at breastfeeding.
http://www.amazon.com/The-No-Cry-Sleep-Solution-Through/dp/0071381392/ref=pd_sim_b_13?ie=UTF8&refRID=0NSBRKTSW2JNFCDDDGK6
This is the gentlest way to deal with sleep issues if you have them. I have never had sleep issues, though, as we coslept. In fact, I have never slept as much as I did when my oldest was a newborn. I slept 12 hours a night.
According to the book Making Babies, the recommended vitamins for men are around:
5000IU Vit A (beta carotene)
1.2-1.5mg Vit B1 (thiamine)
1.3mg Vit B2 (riboflavin)
5mg Vit B5 (pantothenic acid)
50mg Vit B6
400mg Folic Acid
100mcg Vit B12
500-1000mcg Vit C
800-1000IU Vit D
400IU Vit E (d-alpha-tocaphenol)
250-300mg Calcium
2mg Copper
2mg Iron
250-500mg Magnesium
1-2mg Manganese
50-100mcg Selenium
50mg Zinc
We were able to find most of this covered in the generic CVS Men's daily vitamin, but I'm sure there are better options!
I got 40ish Weeks: A Pregnancy Journal by Kate Pocrass. I am kinda sucking at keeping up with it, but I think it is really cute!
I'd recommend Lily Nichol's book Real Food for Gestational Diabetes
I don't have GD but I loved her book Real Food for Pregnancy.
Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation
I just finished The Positive Birth Book by Milli Hill. It's all about how to think positively and without fear about birth and how to make it an experience you feel in control over. Feeling confident and in control boosts your oxytocin levels which are crucial during labour. Overall great resource for getting you pumped about giving birth, whatever form you choose.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1780664303/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Yanezb7YBMCT1
You are NOT a bad mother.
I'm sorry you went through this struggle.
I'd encourage you to pick up Push Back by Dr Amy Tuteur if you're still struggling with guilt and anguish over not being about to breast feed. Low supply has been medically indicated as a biological (genetic marker) fact--5% of mothers cannot produce enough milk to nourish a child. Here's her letter to mothers struggling to breastfeed
Please don't beat yourself up over this. You are a great mom!
Relax. It's maybe doesn't sound like the most useful advice, but bear in mind that your baby is already picking up things from you. If you and your wife are stressed the baby will pick up on that. When the baby is born it will pick up on stress. The more relaxed you are, the more relaxed your baby will be. Maybe.
You'll pick it up as you go along. It's fun and exciting. That said, we found What to expect in the first year a useful book.
The No-Cry Sleep Solution, So That's What They're For-breastfeeding basics, baby 411.
As a pediatrician, lactation consultant and mother, please avoid:
Babywise it has been condemned by the American Academy of Pediatrics and La Leche League for its bizarre recommendation that newborns be put on a feeding and sleeping schedule that is pretty much designed to lead to breastfeeding failure, attachment issues, and failure to thrive. The reviews on amazon tell quite a story--some of the 1 star are former 5 star submitters who realized that their baby wasn't "good" or "obedient" or "quiet", they were starving like little Romanian orphans and had given up making noise because they were just ignored. If I could put every copy in an incenerator I would.
The Vaccine Book, a wildly misleading tome full of misinformation and fearmongering. For accurate vaccine information, please read Dr. Paul Offit's Vaccines and your child. He is a vaccinologist, meaning that he has devoted his entire professional career to studying vaccines. Dr. "Bob" is a general pediatrician, like me, and has no additional training in immunology, virology, microbiology, or vaccines.
Little peanut gave me an AWESOME night of sleep last night. I didn't wake up til 5 AM, and even when I woke up, all I had to do was pee. Wasn't nauseous or stomach cramping or anything!
Hopefully all of August (and September) goes this way :)
[EDIT] Oh yeah, DH took me to a Barnes & Nobles after puppy class yesterday and we picked up 3 books!
We also have 3 other books that DH picked up a few days ago... plus we're on an adventure to find The Mayo Clinic Guide and [The Birth Partner]
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155832819X/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER)
All this reading makes me happy~
Great Expectations: All in One, it doesn't scare the crap out of you like What to Expect, it isn't as repetitive, and tracks the stages of development during pregnancy. It's the only one I went back to and recommend to friends.
I liked Choosing Cesarean by Murphy and Hull.
The Pregnancy Body Book is so freaking cool. I'm so amazed by the pictures http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0756675596/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?qid=1371231532&sr=8-6&pi=SL75
Super science-y
I've loved The Pregnant Body Book. It's a gorgeously illustrated medical journal on the process of pregnancy written for the layman.
I haven't run into anything judgemental yet. The section on pain relief goes over how each option works, their benefits and risks without any value judgements. Granted they don't go into formula feeding much since the focus of the book is biology but when they do talk about it they go over the benefits, how formula is made to imitate the nutrients in breastmilk, and stress that "it is important that a mother is not made to feel guilty if she feeds her baby formula."
https://www.amazon.com/40ish-Weeks-Pregnancy-Kate-Pocrass/dp/1452139156/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1497637149&sr=8-7&keywords=pregnancy+journal
I have this one and love it. It has a page for each day where I take notes on appointments/stats, symptoms, who we told, what size different apps say he is, etc. It also has a bunch of blank pages and pages with prompts (name ideas, who have you told, questions for OB, shopping list, etc).
