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I’ll be honest, when I first found out that I was expecting a little one I didn’t really think anything of it. I wasn’t scared, I wasn’t overly excited I was just at peace knowing that I was bringing a bundle of joy into the world as a new mom. Besides, my morning/all day sickness made it a little bit impossible to think about anything more than finding the nearest toilet every hour.
Once month four hit, and my morning sickness subsided, that’s when my mindset shifted and I realized that I actually was going to be responsible for someone other than myself and my husband. The first time Mom jitters started to kick in.
“What if I don’t breastfeed right?”
“How will I know if the baby needs to go to sleep or if they’re just wet.”
“How will I know what hospital to deliver at?!”
“OMG, I’m eating peanut butter what if my little one is allergic, after all she does eats what I’m eating when pregnant.”
Yes all of these questions plus a billion more ran through my mind once I recovered from nausea nation. On top of my worries, every stranger, family member and friend felt the need to tell me what I should be doing during pregnancy and what I should do after birth. I know their advice meant well but it was all too overwhelming.
I knew that taking unsolicited advice from others wouldn’t really help if all of the advice came out of context like I touched on here. After all of the confusion I knew it was time to do some research so that I could feel confident being a new mother.
Due to my life being as hectic as it is I knew I wouldn’t have enough time to go to the library or attend any first time mom groups, so I did the next best thing. I read and I listened to credible books.
If you know me then you know before I make any purchases I am a hardcore review reader! I read a bunch of reviews for different books and I was able to pinpoint a few different resources that would provide me with witty but useful tips to help me gain the confidence I needed during pregnancy.
Whoa, Baby! What Just Happened?
By Kelly Rowland
I was so skeptical about this book as I discovered Kelly Rowland wrote it and I never viewed Kelly as a writer. Yes, it was very bias of me however, can you blame me? Nowadays every singer wants to be an actor, or something outside of their main niche. I was sure it would be just another money making scheme. But of course, I was wrong! Whoa, Baby! What Just Happened? was actually one of the funniest, but informative books I’ve read to date. Kelly shared a lot of her experiences during pregnancy that helped to normalize my own feelings. I actually immediately fell in love with her transparency and she too had the same fear I had about feeling invisible once the baby arrived.
It may feel like a selfish thought, however, as we journey through pregnancy and arrive into motherhood, people often forget the journey you’ve been through and I wanted to be recognized gosh darnit! I don’t want to be overlooked and unsupported as these feelings can evolve into possible PostPartum Depression. To ensure the credibility of Kelly’s findings and recommendations, she included the endorsement of Tristan Bickman MD, her personal doctor. This book was definitely a keeper for me and one of my highly suggested books for both before and after pregnancy frets.
The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth
By: Genevieve Howland
This book by no means is a one and done type of read! The book consists of week by week, 42+ weeks to be exact, play by play action plans for you at each stage of pregnancy,. It also includes some much needed information on what to expect after you deliver your bundle of joy. It answers questions about breastfeeding, diaper changing, morning sickness and the whole nine yards. Some say this book is meant for “crunchy mamas” but I found Mama Natural Week By Week Guide helpful being outside of the crunchy mama community. This book helped me feel more secure in my pregnancy and assured me that the rib pains and occasional binging bouts I felt were normal. I initially purchased this book because I thought it would help me carry through with my commitment to deliver naturally but I ended up utilizing the book for it’s health tips and amazing recipes. I especially appreciated this book as an audio book because every chapter/ pregnancy week included an affirmation and “mama to do list’. Gahhh!!! You know how much I adore to do list!
As an audio book this allowed me to listen in between my car rides to and from a client or daily errand. I enjoyed all the personal stories about childbirth within the book as it empowered me to exercise my right to make personal choices not forced choices.This book offered a plethora of information on the pros and cons to interventions during birth and both home and hospital births. I read this book within 1.5 weeks but I will be revisiting the chapters pertaining to my particular week each week of pregnancy. If you have no idea what pregnancy will be like or what to expect this book is a must read as it tells you whats up with baby and what’s up with mama each week as well!
Matriarc App (for Apple)
My friend who is a pre and post natal exercise specialist recently launched a brand new completely FREE app for moms on Apple. Please comment if you want the link! The app includes 120 exercises for your core/pelvic floor to help women rebuild properly after kids, meditations and a newsfeed. If you have an android and want to be added to our email list for when it’s ready please comment your email! This app is amazing, as the community for new mothers to chat about their struggles and wins makes motherhood more manageable. Yes the app still has a small community BUT the more intimate the app, the less lost you feel. I will surely utilize this app a lot more after I have my little one, but even before my little one pops out I still love the community feel the app provides. It males me feel like a super mama!
I totally get it! No matter how much you prepare fears, and anxiety may still be afloat. After all, no two children are the same. Mothering just can’t be “taught!” But hopefully some of these resources will prove to be helpful along your journey.
Have you ever struggled with feeling confident as a new mother? How did you cope? I provide post-partum therapy in Connecticut for new mothers and therapy in Connecticut for expecting mothers. Just book your free consultation with me today!
