I have gotten some questions about what I am packing in my hospital bag, which online courses I've been taking, and how we are preparing for the arrival of our baby. In order to answer those questions, I am sharing a list of my go-to pregnancy and parenting resources.
I didn't want to write a post offering advice and I don't want to pretend to be an expert. This is my first pregnancy! I am just trying to figure this out. Instead, I would rather point you in the direction of experts and resources that I have found to be very helpful.
Pregnancy and Parenting Resources:
Websites I Love:
Tinyhood
Tinyhood offers online parenting classes. Charles and I took the Baby 101 series which includes classes on breastfeeding, sleep, CPR, and baby care. It's broken down into segments that are 5-20 minutes each and you don't need to do them all at once. The cost is super affordable at just $49 and we learned key skills like how to aid a choking baby, how to bathe a baby, and how often a newborn should be fed. They offer other classes on topics like baby led weaning, breastfeeding, toddler nutrition, and more. We liked how the classes are clear, to the point, and include helpful graphics for us to download and reference later.
Bumble Baby
I love this website because it is written by a team of women who are NICU nurses, and child safety, sleep, and speech experts - plus they are all mothers. They know their stuff. Their website takes on topics like how to store breastmilk, what to bring to the hospital, the best baby products, how to supplement with formula, how to use a haaka, and so much more. In addition to the website, the Bumble Baby team offers a variety of consulting services including lactation consulting, sleep consulting, speech and language consulting, and more.
Motherboard Birth
This website educates you about the choices you have regarding your birth experience and then lets you create a birth plan to share with your medical team. Here is how I view Motherboard, I think it can replace the need for a birth class. Plus its only $50 and takes far less time than a birth class. When I asked Instagram followers if a birth class is necessary, 77% said no. I got many messages, and no one said it was a MUST. The thing people did say is that I should learn about my options when it comes to giving birth and that I should have a plan in mind for pain management. I think that the process of reading through the birth plan options on Motherboard Birth taught me what I need to know and has empowered me to make the decisions that I need to make. Plus, my decisions are all organized and ready to share with my care team.
Books:
Expecting Better by Emily Oster
This was the only book about pregnancy that I read. It was given to me by my sister in law and the book explains things like why women are told to avoid rare meats and deli meats during pregnancy. The book provided me with the education I needed to make my own informed decisions.
Cribsheet by Emily Oster
Just like Expecting Better, this book is about using data to help parents make decisions. While Expecting Better is about pregnancy, Cribsheet takes on topics for new parents like breastfeeding, sleep training, and potty training.
Dr. Spock's Baby and Childcare
My mother sent us this book and it's probably the reason my siblings and I survived childhood. Mom says she kept it on the nightstand and referenced it constantly.
The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp, M.D.
This book promises to teach you how to calm crying and help your baby to sleep longer. I bought it since it is very highly rated.
The New Contented Little Baby Book: The Secret to Calm and Confident Parenting by Gina Ford
Charles's co-worker highly recommended this book and sent it to us. It definitely fits Charles's mindset of organization and structure and it has suggested schedules for feedings and sleep.
Resources on Specific Topics:
What to Pack in a Hospital Bag
Breastfeeding
A List of Things to Do Before Your Baby Is Born
Things I Bought:
I bought A LOT of things for the baby, this is just a quick list that includes things that I bought to help me with pregnancy and to take care of myself postpartum.
Baby Frida Labor, Delivery, and Postpartum Kit
This $99 kit has everything from a soft gown and grippy socks to wear during delivery to cold packs and a peri bottle to help sooth your lady parts.
Bumble Baby's Amazon Shop
I love these topic specific lists of baby must haves. I thought that the lists of 21 essentials for the first 21 days postpartum and the bath essentials lists were very helpful.
Unisom
A pregnancy safe OTC sleep aid. Taking half a Unisom solved my pregnancy insomnia issues. (Obviously, check with your doctor before taking).
Bonjesta
This is a prescription medication for morning sickness. I had severe morning sickness from weeks 9-24 and was throwing up 50-60 times a week. I was sick and exhausted. Bonjesta turned things around for me. I finally got a prescription after I went to the hospital for dehydration. If you have severe morning sickness, advocate for yourself and consider getting medication.
Pepcid AC and Tums
My sister gave me excellent advice to just take 20mg of Pepcid AC every day (my doctor said this was ok) instead of taking it as needed. Once the Pepcid built up in my system, my burping and heartburn issues got much much better. Personally, I like to use Pepcid AC preventatively and to use Tums in the moment. I like the Pepcid AC 20mg pills instead of the chewables.
Apps:
Ovia Pregnancy
I am the type of person who didn't want to read a book about everything that happens to a woman's body during pregnancy and get overwhelmed. Instead, I used this app that explained things week by week. Plus it let me know how big the baby was - with the options of comparing the size of the baby to fruits and vegetables, French pastries, games, and unusual but cute animals.
Full Term
This app tracks contractions so that you can tell if you are in false labor or real labor, and decide when it's time to go to the hospital.
Baby Feed Timer
This app helps to track a baby's feeding schedule to help build a routine.
If you have any resources that you recommend I would love to hear about them in the comments.
