Simplified Pregnancy Resources for Your First

When we first got pregnant, I knew nothing about how to be pregnant or how to prepare for a baby. Does anyone? I still don't. Initially, the more resources I got, the more overwhelmed I felt. So early on I decided to streamline and limit what I was reading and researching in an effort to cut out any of the other "noise." I feel like, at nearly 26 weeks along, I still know very little but we have our feet under us and are moving along whether we're ready or not. The resources I'm sharing below have been the most useful for me so I thought I'd share. Nothing sponsored, just my own opinions.

Baby Bargains

This is the only thing that got me started on the registry. It rates products based on safety, features, consumer feedback and their own analysis and it also suggests the best bang for your buck. I read one section, think about the products they recommend and then decide whether to put it on our registry or not. One section at a time, bit by bit. This book was recommended to me by a friend and I'm so glad she mentioned it. Saved me so much time and stress. The book suggests things like the best stroller for city dwellers, the best car seat for infrequent use (hello, us), the best crib for Grandma's house, etc.They tell you the best to buy if you want to go the expensive route and the best bargain if you want to spend less.

The Bump App

I tried a couple of other apps and they were too much of an information overload and they blasted my email box with nonsense. I like this app because I can look at it once a week, get a quick summary of how the baby should be progressing and scroll through some of the articles. I've found the articles to be short and informative without pushing a method or agenda. Also, it's easy to use and not covered with too many advertisements (although there are some).

The Confident Parent

This is the one book I've purchased about parenting and I hope it's the only one. I went to the bookstore one day during the first trimester and browsed through a ton of books and settled on this one. JUST ONE. It's a very simple parenting approach and talks a lot about how other cultures raise kids and why we like to over complicate things here in America. Dan and I want to approach parenting with simplicity, much the way we were both raised. Nothing fussy, just let them be kids. Dan and I read a chapter together every week so it's taking some time to get through it but we like it. This week we read about sleep and how to get a "good sleeper." I will be reading this chapter religiously and writing notes all over the apartment to ensure we keep to this strategy.

Joy for the Journey

Jessy got me this little journal/scrapbook back in December and it has allowed me to document things without feeling like I need to record every single little thing. Just enough. Pockets for saving things and a few prompts to answer. You can paste photos in it too which I haven't done yet but might. Very easy and not intimidating.

Other helpful resources:
A trusted friend with a one-year-old. She's already done the crazy research and is more than willing to share her non-judgemental advice in love.

My sister who has been a nanny for three years. She knows the ins-and-outs of the best products. Necessities of strollers and things to do without. She is also great at design and basically filled our registry.

My mom, who reminds me weekly that she gave birth to twins in the 1980s with stubborn two-year-old at the same time and surely I can survive. And Terri Mom (Dan's mom), she had two boys so she knows all about raising gentlemen.

Dan, who has limited knowledge about parenting and yet he is so amazing with little kids. All ages, they love him. I'm just going to follow his lead, except with diapering...I need to teach him that.

That's it! That's all I'm utilizing. I do Google a lot of things for quick answers like "can I eat feta cheese while pregnant" and "why do I keep getting charlie horses." I like Google because it's fast and not too judgemental. I got the What to Expect book and the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy, and a cookbook with good recipes to eat while pregnant. But I've hardly opened any of them.

I'm still pretty overwhelmed and feel miserably behind and totally unsure of things but I'm hoping some stuff will just "click."