Baby Tuesday: Resources!

 
Today's topic of baby discussion is.... resources!  With, of course, a quick update on the babe growing inside me.

First, baby and mom are doing well.  I've been eating nonstop all the time.  Mostly because I get really hungry and have to eat almost every 1 1/2 to 2 hours (apparently it's very normal).  Other than that and some fun heartburn lately, everything is going well.  I'm starting to get bigger, but it still just looks like fat to me (go figure, right?).  I'll give you a better update next week, but for now I'm just anxious to start feeling the baby move, buy all kinds of goodies, and find out the gender!!!  I'm dying to know.


Continuing on...

I don't profess to be a pregnancy expert, but I do want to share with you some of the things that have helped me so far in my pregnancy.  It's actually quite fun being pregnant in an age where technology is so readily accessible.  Fun and scary.

Fun because there are so many goodies you can use to your advantage and scary because if you aren't careful you can read misinformation.  Just ask your doctor if you are taking serious life-changing advice from the internet.

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Apps

First, I want to share with you some really cool apps that I like and use quite a bit (and have heard from my pregnant guru - aka my best friend).

The first one is the BabyCenter: My Pregnancy Today app. 

The reason why I like this one so much is that it gives you a day-by-day list of things you should be focusing on in your pregnancy (like reminding you to exercise, make good snacks for yourself, pamper yourself, figure out baby names, etc.).  It also has tips/advice for each day while you're pregnant.  It's nice to have something at your fingertips when you just want to read new things about your pregnancy.

 

The second one is the What to Expect: Pregnancy app.

I like to have both of these apps because they're both different and helpful in different ways.  This app tells you how far along you are, how far you have to go, and the average size of your baby (COOL!).  It also has weekly and daily readings for you that deal with everything pregnancy.   Honestly, I like this one better, but they both have their pros.

Both also have their own forums that you can post/read questions to or from other readers.


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Books

Books are awesome.  I haven't read enough pregnancy books yet, but I'll let you know which ones I do like so far.

If you like a book that's straight to the point, hilarious, and doesn't leave out any dirty details, then this is seriously a great one for you. 

 

It is written by a woman who shares with you every gross detail that you don't always hear/read about.  Nor do you really want to... Everything from constipation, your sex drive, hemorrhoids, and all the gross things that go on down there that most people don't like to talk about. 

I loved this book.  She does curse quite a bit, but it didn't take away from the point of it all.  She was funny, truthful, and dirty.  I even made Nick read this book because it was so insightful.


Another great book, that I actually got for free (all the OBs around here give them out for free), is a pretty standard pregnancy book. 

It explains exactly what's going on each week and gives you clear definitions and advice on what to do with your body and your life.  There are a LOT of books just like this one.  I'm not recommending this exact book, but I do recommend that if you are pregnant (or are going to be) that you get one of these books to have by your bed all the time.  I always keep referring to different weeks, stages, and advice columns in it. 

A popular book just like this one is one written by the Mayo Clinic.  Just go to the library and you'll find one that is pretty similar to what I just described.


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Websites

Being a blogger I have to put some great websites on here for you.

One awesome site is, of course, Pinterest.  This is just because you can get SO many great ideas for nurseries, DIY baby items, pregnancy clothes/exercises, and you can even find some great advice/tips as well for before/after baby arrives.  Just take it all with a grain of salt.  
By the way, here's my baby board on Pinterest!


Alphamom
Alphamom is a pretty amazing and resourceful site.  It offers week-by-week info on your baby as well as past experiences from alphamom herself.   There's also a TON of information about other pregnancy-related topics, parenting, etc. etc.  It's great.

Random blogs and articles.
This is comes up all the time when I'm finding new things to look at or read.  A couple that I have found, and really like, are these:
This one from xojane
This one from twotoosmartsmartassmommies.  Actually, it's a pretty funny blog by itself.
Here too from pregnant chicken.  This is a great blog.  It's super informative.  Especially the "Is it Safe?" section.


I could go one with websites.  There are, of course, other mommy blogs you can find and I'm sure if you're looking you'll find ones that fit you perfectly. 

I'm still searching for great resources and I'll definitely share them with you when I find more that are awesome.  Until then...