For a couple of months I was identifying as FTM. Pregnancy was a god awful experience for me. I actually just spent 2 hours typing up my entire story the other day, here. But that mostly just covers the physical aspect of it. It's funny because I was so angry, uncomfortable, and frustrated my entire pregnancy. I read this book over and over again because it was the only source I could find of people who DIDN'T like being pregnant. I didn't understand why I was so miserable until after the fact, because I didn't even know there was such a thing as Trans* until October of last year when I met my ex-SO. But as soon as I started identifying as something other than cisgender, I connected the dots.
Yes to everything u/xaxwyf said!
I'm taking a 6-week class that is basically formed around this book. I keep forgetting to do the reading before class, but the few times I have, it's been really informational, way better than what I've read so far in What to Expect. I probably would have gathered the same information from reading the book that I did in class, it's just that there is no way hubs would have read it, too!
I found that all the breathing and birth positions I've learned in prenatal yoga has been WAY more useful than the birth class. Yoga has presented more options and been better about making sure that I am doing it the right way, rather than just showing a few positions. TL;DR - You should be fine.
Have you thought about a birth plan? Actually making a plan for what the best/worst case scenario might ease some of your anxiety.
Otherwise, I used the Gentle Birth app/classes and I felt so much more reassured about labour (if you can, watch their youtube vids). Also I recommend the Positive Birth Book for just the stories, advice and sense of calm it gave me. I though labour was all screaming, pain, sweaty and horrible - as depicted by tv. But it can be 'nice' too. So it helped me change my view of that. Sure I could still end up in pain, sweaty and screaming but hopefully I'll have the tools/knowledge to cope.
I'm 8 weeks away from my EDD and I'm not freaking out as much as I thought I would.
Books
These are the only ones I bought and read:
I love this Subreddit and just how easy breezy and fun the conversations were while still being helpful. I found these books had a similar feel to them.
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Baby Bump
I'm pretty petite and really didn't start showing until 24-ish weeks? Then is was like BOOM. There's a baby in there. So, I bet it's coming sooner than you think. I honestly was able to sleep on my stomach late into the 2nd Tri - which made me very happy.
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Food
I just ate what felt right at that moment. I had a lot of food aversions and it was just hard for a while. Eventually, I found things that worked and then the aversions tapered. I've been eating cashews a lot lately... Milk hits the spot... I'd say keep trying until you find something!
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TIMING
I didn't really have a "timeline," and my OB would remind us and help us figure out when to do some things like, call the insurance company, schedule classes, etc. I preferred to take the classes later so the information stayed fresh.
As for a car, we started that early because we knew we had two cars to sell/trade and wanted to make sure we found something we both really liked.
Make a list of what you want done before baby comes and place it according to "MUST HAVES" / "NICE TO HAVES" -- that helped us prioritize and made it feel more managable.
Hope some of this helped!!
I got one called 40-ish weeks that seems pretty good so far. It's not overly tacky and is kinda fun.
https://www.amazon.ca/40ish-Weeks-Pregnancy-Kate-Pocrass/dp/1452139156
First. Congratulations! This is amazing news and an exciting chapter in your life. Second. You’ve got this. I moved my wife to another country while she was pregnant with our first. He’s almost 5 months old now. And we were able to make it all work.
There’s a lot that’s going to change over the next year, but it’s still early. Enjoy your one on one time, you’ll still get it, but in smaller doses and often with less energy.
She is going to go through a lot of changes and will struggle with it all emotionally. Be understanding and active in helping her. Don’t ask her what she needs for help, or what you can do. Find out the things that will help without asking. You’ll catch on quick. The fact you’re reaching out to such an audience is a great sign you take this seriously.
Quickly looking through this, there are a lot of great tips for the pregnancy and start of fatherhood, but I didn’t see a lot about the birth itself. Which is the most overwhelming and incredible part of the whole thing. Your birthing experience, and more importantly your wife’s birthing experience, is a lot of personal choices that are right for you.
I was gifted this book: The Dad's Playbook to Labor and Birth: A Practical and Strategic Guide to Preparing for the Big Day https://www.amazon.com/dp/1558326723/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_x59VCbPGK4R5T
It was super helpful for me. It lays out the different stages, the possible outcomes and or choices, and how you can be a huge positive influence in it all. It uses humor and simple language, tying together this overwhelming process to sports analogies. It’s pretty short and well organized. It has a slight bias to the more “natural” birthing experience, but does not omit or overly put down the other more traditional options. I think they take that approach since you’ll be heavily exposed to those options by the hospital. Those options were also the right choice for my wife and family. Focus is truly on asking yourself and your partner what is right for you. You won’t have time to figure it out when it’s happening.
Take your time with it all, and be patient with yourself and your wife. You both have a lot of learning, a lot of information coming your way, a lot of doubt, and a lot of improvising ahead of you. It has been the greatest thing to happen to me and greatly strengthened our relationship. Good luck on your journey. I believe you’re already taking the right steps.