I am an avid reader. If the excerpts and the 50 books links aren’t enough to convince you, let me assure you that, under normal life circumstances, I read one to two books a week. I love reading and I’ve loved reading ever since I was little. So, it was a bit odd that when I got pregnant, I didn’t rush to buy all the books on the subject or visit the plethora of websites that giver advice and information.
My first hesitation was statistical. There’s a higher than average chance of having a miscarriage in the first three month of a pregnancy, especially with the first pregnancy. Thus, I told myself that I didn’t want to get excited and caught up in all the reading. That felt like a pretty legitimate reason not to buy anything.
Once the first trimester was over, I was so busy throwing up that I didn’t want to get up from bed, let alone go out to buy books. So another two months passed and I still hadn’t read a word about being pregnant or the baby growing inside of me. (Not to lie, there was one website I went to ocassionaly which told me what week I was in and what that meant.)
On Month Five, once the puking stopped, I decided it was time to go out and purchase some books. Since my pregnancy was already almost at the end of its second trimester, I didn’t want to spend too much time or money on pregnancy books. Instead I bought books on the baby’s first year, teaching sign language, helping your baby sleep, etc. I bought only one pregnancy book that was supposed to be fun. I came home and read that one first.
After 60 pages, I had to put the book down and I never picked it up again. The same thing happened this week when I attempted to read our Childbirth Preperation class book. I can’t seem to get through these materials. A jaded person might claim it’s because I am not excited about the baby (which is definitely not true) or I am in denial somehow (which is also absolutely false). I am no longer feeling bad about not wanting to read. I’ve decided it’s healthier not to read.
There are about 10 pages in each of these books that tell you what a “normal” pregnancy/birth is like. The rest of the several hundred-page book talks about things that can go wrong. Or it talks about things that will definitely happen and that aren’t pleasant. Like bleeding or severe cramps or acute pain. While it’s a good idea to know enough to be able to differentiate between the normal and the abnormal, I am not sure that knowing the details of how painful labor might be will help me go through it more smoothly.
I figure that at this point the baby is big enough that it will hurt no matter how the baby comes out. I also know that the six-week class gave us more than enough information on what to expect, what’s a bad sign, and when to goto the hospital. The rest is stuff I don’t need to know.
I am going to stick to baby books instead.
O-kay!
Penelope Leach. Baby’s First Five Years. The modern day Dr. Spock.
How to Play With Your Baby. Can’t tell you any more than the fact the cover is yellow and orange.
Oh, I’m sure there are far more modern books available but those were my Bibles.
I guess pregnancy books are like Unix documentation: 10% percent of the time is spent on the “normal” stuff that will occur 90% percent of the time, and the other 90% is spent on improbabilities that will probably only happen 10% of the time. (Or something?)
For what it’s worth, I would trust your intuition on this one. You know better than anyone where your personal line lines between comforting preparation and panic-inducing over-information. Don’t do anything in these last few weeks to disrupt your sense of peace; read Dr. Seuss books all day long if you feel like you absolutely need to read something. Heavens knows, you need all the rest and calm you can get now, since you’ll be short on both when your little one gets here.
Thank you, Elenita….You reminded me that you should start reading to your baby by 3 to 4 weeks because it stimulates brain development. Scientifically proven to increase IQ by 10 to 15%. Plus it should be rhyming stuff because it’s like rap…you get a rhythm and babies love that. So buy the Dr. Seuss, read them now and then you can read them to the baby. Doesn’t matter if you don’t finish the book as long as you read. Another scientific fact is that babies who “hear” rhymes will read at an early age.
I’m sentimental, I loved the closeness of holding Dave on my lap as I read to him. It’s gotta be true, you know what happened to him!
Karen, while it’s just a guess, it looks like the bird in your photograph may be a “Western Sandpiper”. See http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i2470id.html and http://www.mesc.usgs.gov/products/Publications/555/maps/range/range_tables/wesa.html and http://birdsofsanibel.free.fr/images/20030717/Western%20Sandpiper%20X.jpg for more info…
Oops, I posted this in the wrong section… I’m not even remotely a bird expert, but I’d be inclined to vote for a sandpiper over a snowy plover…
Karenika, my advice is to go for the epidural. Whatever is going to happen will happen regardless of what you read or don’t read. I was told that reading to your child before he goes to bed is the best way to stimulate their love of reading. I have constantly underestimated my boy’s ability to sit and read with me. He’s now just about two and he’s sitting with me reading at a rate for 3-4 year olds. I’m sure your love of reading will rub off on your baby because he/she will imitate you in such alarming ways that you can’t help but take a good long look at yourself every day. You’re on an amazing trip, enjoy the ride!
snowy plover?
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i2780id.html
we have them here on ocean beach.
that’s it!! thank you!! 🙂 they are so very cute 🙂