Pregnancy: Changes in reading material

What I noticed at the store today, as I purchased my first baby-related magazine, is that my reading preferences have changed drastically since learning the news, and the Resident Alien isn't even here yet. Being pregnant is weird for reasons far stranger than mere changes in reading material. Like today, I reached across the counter to put some fruit in a basket and could actually feel a weird shift where the R. A. is currently residing. Weird. And sort of creepy. But exciting, too.

I guess reading is a comforting way to become comfortable with a thought that is still new enough I consider it uncomfortable. Thankfully, I have another five months to read all the books I can to better prepare myself for motherhood. Goodbye Lord Jim (Joseph Conrad), hello Belly Laughs (Jenny McCarthy). Here's a list of other books we've added to the family library since becoming expectant parents. (Holy crap, we're going to be parents!)

I know the traditional book for new mothers is "What to Expect When You're Expecting" but after reading just a few of the reviews on amazon.com, I didn't think that book would suit me well. The last thing you need when feeling rather alarmed is an alarmist book that reviews every worst-case scenario possible with a cover that hasn't been updated since the 1950s. Here are some of the comments from reviewers that steered me away from this recognized staple book on pregnancy:

"Let's start with the front cover. When was the last time you saw a pregnant mother wearing PINK LEGGINGS and rocking on a rocking chair? From the beginning, we can see that this publication is not intended for women of color, working women, or any pregnant woman who is living in reality."

"...the book could drive a girl, not to mention a pregnant woman, insane with anxiety. Its tone and advice are overprotective and even a little patriarchal. It's also padded with pages and pages of superfluous copy..."

"...you can't turn a page without being assaulted by talk of death, either with the baby or yourself. Who needs to read junk like that when they're feeling kinda emotionally drained anyway? They should have a section where they deal with the worst of the negative stuff so that readers aren't assaulted with negativity on every page. The page that dealt with hiccups (supposedly) actually talked about how the umbilical cord could fall out of you. Yeah, that's just lovely."

The Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy is well organized and informative. The weekly updates that explain not only what is happening with the baby but with mom are excellent. I outlined just a few of things I learned from reading those sections in a previous entry.

The next two books were both recommended by Dave from Daddy Daze (a blog I've been reading for a long time). With great photos and an abundance of large, easy-to-read text, How to Photograph Your Baby has some excellent tips for capturing the best shots possible. You can finish this book in a short amount of time and use it as a reference when you need a quick reminder session. What I learned specifically:
1. Turn the flash off, it is destroying your pictures. All the nuance achieved by shadows is removed the second a flash is lit. Instead, use natural light.
2. Get closer. A picture that consists of 5% baby and 95% background means your baby is getting lost and that you're actually taking a pic of your living room/driveway/backyard/etc.
3. Keep snapping. The more shots you take, the greater the chance you'll get that one perfect shot. With digital cameras this is easier to do as you don't have to worry about the prohibitive cost of developing all that film.

First Meals (we have the new expanded version) starts out with lots of info on early nutrition, healthy eating, food allergies, kitchen basics you'll need when preparing your own baby food, heating and refreezing food, when and how to wean your baby and much, much more. With first recipes for babies from six to nine months to recipes for kids from three to seven years old (including adult-friendly dishes) this book is great. It offers advice on how to feed picky eaters and what you can do to make dishes visually appealing as well as tasty. And to top it off, at the back of the book it offers weekly menus that outline what to offer for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

And because I didn't want Darr to feel left out, I bought him Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads. What sold me on this book? The first few pages of the first chapter. It begins with a picture of an adorable, fresh faced baby and the title "What Your Newborn Won't Look Like". Turn the page and you get "What Your Newborn Will Look Like" and the pic of this baby - your baby - is quite atrocious. The newborn on this page has puffy eyes, a coned-shaped head, a flat nose, and is covered with a "cheesy" substance (known as vernix caseosa) that protects the baby's skin in the womb. Gross. And nasty. With sections on "Bidding Farewell to the Breast" and "Using the Baby as a Prop" and "Removing a Foreign Object from a VCR" guys are sure to be entertained whilst they peruse useful information on the newest addition to the family.

This book was recommended by my friend Leah of Loolaville fame. (Sadly, she had to shut down Loolababy. I'm keeping my fingers crossed she'll bring it back in the future.) Darr and I have spent many a Saturday morn in bed reading the various names, meanings, popularity ranking, etc. trying to determine what name will best suit our kid. Naming a kid is hard work. Pick an unfortunate name and the kid'll get teased mercilessly. Pick a name that is too generic and she/he won't stand out. Pick a name that is too ethnic and it could affect her/his ability to get a call back when she/he is applying for a job. We've found a few that we like but we haven't focused in on "the name" yet so we're open to suggestions if anyone has one they want to share. Many thanks to Petar for offering up his name. We'll certainly keep that in mind.

There are a few others on the shelf that I have yet to crack open - The No-Cry Sleep Solution and The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy, the latter I'll probably tackle next since I'm almost halfway through my pregnancy.