- Research on Baby Morality:
- http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50135408n (60 minutes- Born good? Babies help unlock the origins of morality 11/18/12)
- Documentaries on labor/delivery options:
- The Business of Being Born (on Netflix)
- More Business of Being Born (on Netflix)
- Books (how-to):
- The Happiest Baby on the Block- Karp
- The Breastfeeding Book- Sears
- (that others recommended- have not yet read):
- Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
- The Baby Whisperer
- The Pregnancy Book- Sears
- Books (history/cultural/biology)
- Mamatoto (easy read)
- The Alphabet Versus the Goddess (very good- but every dense)
- Sex, Time, and Power (very good- but every dense)
- Books (birthing):
- Birthing from Within
- (that others recommended- have not yet read):
- The Birth Partner
- Ida May's Guide to Childbirth
- Websites:
- http://www.babycenter.com/ (weekly emails are nice)- also have an app
- Mealtrain (very very useful to have people bring meals when baby small)
- Apps:
- iBaby (helps to track breastfeeding)
- find a white noise app (Neel made us a little audio clip that loops)
- Podcasts:
- Prenatal Yoga/Ball exercises
- Exercise:
- Yoga
- Water Aerobics/Swimming
- Products:
- wedge shaped pillow (for third trimester sleeping)
- Breastfriend (a special pillow for breastfeeding)
- Glider Chair (yes you really do need this for breastfeeding)
- Moby Wrap (perfect for newborns- bit of a learning curve on HOW to wrap)
- exercise ball at least 65" (can be used for gentle exercise, labor, and bouncing baby)
Things that I did that I am very glad I did: What-Why
- Got a Doula- helped with natural labor and to inform us about choices
- Did natural labor- was amazing experience, baby was super alert, and my recovery was very rapid
- Took pre/post-natal pictures- such a special time it is neat to have really good pictures
- Kept baby stuff to a minimum- there are sooo many things you CAN get it is overwhelming...but you only NEED a few things.
- Were strategic about what shots/drops/procedures etc we had done in the hospital- much of the "standard offering" is not the "best" for every baby....but it is "best" on aggregate for the USA population when you take into account all socio-economic and education levels across the population.
- Decided to breastfeed- everything I am reading discusses all the advantages to the baby
- Took a new parent/childbirth class- learned a ton!
- Had "family only" time after baby was born (just mom/dad/baby)- gave us an opportunity to learn how to do things the way we wanted without feeling judged (had friends/family help by doing mealtrain)
- Got massages/reflexology post-pardem - I was sore from birth/breastfeeding so it was great to work it out and also was good to have an hour without the baby.
Things that I didn't do that I wish I would have:
- attend a class on breastfeeding or read the breastfeeding book BEFORE baby was born (I had no clue what was going on/what to do!)
- take a probiotic after the birth (because I had taken antibiotics during labor)
- buy a breastfriend and a glider (necessities for breastfeeding comfortably)
Things that came as a surprise:
- that I was strong enough to have a natural labor
- how much back-labor hurts
- engorgement/challenge of breastfeeding
- how many burp cloths/blankets we get dirty in a day (we do a load everyday now)
- that the lack of sleep wasn't THAT big of a deal (people oversold this)
- that my hormones went nuts and I was in love with everything/everyone (people undersold this....granted this is exacerbated by lack of sleep....it is kinda the exact opposite of baby blues...)
- how much fun being a mom is!
