For those that know me, I’m definitely not the type of person to really “go with the flow.” I like to plan and research and then plan some more for just about anything and everything happening in my life. Obviously when it comes to something as huge as pregnancy and the looming task of having to raise and keep a baby alive, the research and planning hit a whole new level for me.

Now this is true for every aspect of what has encompassed the last 8 months of my life. Right away Joey did all the research for what car seat and stroller we should get, what rocker, bassinet, and play pin were the best, etc, etc. Before we even knew the gender and had a registry set up, we already had all the “big” items boxed up and waiting in the nursery. I’ll throw together a post on all that another time, but you get where I’m going with this…we research everything.

Being an avid reader, I’ve been reading quite a bit and learning A LOT about pregnancy and what to expect week by week all the way through baby’s first year of life. Most of my books have highlights and post-it notes sticking out of the pages from all the things I don’t want to forget! Joey and I bought 4 books right away when we found out we were pregnant. Joey isn’t too big a fan of reading, so he bought the audio versions so he could listen to it while he worked (if your husband is the same way, Joey highly recommends it!) The two he bought were The Expectant Father: The Ultimate Guide for Dads to Be by Armin A. Brott and Jennifer Ash and We’re Pregnant! The First Time Dad’s Pregnancy Handbook by Adrian Kulp (this one was super helpful because it told Joey exactly how to best help me and understand what I was going through week by week throughout pregnancy). I bought two books, The Mama Natural week by week guide to Pregnancy & Childbirth by Genevieve Howland and The Feel- Good Pregnancy Cookbook by Ryann Kipping. I’ve loved reading through the week by week breakdowns of pregnancy, it keeps it simple and isn’t overwhelming. I’ve sent it as a gift to a few newly expecting girlfriends and I cannot recommend it enough!

Other than those 4 books, I’ve been gifted everything else I’ve been reading. And they’ve been SO helpful and instrumental in preparing me for whats to come!

+ The Shit No One Tells You by Dawn Dias : The most real breakdown of pregnancy and your baby’s arrival. I’m all for some honesty when it comes to the world of motherhood and pregnancy! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- this journey has not been a walk in the park and I love when women are honest and straight forward about their experiences rather than pretending everything is all “happy go lucky” all the time. Transparency and authenticity mean a lot to me, so I’ll always be honest with how I’m feeling and respect that in others as well! It was refreshing reading a book from that point of view.

+ What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel : I mean, the pregnant woman’s bible, right? I’ve been reading this one week by week. There’s a ton of information and helpful tips about workouts, meals, etc.

+ The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp MD : My girlfriend, who is expecting a baby boy in March sent this to me and I devoured it pretty quickly. It’s super helpful for learning how to soothe your baby as a newborn and how to teach good habits right off the bat. If you’re expecting, I cannot recommend it enough!

+ Raising Baby: A Pocket Guide to Baby’s First Year by Nina Vaid Raoji : Joey’s mom sent us this and it’s such a great little quick reference for frequently asked questions after you get home from the hospital! We’re keeping it on the nightstand to reference as we need!

+ What to Expect The First Year by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel : I’ve just started reading through this but plan on reading it as we go once baby girl gets here. It’s similar to the What to Expect when You’re Expecting book and is written in the same format.

+ Parent Effectiveness Training: The Proven Program for Raising Responsible Children by Dr. Thomas Gordon : This was sent to me by another girlfriend of mine and I just recently started it. It’s pretty eye opening on how to approach children as they grow up and how to keep communication channels open. I’ve been writing footnotes in the book as I go!

I’ve enjoyed reading and learning SO much over the past 8 months and am eager to put all the tools to use once the time comes! I cannot recommend these books enough and if you have any other suggestions, I’d love to hear about them! I’m also officially on “bed rest” before baby and I plan on doing a lot of reading till her arrival!